Some Top Performances Across the Bluegrass
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We are officially in week 3 of high school basketball in Kentucky and there have been some very impressive performances early on this season. While I want to highlight some of the ones I’ve been made aware of, I am…
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Continue ReadingWe are officially in week 3 of high school basketball in Kentucky and there have been some very impressive performances early on this season. While I want to highlight some of the ones I’ve been made aware of, I am going to try to not repeat any that have previously been written about on here. This is by no means an exhaustive list that includes all of the top performances, so I apologize if I missed you below! However, here are some of the players making waves in the start of this season.
It’s only right to start this article off by talking about one of the most eye-opening performances I’ve seen so far this season. Dea Bradley Dea Bradley 5’5″ | CG Hart County | 2024 State KY put up a school-record 54 points in a win over Grayson County earlier this week. To make that accomplishment even more impressive, I want to add a few more things. First, the entire opposing team scored 53 points. Bradley legitimately scored 1 more point than the entire opposing offense scored throughout the game. Second, she wasn’t just scoring. She also had 8 rebounds, 6 steals, and an assist in the victory. Third, she shot 73% from the field and 81% from the free throw line. Through Hart County’s 1st five games, Bradley is averaging 32.6 PPG and 5.8 RPG while shooting 62.4% overall, 53.3% from 3, and 74.4% from the free throw line.
Whitley Biddle Whitley Biddle 6'0" | C Gallatin County | 2024 State KY
Whitley Biddle Whitley Biddle 6'0" | C Gallatin County | 2024 State KY
Biddle can definitely fit the description of a walking double-double. Through 4 games, she is her team’s leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 20.2 PPG and 11.5 RPG. She is also shooting a team-best 56.8% from the field. In a win over Eminence last week, Biddle had a 30 point, 18 rebound double-double. To take that impressive performance a step further, I want to note that her team scored 44 total points, so she really helped carry them to that victory. She followed that game up with a game in which she went 13-for-14 (92.9%) from the free throw line, helping lead her team to another win.
Marshall is another player who can be described as a walking double-double. She is one of the best rebounders you’ll find, no matter what class you’re looking at, and that is saying a lot considering she is only a freshman. After 6 games, Marshall is her team’s leading scorer and rebounder. She is averaging 14.8 PPG and 12.8 RPG. Marshall also is a stat stuffer, doing much more than just scoring and rebounding. To give you an example, in one game this season, this was her stat line: 32 points, 21 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Marshall missed half of last season with an injury, so she’s really played less than 2 full seasons worth of games so far in her Varsity career, but she has already grabbed 532 career rebounds. Definitely a player you can expect to hear about a lot in the next 4 years.
Highlights
Sandlin put up a career-high 37 points in a game this past weekend. In that game, she shot 15-for-22 (68.2%) from the field and 4-for-7 (57.1%) from 3. In 4 games this season, Sandlin is her team’s leading scorer and rebounder. She is averaging 20.8 PPG and 7.5 RPG while shooting 52.5% overall and 55% from 3. The versatile sophomore has been showing that she can score in a variety of ways and she is really proving to be a very tough matchup for opposing teams. Expect Sandlin to be a player you hear a lot about this season.
In a win over Wolfe County on Wednesday of this week, Martin had a huge double-double, scoring 31 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. She went 13-for-16 (81.2%) from the field in the victory. Beyond this performance, Martin has been a big part of Betsy Lane’s 4-2 start. She is averaging 13.7 PPG and 5.3 RPG while shooting a team-best field goal percentage (60.7%). Martin is only a sophomore and she’s off to an excellent start in her sophomore season. I’d expect many other double-doubles in her future.
Highlights
Terrell is one of the best shot blockers you’re going to find in Kentucky. The 6’2 junior doesn’t just rely on her height, but rather she has excellent timing and decision making skills. While she can obviously block players she’s guarding 1-on-1, what makes her skillset even more impressive is that she’ll do things like sliding across the paint in help defense or chasing down players on fast breaks to get blocks as well. Terrell is much more than a shot blocker as well. She does a great job of keeping the ball high and away from the defense to score at the rim and she is a really good passer as well. She is also her team’s leading rebounder, averaging 8.6 RPG. I love the way Terrell contributes in so many different ways and she’s definitely showing that in the start of this season.
Highlights
Nakiah Mejia Nakiah Mejia 5'6" | PG Scott | 2028 KY
Nakiah Mejia Nakiah Mejia 5'6" | PG Scott | 2028 KY
You won’t find many 8th graders leading their team in scoring, but when you find one doing that on a good team, you know that player is special and that is exactly what Mejia is doing. Through 4 games, she is averaging 12 PPG and shooting 52.6% from the field. Despite still being in middle school, Mejia has a fearless mindset when she steps onto the court. She isn’t afraid of contact and she can score in so many different ways. On top of that, she can get it done on the defensive end of the court as well and she really stuffs a stat sheet. In Scott’s most recent game, Mejia finished with 17 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 6 deflections. She is one of the top 2028’s around and you will be hearing her name a lot in the future.
Ella Brown
Ella Brown
Spencer County is off to a 5-1 start and Brown has been leading the way, averaging a team-best 16.2 PPG and 6.7 RPG. She is also shooting 52.3% from the field and 73% from the free throw line. In a win over Assumption, she finished with a double-double (16 points and 11 rebounds). Brown’s versatility has made it hard for opposing teams to keep her from scoring or off the boards.
Skyler Mills has also been a big part of their success so far, filling up the stat sheet consistently, so I wanted to note her here as well. She’s averaging 9 PPG and 2.7 RPG, but she does much more than just scoring and rebounding for her team. Mills plays so hard and is constantly creating for her teammates. She is shooting 50% from the 3-point line through the 1st six games. She has also already had 5+ assists in multiple games this season.
Charlotte McCurry
Charlotte McCurry
If you haven’t heard the name Charlotte McCurry yet, you better get ready to hear it a lot because she is one of the top 2029 players you’ll find. The 7th grader is not only starting Varsity for John Hardin, but she is absolutely stuffing the stat sheet for them as well. In her 1st game, she finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. She has also had a 24-point game in which she grabbed 4 steals and 2 rebounds, as well as a huge double-double game (14 points and 14 rebounds) in which she also had 6 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks. Her team has started off with a 4-1 record and McCurry is their leading rebounder (6.6 RPG) & 2nd leading scorer (17.6 PPG). She is shooting 50% from the field and 80% from the free throw line.