Young Teams Across the Bluegrass (Part 3)

<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). <em>Please note that these percentages are based on rosters submitted to KHSAA and the records/stats may not have been up-to-date at the time this article was written.</em></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Calloway County (73.7)</h2>   <p>Calloway County's roster is made up of 5 juniors, 4 sophomores, and 10 freshmen. They currently have a record of 20-5 and are 7-3 in regional play. Their 3 leading scorers are [player_tooltip player_id='494359' first='Sayler' last='Lowe'] (20 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='826405' first='Jaidan' last='Koch'] (16 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='859300' first='Jaycee' last='Crouch'] (8 PPG). Their leading rebounders are Lowe (9 RPG), Koch (6 RPG), and Lexi McClure (3.3 RPG). Out of those leaders, Lowe and Koch are both sophomores while Crouch and McClure are juniors. Lowe and Koch are two of the best sophomores in the state and even though opposing teams know to focus on them, they both have been stuffing the stat sheet all season long. Despite coming back from a knee injury, Lowe has already eclipsed the 1,000 point mark. The Lakers have a very solid 6-man rotation of sophomores and juniors who are all set to return next season, one of those being junior Madison Futrell who is averaging 5.6 APG. With some of the other top teams in the region graduating key players, you have to think they will go into the season as the favorite to win the 1st Region title. Watch out for this group because they are already making noise this season and will have a chance to make even more noise next season.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wayne County (72.7)</h2>   <p>Wayne County currently has 2 seniors, 1 junior, 2 sophomores, 5 freshmen, and 1 eighth grader on their roster. They are 11-11 overall and 5-2 in the region so far this season. Their 3 leading scorers are Jordan Collom (12.1 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1057217' first='Kelci' last='Debord'] (10.3 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='376807' first='Adeline' last='Heatherly'] (10.1 PPG). Their leading rebounders are Cami Debord (5.8 RPG), Jordan Collom (4.8 RPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1057217' first='Kelci' last='Debord'] (4.7 RPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='376807' first='Adeline' last='Heatherly'] (4.7 RPG). They have beaten some very tough teams this season playing with a lot of grit. Their seniors, Collom and Cami Debord are key contributors who will certainly be missed next season, but their younger core has shown the potential to compete amongst the best in the future. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='376807' first='Adeline' last='Heatherly'] is a very competitive, hard-working player who can play lockdown defense while also making a lot happen on the offensive end. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1057217' first='Kelci' last='Debord'] has been an excellent 2-way player for the Lady Cards. Much like this season, next season, they will have a strong mix of experience and young talent.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Walton-Verona (72.2)</h2>   <p>Walton-Verona's roster consists of 2 seniors, 3 juniors, 5 freshmen, 4 eighth graders, and 4 seventh graders. They currently have a record of 13-9 overall and 8-3 in the region. Their 3 scoring leaders are [player_tooltip player_id='494689' first='Elin' last='Logue'] (13.7 PPG), Campbell Christy (13.4 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='403472' first='Braylin' last='Terrell'] (10.9 PPG). Their leading rebounders are Terrell (9.9 RPG), Ava Kendall (5.9 RPG), and Logue (4.2 RPG). Out of those stat leaders, Terrell and Christy are juniors while Logue and Kendall are freshmen. Terrell and Kendall are both shooting over 54+% from the field on the season. On top of being the leader on the boards, [player_tooltip player_id='403472' first='Braylin' last='Terrell'] is one of the top shot blockers in the state who can truly stuff a stat sheet. Logue is a knockdown shooter with in-the-gym range, but she can put the ball in the basket at all 3 levels. Christy has been a standout on both the basketball court and soccer field this year. Kendall and Dryden are among the group of young players who can help the Bearcats not only for the remainder of this season but going forward as well.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Green County (70)</h2>   <p>Green County has 2 seniors, 1 junior, 2 sophomores, and 5 eighth graders. They currently stand at 13-6 overall and 9-3 in their region. Their 3 leading scorers are [player_tooltip player_id='985797' first='Mia' last='Blaydes'] (13.2 PPG), Lily Beard (11 PPG), and Chloe Fortner (9.9 PPG). Their leading rebounders are Scout Brockman (6.7 RPG), [player_tooltip player_id='502109' first='Baylee' last='Fortner'] (4.5 RPG), and Allie Burris (3.9 RPG). You have to love the way this team shares the ball and how evenly spread their stats are. They have 5 different players averaging 8-13 PPG and 7 players averaging 2.9-7 RPG. Now, Beard and Burris are their 2 seniors, so they will certainly miss having them on the court after this season, but junior [player_tooltip player_id='985797' first='Mia' last='Blaydes'] has shown good leadership and has proven that she can make a lot happen on the court. Chloe Fortner and Scout Brockman are only eighth graders and despite being young, they have more than held their own this season and contribute in more ways than just scoring and rebounding from assists to steals to deflections. Their consistent improvement will make them a dangerous duo going forward.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">West Jessamine (69.6)</h2>   <p>West Jessamine's has a large roster that is made up of 4 seniors, 3 juniors, 4 sophomores, 5 freshmen, 3 eighth graders, and 4 seventh graders. They are currently 19-6 overall and 8-2 in the region. Their 3 leading scorers are [player_tooltip player_id='557203' first='Claire' last='Marshall'] (17.2 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='502127' first='Katie' last='Mastin'] (12.5 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='566170' first='Isabella' last='Lewis'] (9.9 PPG). Their leading rebounders are Marshall (12.7 RPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1052043' first='Kimberly' last='Johnson'] (7.3 RPG), and Lewis (3.3 RPG). [player_tooltip player_id='557203' first='Claire' last='Marshall'] has solidified herself as not only one of the top players in the 2027 class but in the state. While some players struggle to notch a double-double in their entire high school career, she has averaged a double-double throughout her seventh-, eighth-, and now ninth-grade seasons. Sophomores Mastin, Lewis, [player_tooltip player_id='566167' first='Ariana' last='McLoney'], and Johnson have all had big seasons as well, including being consistent scoring threats. They have upperclassmen contributors like Morgan Dowell, Olivia Wayne, and Zoey Spencer. For the Colts, it's a true team effort and they show so much heart every time they step on the court. They're currently on an 11-game winning streak and I expect them to keep the momentum for the remainder of this season and next.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Betsy Layne (69.2)</h2>   <p>Betsy Layne has 1 senior, 3 juniors, 5 sophomores, and 4 freshmen on their roster. They have a 13-8 record overall and a 6-5 record in the region. Their leading scorers are [player_tooltip player_id='871198' first='Haleigh' last='Damron'] (17.5 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='885343' first='Jaden' last='Pente'] (12.3 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='730457' first='Kinleigh' last='Martin'] (11.3 PPG). Their leading rebounders are Damron (6.7 RPG), Jayden Jarrell (6.2 RPG), and Martin (5.6 RPG). Damron is a strong, versatile senior who will be playing at Kentucky Christian University next year, so she will certainly be missed next season, but they are set to return the remainder of their roster. Their other double-digit scorers, Pente and Martin, are only sophomores and provide a tough 1-2 punch on the perimeter and in the post. Juniors Laci Hall and Karly Williams along with freshmen Jarrell and Mady Collins have also contributed valuable minutes for the Ladycats.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Marion County (69.2)</h2>   <p>Marion County's roster includes 2 seniors, 2 juniors, 3 sophomores, and 6 freshmen. They are 9-10 overall this season and 5-6 in their region. Their 3 leading scorers are KeKe Adams (11.4 PPG), Mya Scott (11.2 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='1096633' first='Patience' last='Staples'] (7.7 PPG). Their rebounding leaders are Scott (10.1 RPG), Staples (7 RPG), and Kaitlyn McCrosky (4.8 RPG). They have a solid mix of upper- and underclassmen. Out of their core group, they will graduate Adams and McKenzie Gordon after this season, but they return the remainder of their core. Junior Mya Scott is averaging a double-double this season as a guard and can fill up a stat sheet. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1096633' first='Patience' last='Staples'] is another stat stuffer who you can expect to make a big jump next season after an impressive freshman year. Junior Kaitlyn McCrosky, who has the best field goal percentage on the team, and freshmen [player_tooltip player_id='1096656' first='Kyra' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1096631' first='Adriana' last='Brown'] have all been valuable pieces for the Lady Knights this season.</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 percentages are based on rosters submitted to KHSAA and the records/stats may not have been up-to-date at the time this article was written.