All "A"- 7th Region Champion - Whitefield Academy

The Lady Cats will return for their 3rd straight All 'A" Classic with a team that hasn't lost a single player to graduation in 4 seasons. But this time they return as a Veteran team with 3 Seniors, 2 Juniors, and 2 Sophomores seeking to advance further than they have in the past. Both Juniors scored their 1,000th point earlier in the season, two of the Seniors are on track to also meet that plateau and one of the Sophomore might finish the season with over 1,000 rebounds.   Despite their scoring prowess, Whitefield Academy is a team that hangs its hat on Defense. They are currently the #1 Team Defense in the Commonwealth and 6th in scoring margin. They are holding teams to an average of 31.7 points per game and outscoring them by an average of 21.7 points per game. An excellent Team Defense is not a new development either, This is the 3rd consecutive year they have been ranked in the Top 5 statewide. This is a team I am very familiar with and could have written about at any time all season but have waiting to cover them as part of this series previewing the teams that have qualified for the All "A" Classic.   [player_tooltip player_id='254282' first='Noel' last='Smith'] 5'-8" - SF - Whitefield Academy - 2025   Since the Team begins with Defense, this article could only begin with Smith, who until this year could be depended on to rebound the ball, play excellent defense and almost never shoot the ball. She still rebounds the ball in every way you can imagine, utilizing her speed and knack to know where the ball is going to be before it gets there. She still is an amazing defender in any situation she finds herself in on the court. But she is now handling the ball on the break, driving to the basket to score, and shooting the three. The growth of Smith as a player is incredible considering just 4 years ago she had never played the game in any organized setting.   There are times in most games when she does the impossible or near impossible and makes hustle play after hustle play all game long. She is scoring 7.2 points per game, making 41.4% of her shots, 33.9% of her threes, and 66.7% of her free throws. Her offensive game continues to develop and every few games she finds a new way to score that she wasn't doing a week ago. But more than anything her Rebounding is her calling card and for the past three seasons she has been one of the Top 50 Rebounding Leaders in the Commonwealth. At this point in the season, you will not find her name on that list but she is averaging the same 8.7 Rebounds as the 50th player on that list. Improved Rebounding by her teammates has hurt her totals this season, but this has helped the team win, But check the ist from years past and you will find her name near the top of that list.     Kylie Ritter 5'-9" - PF - Whitefield Academy - 2023   Of the two Ritter sisters on the team, the impact that Kylie has on the game doesn't lead to a ton of stats. She has only taken 13 shots in 15 games played, but she is making 46.2% of her field goals and 42.9% of her 7 three-point attempts. She only grabs 2.7 rebounds and scores 1.2 points per game and probably leads the team in Fouls. But when you watch her play it is her ability to defend much larger, highly talented Bigs, keep them off of the glass and limit their point and rebound totals below what they would normally average is incredible. This is the interior defensive stopper needed to make this unit work. She is fearless, selfless, and willing to put her body on the line and to contribute every ounce of energy she has until the final horn sounds or she fouls out. As a sometimes starter due to matchups, this is exactly the kind of "sixth man" needed to be the #1 Defensive Team in the Commonwealth. Her heart, guts, and determination are the kind every Coach wishes he could find in multiple players on every team.   [player_tooltip player_id='164406' first='Amy' last='Thompson'] 6'-1" - Whitefield Academy - 2023 Thompson is the Captain and leading scorer at 14.4 points per game and 2nd leading rebounder (5.5 rebounds per game). She is just outside the Top 50 in 3-Point Field Goal Leaders making 2.1 per game and making 28.9% of her attempts. She leads the team in Free Throw percentage (67.4%) and has made 58.5% of her field goals inside the arc. She is a leader by example more than anything. Shouting encouragement to teammates and hungry to see the ball go through to hoop no matter which teammate makes the shot. She scores the ball in countless ways and is an excellent passer from the perimeter or inside the paint. Perhaps no other player on the team has her heart tied into winning during the game and she will give every drop that she has to make the Lady Cats come out on top. Thompson will be attending the University of the Cumberlands next fall on a full scholarship to pursue her education and play for the basketball team.     [player_tooltip player_id='329426' first='Camryn' last='Poole'] 5'-7" - PG - Whitefield Academy - 2023 Poole is the kind of strong ballhandler that can protect it under heavy pressure for all 32 minutes of the game, and distribute it to open teammates on the break and in the offense. She has to be the team leader in Assists by far, and though I know I could make one call and get those stats, I will not because I want these articles to be impartial. I also want to make a point to the KHSAA that by not making this stat available they are hindering student-athletes across the Commonwealth in showcasing their skills.   Averaging 4.6 rebounds per game is statistically excellent for a Guard. She is also putting up numbers of 10.8 points per game, making 32.7% of her three-pointers, and 46.6% of her shots inside the arc. Defensively, she is tough to score on and creates tons of steals and deflections to disrupt and frustrate opponents. Poole has the mental toughness that keeps her from getting rattled no matter the score. She does not get too high or too low and is the steady sort of leader that keeps the team moving forward rather than retreating during the adversity of the game.   [player_tooltip player_id='250278' first='Allison' last='Spieker'] - 5'-8" - SG - Whitefield Academy - 2024   Spieker's career-high point total is 48 points and since I mentioned the Juniors each were 1,000 point scores above perhaps that number 48 is not so surprising. But soon after reaching that high plateau early this season, she has been in a bit of a slump. While trying to find her way back she has committed herself to defend, box out, screen, drive to the basket, and rebound. That commitment has begun to pay off by making it hard to take off the court. Which has given her the chance to break out of that funk and come back better than before as a more complete player. She can still be a scoring machine when she has been since scoring 1,000 points while playing Middle School Basketball. But now she is rounding into a full-time Player. This was the change that was needed to advance her career to the next level and to turn the team up another notch. There is still work to do, of course, because these elements of the game are all about working hard. Knowing how much Spieker wants to be the best she can be I have no doubts that she will continue to put in the work. On the season, she is averaging 9.4 points per game, 2.2 rebounds, making 60.9% of her Free Throws, scoring the ball on 56.3% of her shots inside the three-point arc, and due to a slump making only 26.9% of her threes. She also steals the ball or deflects it away on defense at a very high rate.     [player_tooltip player_id='398032' first='Sara' last='Ritter'] - 5'-10" - SF - Whitefield Academy - 2024   The other Ritter sister is coming off a season where she scored 67 goals for the Lady Cats Soccer team which was good enough to rank as the 2nd leading Scorer in the State. And more importantly, it was more than her older sister Kylie scored (29 goals, #47 in KHSAA), but Kylie did set her up with numerous Assists (30 assists, #3 in KHSAA) and Sata only had 27 Assists for #6 in the State. So the healthy sibling rivalry and partnership continues on into basketball season. Like her sister, Sara is a tough kid that isn't afraid of anything on the court and does what she can to mix it up on both ends of the court. I don't believe anyone on the team has shot more "And 1" Free Throws or been knocked to the floor while driving to the basket. And this toughness appears to be a new development to her game that I did not see in the games I saw last season.   She is making 54.2% of her shots inside the three-point arc, scoring 8.2 points and grabbing 2.7 rebounds per game. She plays at the point of the spear on defense and has great length that she uses to disrupt passes and create steals. She is also often the comic relief for the team helping alleviate pressure when it arises.     [player_tooltip player_id='555982' first='Holly' last='Gilliam'] - 5'-7" - CG - Whitefield Academy - 2025   Gilliam is making 33.3% of her three-point attempts in limited but increasing playing time as a new student at the school this year. She is adjusting to her new team well and putting in the work to improve her ability to rebound and defend. Having been a Point Guard in her previous teams she is learning how to attack the basket from the Wing. Her future with the program is bright and she has a high ceiling of potential in the system. Don't be surprised if she doesn't have something to contribute to the games in the All "A" Classic this season. And don't be surprised to see her play major minutes for the Lady Cats in the future.     Mia Braffert - 5'-7" - PG - Whitefield Academy - 2027   Braffert is a bit of a wunderkind and sometimes it is hard to remember she is much younger than the rest of the team due to her excellent skills as a Shooter and Balhandler. She plays limited minutes but is often able to help the team when called on and is shooting 33.3% from three-point range. This is another fine young player with a high ceiling that could be an important player in the All "A" Classic at any moment. But one thing is for certain, she will have an impact on the game as the loudest, most enthusiastic cheerleader on the bench for the Lady Cats. I wouldn't be surprised to find her hands and throat hurt a little after games from clapping and supporting her team.

The Lady Cats will return for their 3rd straight All 'A" Classic with a team that hasn't lost a single player to graduation in 4 seasons. But this time they return as a Veteran team with 3 Seniors, 2 Juniors, and 2 Sophomores seeking to advance further than they have in the past. Both Juniors scored their 1,000th point earlier in the season, two of the Seniors are on track to also meet that plateau and one of the Sophomore might finish the season with over 1,000 rebounds.