Young Teams Across the Bluegrass (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While there are certainly a lot of talented teams across the state currently, I'm very excited for what's to come in the future as I have noticed multiple teams that have a lot of young talent already on their Varsity roster. As the seasons went on, I tried to take note of the teams I recognized as having huge contributions from underclassmen. I know I'm certain to miss some young teams, but below you can read about some of the teams I've seen this year that you can expect to hear a lot about in the years to come. The percentage in parentheses next to the team name is the percentage of underclassmen each team currently has (sophomores or younger). Please note that these numbers are based on rosters submitted to KHSAA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Nelson County (92.9)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I knew Nelson County had a young group, but they have some very talented players on their roster, so I never realized how young they truly are. Their roster is made up of 1 senior, 2 sophomores, 5 eighth graders, and 4 seventh graders. They have an 8-16 record overall and 5-9 in their region. Their 3 leading scorers are [player_tooltip player_id='376796' first='Nora' last='Kate Simpson'] (16.5 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='376797' first='Megan' last='Simpson'] (13.3 PPG), and Gracie Monin (4.6 PPG). Their leading rebounders are [player_tooltip player_id='376797' first='Megan' last='Simpson'] (10.2 RPG), [player_tooltip player_id='376796' first='Nora' last='Kate Simpson'] (7 RPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='743676' first='Selena' last='Chen'] (3.1 RPG). Their lone senior, Brylie Linton, had been out with an injury, but having her leadership on the court for the end of the season will give Nelson County an added boost. As far as the future is concerned, the Lady Cards have a lot of potential to make some noise across the state. Sophomores Nora Kate and [player_tooltip player_id='376797' first='Megan' last='Simpson'] impact the game in big ways and they both just continue to get better and better. They will have a strong group surrounding them as well as freshman Chen and Emilee Mackin, eighth graders Monin, Natalie Nalley, Lani Newton, and Maliyah Jones, and seventh grader [player_tooltip player_id='1172529' first='Rylee' last='Reynolds'] have all shown a lot of potential against a very tough schedule.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">LKY (83.3)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you haven't heard of the LKY Saints, their organization "exists to provide Christian, competitive athletic opportunities for homeschool families that live in or near the Louisville area." Their current roster consists of 2 seniors, 1 sophomore, 7 freshmen, 1 eighth grader, and 1 seventh grader. Their top 3 leading scorers are Hannah Simmon (10.4 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='785082' first='Courtney' last='Simmon'] (10 PPG), and Savannah McCartney (8.4 PPG). Their leading rebounders are [player_tooltip player_id='785082' first='Courtney' last='Simmon'] (8.1 RPG), McCartney (5.4 RPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='646484' first='Hayley' last='Mattingly'] (5.1 RPG). LKY starts their 2 middle schoolers (Courtney &amp; Hannah Simmon), 2 freshmen (McCartney &amp; Sarah Ward), and one senior (Lucy Greely). They currently have an 11-9 record with multiple wins over some KHSAA teams such as Portland Christian, Iroquois, Fairdale, Atherton, and Collegiate. Despite being in middle school, the Simmon sisters have been excellent leaders for this group. On top of scoring, 7th grader Hannah is also their assists leader (2.7 APG) and 3-point shooting leader (33%). On top of rebounding, 8th grader Courtney is also their leader in steals (2.6 SPG), blocks (1.7 BPG), and free throws (72%).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Campbellsville (81.8)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Campbellsville's roster is majority middle schoolers as they have 2 juniors, 3 sophomores, and 6 eighth graders. They are 6-13 overall and 4-7 in their region. Their 3 leading scorers are [player_tooltip player_id='982092' first='Karsyn' last='Smith'] (10 PPG), Tazaria Owens (9.7 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='897372' first='Mylee' last='Bell'] (9.4 PPG). Their leading rebounders are Owens (6.9 RPG), Smith (4.4 RPG), and Caselynn Brown (2.9 RPG). Smith is only an 8th grader and made a big jump from her 7th grade season. I'd expect her to continue progressing as she can score at all 3 levels and has shown a ton of potential this season. Owens and Bell are both sophomores and they are the Lady Eagles field goal leaders - Owens shoots a team-high 46.1% from the field and Bell shoots a team-high 34.2% from 3. Brown is a junior point guard. They will return their entire roster next season and have several young players to be excited about.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Henderson County (75)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Henderson County had some big adjustments to make this season as they graduated some key players from a season ago, but despite having a different look and being very young, they are currently sitting at the top of the 2nd Region standings. Their roster is made up of 3 juniors, 3 sophomores, 3 freshmen, and 3 eighth graders. They have a record of 17-6 overall and 6-1 in the region. Their leading scorers are [player_tooltip player_id='376814' first='Brooklyn' last='Gibson'] (12.4 PPG), Allyson Rideout (11.5 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='493155' first='Atylia' last='Green'] (11.3 PPG). Their leading rebounders are the same: Gibson (6 RPG), Rideout (5.7 RPG), and Green (4.8 RPG). Out of those three players, Gibson and Green are sophomores, while Rideout is a junior. Gibson is long and active on both ends of the court and she just keeps growing her game. Rideout can score in some crafty ways and can be relied on to get a bucket when her team needs it the most. Green is a stat stuffer who contributes in every way imaginable. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='489405' first='Adalyn' last='Gish'] does a great job running the point for the Lady Colonels as well. As far as the future is concerned, they will return everyone next season and should be one of the toughest teams in the state moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">North Hardin Christian (75)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Hardin Christian School is a small school in Radcliff, Kentucky. They have a small roster with 1 senior, 1 junior, 1 sophomore, 3 eighth graders, and 2 seventh graders. They are currently 5-13 overall and 1-4 in their region. Their 3 leading scorers are Jazz Brown (12.1 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='470577' first='Sharon' last='Riis'] (10.1 PPG), and Paige Haddle (5.2 PPG). Their leading rebounders are Brown (9.1 RPG), Riis (4.5 RPG), and Kinsey Bright (4.2 RPG). Brown is their lone senior, so she will certainly be missed next season, but the rest of their roster will be able to return. Unfortunately, this is not a team I've been able to watch, so I cannot comment beyond their stats, but they are certainly a young group that I wanted to include here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Owsley County (75)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Owsley County's roster is made up of 2 seniors, 1 junior, 1 sophomore, 3 freshmen, 4 eighth graders, and 1 seventh grader. Despite being so young, they are currently sitting at the top of the 14th Region standings with a 17-6 record overall and a 12-1 record in their region. Their top 3 leading scorers are [player_tooltip player_id='167102' first='Carly' last='Smith'] (15.5 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='376762' first='Addison' last='Terry'] (13.5 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='747663' first='Macey' last='Brown'] (12.9 PPG). [player_tooltip player_id='885367' first='Aaliyah' last='Lynch'] (12.7 PPG) is also averaging double-digit scoring for the Lady Owls. Their leading rebounders are Brown (11.4 RPG), Terry (8.7 RPG), and Shelby Murray (7.6 RPG). Smith is a player who can also get 10+ assists and steals on any given night. She and Murray are their 2 seniors and not having them around will take some adjusting, but they have a strong young core. Out of the other players listed above, Lynch will be the lone senior next season, Terry is currently a sophomore, and Brown is a freshman. Terry has proven to be a top sophomore in the state, contributing in so many ways. Brown is a walking double-double with excellent size and growing strength. They have several other young contributors as well who will be ready to step into a bigger role next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->