Way Too Early 2025 Ms. Basketball Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the dead period underway and AAU ramping back up, let's take a minute to look ahead to the high school season and do some early handicapping of the field for 2025 Ms. Basketball award. While there is a clear front runner, the award is not quite a slam dunk at this point. Here's a look at contenders for the award.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Favorite:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Zakiyah Johnson, Sacred Heart - The heavy favorite to win the award. Z has won state every year of high school and has been the consensus best player in Kentucky for multiple years now. She's ranked in the top 5 of about every major ranking service.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Second Favorite:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='254279' first='Leah' last='Macy'], Bethlehem - If not for Johnson, Macy would have been the best player in Kentucky for several years. She's had a monster career and is one of the best players in America. It's a shame the committee can't just give them Co-Miss Basketball and be done with it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Question Mark:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='311967' first='Ciara' last='Byars'], George Rogers Clark - Prior to her ACL tear last season, Ciara was right in the mix with Macy and Johnson and she's got a lengthy list of scholarship offers. She's not likely to win Miss Basketball but if she returns to her previous form, she could steal some votes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Predicting Regional Players of the Year:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1st Region - [player_tooltip player_id='254285' first='Skylar' last='Waller'], Marshall County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2nd Region - [player_tooltip player_id='555974' first='Riley' last='Sword'], Madisonville-North Hopkins</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3rd Region - [player_tooltip player_id='254562' first='Peyton' last='Bradley'], Meade County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='885318' first='LaReesha' last='Cawthorn'], Franklin-Simpson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='254279' first='Leah' last='Macy'], Bethlehem</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='254282' first='Noel' last='Smith'], Whitefield Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7th Region - Zakiyah Johnson, Sacred Heart</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='254281' first='Lainey' last='Johnson'], Anderson County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='320855' first='Marissa' last='Green'], Highlands</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='311967' first='Ciara' last='Byars'], George Rogers Clark</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='231488' first='Niah' last='Rhodes'], Frederick Douglass</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>12th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='403467' first='Kinsley' last='Molden'], Southwestern (assuming [player_tooltip player_id='403464' first='Grace' last='Mbugua']'s ACL tear keeps her from playing a full Senior season)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>13th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='254274' first='Halle' last='Collins'], Knox Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>14th Region - Kyra McAlarnis, Perry County Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='780845' first='Sophie' last='Adkins'], Lawrence County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16th Region - [player_tooltip player_id='555976' first='Kenleigh' last='Woods'], Ashland Blazer</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->