Claire Johnson Claire Johnson 5'10" | CG McCracken County | 2024 State KY left her mark on the KHSAA girls’ state tournament for years to come. In the finals against Butler she stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high 39 points, along with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. This incredible individual performance tied the Laurel County legend Stacey Reed for the 5th most points scored in a state tournament game. Johnson’s will to win and competitive spirit helped the Lady Mustangs make it back to the championship game, where they came up short against Sacred Heart Academy for the second year in a row.

Johnson proved why she is a Miss Kentucky Basketball candidate in her team’s first game of the Sweet 16, much like she has been doing all throughout her career at McCracken County. She has such a smooth game and she does a great job getting everyone on her team involved. She finished the game with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, including going 12-for-15 at the free throw line.

McCracken County graduated some key players from their team last season, so I feel a lot of people had questions going into this season as to what they would look like in those players absence. Everyone knew Claire Johnson Claire Johnson 5'10" | CG McCracken County | 2024 State KY should be their leader, but in the same breath, opposing teams know they need to put a focus on her. Well they may be doing that, but it certainly is not slowing Johnson down any in the start of her senior season. In fact, she just broke McCracken County’s single-game scoring record by putting up 41 points in a win over Bethlehem, a top team in Kentucky. She was averaging 17.5 PPG and 2.5 RPG while shooting 62.5% from the field going into that game. Johnson is proving why she is one of the best players you’ll find in Kentucky GBB right now.

For Calloway to get to Rupp, they’ll need to get through Claire Johnson Claire Johnson 5'10" | CG McCracken County | 2024 State KY and McCracken County. Claire is a big time scorer who is going to have a tremendous offensive burden placed on her with Destiny Thomas now suiting up at Murray State.

Destiny Thomas is now playing for Murray State but the Lady Mustangs should not have a lot of drop off with the ball being in Claire’s hands most of the time. Already averaging 17 points per game last season, look for Johnson to top the 20 per game mark in her Senior season. She’s the front runner for Regional Player of the Year and a dark horse for Miss Basketball.

5 things she brings to the court: High basketball IQ, strong handles, high percentage shots, defensive pressure, and playmaking.

Known Offers: 6+ D1 offers (Samford, NKU, Murray State, Radford, EKU, UT Martin)

2022-23 Team: McCracken County (35-3); Lost by 15 in the State Championship game vs SHA

2022-23 Individual Stats: 17 PPG // 2.9 RPG // 61.1% FG (251/411) // 32.6% 3FG (30/92) // 76% FT (98/129)

22-23 State Leaderboards: Top Field Goals Leaders (61.1%) – 8^th in KY

The 1st Region is one of the regions that I am not as familiar with, but after watching McCracken County a few times this past season, I cannot imagine there is a better candidate within the region than Johnson. What she brings to the floor is special. She is a poised floor general with a very high basketball IQ. She can also score efficiently at all 3 levels.

2022-23 Season Stats: 17 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 61.1% FG (overall), 32.6% 3pt FG, 76% FT

Moving from 30th all the way up to 8th, Claire cracks the top ten for the first time and is primed for a huge AAU season as well. Johnson holds several D1 offers and her stock continues to trend up as she has shown that she can really score the ball at a high level. A big guard, Johnson can be a mismatch for opposing defenses and will be the leader for a McCracken team looking to get back to state next season.