Five Early Exits

There are a lot of really talented regions across this state. With all of the talent, comes some early exits from some teams that had really successful seasons overall. Here's a look at some of those teams and what their future looks like.   <h2>CAL (7th Region)</h2>   CAL found themselves ranked in the top 25 throughout this season. However, they faced a tough Central team that has also been ranked high in the opening round of the 7th Region tournament. The good news for the Centurions? They had no seniors and will be back with a loaded roster next season. In fact, they will likely be one of the best teams in the state next year.   Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='376791' first='Brianna' last='Wilkins'] was CAL's leading scorer this past season at 16.8 PPG. She can score on drives, pull-ups, layups, floaters, outside shots, etc. which makes her a really tough match-up. Her potential is as high as can be.   Junior [player_tooltip player_id='231487' first='Mariah' last='Knight'] was their leader on the boards with 9.5 RPG, but she was also a major part of their offense as she averaged 15.3 PPG. She was a big key in a lot of CAL's victory. On the offensive end, she's extremely hard to stop. On top of all of the moves she can make, Knight is strong and can step out to knock down shots.   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='326295' first='Bailee' last='Duck'] is also a big part of CAL's team. She's so quick with and without the ball, which makes it really hard on the defense to stay in front. She averaged 9.6 PPG this season. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='231486' first='Ella' last='Daniels'] and [player_tooltip player_id='231485' first='Savannah' last='Gardner'] are also players that will continue to be a big for the Centurions.   Daniels averaged 8.1 PPG and was CAL's defensive stopper. She's so athletic and can score inside or out. She really has come into her own throughout the season and has proven to be a leader both on and off of the floor.   Gardner had to miss majority of the season after she suffered an ankle injury in CAL's 2nd game of the season. However, she came back in their final game of the season and showed how much value she truly brings to the floor. While she was only allowed to play 8 minutes per doctor's orders, she took advantage of that time and had 10 points, 7 rebounds, a steal, and an assist against a really talented Central team. Gardner's a 2-way player, excellent rebounder, and can score at all 3 levels.   Some other key returners for Christian Academy include freshman [player_tooltip player_id='493156' first='Ava' last='Moore'], sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='310830' first='Addison' last='Kincaid'], and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='493159' first='Jaida' last='Allen'].   <h2>Dixie Heights (9th Region)</h2>   Dixie Heights is another team that found themselves ranked throughout the season. Like CAL, they are in one of the toughest regions in the state which is why they were an early exit. They had a solid season, finishing with a 25-8 record.   The Colonels are graduating their 2 leading scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='255503' first='Samantha' last='Berman'] (14.8 PPG) and [player_tooltip player_id='372710' first='Ella' last='Steczynski'] (12.9 PPG). Those are major losses for Dixie Heights, but they do still have a solid young core. Their leading returning scorer next season will be freshman Coralee Pelfry who really showed her star potential this season.   Pelfry averaged 8.3 PPG and shot 40% from deep on the season. She can knock down shots off of the dribble or catch and she can score in a variety of ways. She can also get into the passing lanes to come up with steals and was the Colonels leading rebounder this season (5.4 RPG). Dixie Heights will look to her to be their main scorer next year.   Junior Abby Thelen will be their leading returning post player after averaging 5.6 PPG and 3 RPG this year. Thelen can get multiple steals and blocks in any given game. She shot nearly 50% overall this season and while she can finish well inside, she can also step out to knock down shots.   Freshman Aubrey Elkins was relied on to be a defensive stopper this year and will continue to be one of their best defenders, while also being relied on to score more. She already has the tools, but now she will get to put them to use. She's got a really quick first step and can score in crafty ways around the basket.   Some additional key returners for Dixie Heights include sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1212315' first='Bella' last='Crawford'] and junior Jalynn Brooks.   <h2>Rowan County (16th Region)</h2>   The Vikings were the favorites to win the 16th Region tournament, but unfortunately for them, they faced one of the other best teams in the region in the opening round of the tournament. However, they had a really successful season, making it to the championship of the 2A State tournament and finishing the season with a 24-8 record overall.   Replacing a Miss Basketball candidate who averages 25.9 PPG and 12.6 RPG is no easy task. In fact, the Vikings will likely have to make a lot of adjustments to make up for what [player_tooltip player_id='164384' first='Haven' last='Ford'] brought to the court as she has broken nearly every school record imaginable in her time at Rowan County. They also have to replace some other key seniors, including [player_tooltip player_id='311948' first='Katie' last='Chandler'] who was their 2nd leading scorer at 12.6 PPG.   Despite their losses, Rowan County does return some solid young talent. For starters, they will return their 8th grader starter, [player_tooltip player_id='502249' first='Brynlee' last='Walker']. Walker showed a lot of promise and potential at both the point guard and shooting guard positions this season. She can handle the ball and score inside or out. She has great length and will be a major key for the Vikings next season.   They also return junior Destiny Utterback who was only able to play in a limited amount of games this season due to an injury. She brings a lot to the floor from defense to rebounding to passing and scoring. She's the type of player that will be able to lead the Vikings in scoring in any given game.   Freshman Lauryn Eastham was Rowan County's leading 3-point shooter this season after shooting 37.5% from deep. She will be another key returner along with sophomore Diamond Wills and junior [player_tooltip player_id='583990' first='Olivia' last='Beach'].   <h2>Whitefield Academy (6th Region)</h2>   Whitefield was one of the top teams in the 6th Region, but are in a district that includes the other 2 top teams in the region in Mercy and Bullitt East. As far as RPI is concerned, Whitefield is currently at the top of the region, but unfortunately for them, they were not able to make it out of their tough district.   The Wildcats graduate some key players in [player_tooltip player_id='164406' first='Amy' last='Thompson'] (13.9 PPG/5.9 RPG), [player_tooltip player_id='329426' first='Camryn' last='Poole'] (11 PPG/5.1 RPG), and Kylie Ritter. Those are huge losses that will certainly change the landscape for Whitefield next season, but they still have a lot of talented young hoopers.   Junior [player_tooltip player_id='250278' first='Allison' last='Spieker'] also averaging double digit points this season (10.1 PPG). She is a sharpshooter, so if she gets hot from deep, opposing teams are in trouble. However, Spieker can score in more ways than just one - she can score off of floaters, layups, and pull-up jumpers as well.   Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='254282' first='Noel' last='Smith'] is Whitefield's leading rebounder (9.7 RPG) and can also put the ball in the basket (7.9 PPG). Smith is a special player because when she faces post players, she's typically undersized, but still finds ways to make stuff happen. She can get steals and blocks, she can score inside or out, and she's a phenomenal rebounder.   Junior [player_tooltip player_id='398032' first='Sara' last='Ritter'] will be their other returning starter. She averaged 7.5 PPG and 2.1 RPG. She's long, quick, and she can be a really disruptive defender. She also makes good drives to the basket and can score in crafty ways around the rim.   Some other key returners include 8th grader [player_tooltip player_id='747666' first='Mia' last='Braffet'], sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='555982' first='Holly' last='Gilliam'], freshman Ella Green, and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='493162' first='Riley' last='Ring'].   <h2>Spencer County (8th Region)</h2>   Spencer County was one of the favorites in the 8th region. They had proven that they could play the region favorite, Anderson County, as close as any other team in the region, defeating them once while losing to them twice (both losses by 7 points or less). They fell short to South Oldham in the opening round of regional play, but had a great season overall.   Spencer County graduates their leader in [player_tooltip player_id='393709' first='Daveigh' last='Reichenbach'] (16.2 PPG/9.4 RPG). She was a huge piece of the puzzle for the Bears, but they do return a double digit scorer in junior [player_tooltip player_id='1252822' first='Ella' last='Brown'] (12.7 PPG).   Brown is an excellent defender. She uses her length to get blocks and steals. She can also use her length to finish at the rim. She shot over 50% overall on the season and will be looked to to score even more next season.   Spencer County also returns junior [player_tooltip player_id='595463' first='Skyler' last='Mills']. She will be one of the primary ball handlers for the Bears. She does a good job distributing the ball to her teammates and moving without the ball. She can knock down shots and grab steals in the passing lanes.   Some other key returners will be sophomore Kayla Basham and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='329458' first='Gracie' last='Brown'] (please note that this is a different player than the one linked here).

There are a lot of really talented regions across this state. With all of the talent, comes some early exits from some teams that had really successful seasons overall. Here's a look at some of those teams and what their future looks like.