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2015-16 Bluegrasspreps' Girls 6th Region Preview

Jesse James
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Jesse James

Jesse James

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Another exciting high school basketball season is just around the corner. The girls 6th region should be very interesting this year with several teams in the mix to compete in the State Tournament which will be held at Northern Kentucky University for the first time after a long stint at Diddle Arena on the campus of Western Kentucky University. A couple of weeks ago, there were what most considered two preseason favorites in Butler and Bullitt East. An unfortunate season-ending surgery for Bullitt East star and recent University of Kentucky commit, Lindsey Duvall, may have separated Butler from the pack a little. Mercy, Bullitt East, and North Bullitt are in the group that will be trying to figure out how to get by Butler and to become 6th region champions. Several coaches in the next tier of teams are really happy with their team’s improvement and hope to jump up and compete with some of the teams that are ranked ahead of them. This could be a season where some scores may come as surprises due to the balance of talent in the region. Can’t wait to tip it off!!!

 

1. Butler Bearettes (23-6 last season)

Butler will have 10 letter winners returning from last year’s team that went 23-6. This is probably the most experienced team that Butler has had under Coach Just’s tenure. They will be led by Dayton commit junior Jaelynn Penn, along with fellow juniors Tasia Jeffries, and Briea Torrens. Sophomore, Molly Lockhart, will add a post presence that Coach Just will look forward to having alongside all the talented perimeter players on the team. Butler’s schedule will be a stern test from beginning to end and will include playing in a pre-Christmas tournament in Lexington and a post-Christmas tourney in Naples, Florida. Coach Just says “The goal for this team is to win a regional championship and get back to the state tournament. If we can stay healthy and hungry, this team will have a chance to be special.”

 

2. Mercy Jaguars (26-8 last season)

According to Coach Keith Baisch, Mercy will need to replace their top 2 leading scorers from last season by committee. Offensively, Mercy will have a very good inside/outside attack with one of the tallest teams they have had recently. They will still try to push the pace and play several different defenses as in the past. Coach Baisch says they have the luxury of going about 10 deep at this point and the competitiveness amongst the kids is high. Rebounding and defense will be their team’s main focus. Returning players with varsity game experience include: Seniors Jessica Laemmle, Madi Woods, Erin Muthler, and Maria Schmitz. That group will be complimented by newcomers Linda Diersing, Josie Woods, Camryn Muss, Sadie Zeisloft, Danielle Feldkamp, Raquael Reese, and Regan Berger.

 

3. Bullitt East Lady Chargers (22-9 last season)

Coach Stallings feels that his team may get off to a slow start after the unfortunate season-ending surgery done on UK commit Lindsey Duvall to remove a tumor from her knee. Coach Stallings runs a strong program and even though they lost Lindsey for the season, they still hope to get better each day and be ready to challenge for district and regional titles at the end of the season. Bullitt East returns 3 Junior starters---Alyssa Peak, Kirstie Henn, and Raegan Williams along with 3 of their top subs from a year ago in Kathleen Scott, Lauren Masden, and Amber Higdon. Coach Stallings says “Our schedule will be very challenging and hopes to be a different team by the end of the year when everyone settles into new roles and adjusts to new rotations.

4. North Bullitt Lady Eagles (21-10 last season)

North Bullitt has a talented core group of players led by recent Bellarmine signee, Katie Downey. Their supporting cast includes: Erin Dolan, Devyn Tompkins, Krista Sutherland (Sacred Heart transfer), Lauren Deel, and Hailey Free. This team is coming off a 21-10 season in which they won their 4th consecutive district championship and made it to the second round of the regional tournament. North Bullitt also appeared in and won their first game in the prestigious LIT tournament last season. Size and depth will be the questions that North Bullitt will have to answer to make a bigger impact in the region. Coach David Marion says, “If we can find a way to rebound the ball, maybe we can find a way to go a little further in the postseason.”

 

5. Pleasure Ridge Park Lady Panthers (16-14 last season)

Pleasure Ridge Park returns 8 of its 9 top players from last year. They must replace All-Region performer Leslie Fries who graduated after averaging 14.3 PPG and 10.3 RPG in her senior season. Coach David Meadows is excited to see some of his players stepping up to fill that gap in the lineup. PRP will be led by Senior guards in All-State candidate Carnethia Brown (12.3 PPG) and Remi Moore (7.3 PPG). Coach Meadows is expecting “breakout” years for Juniors Perri Mitchell (11.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG) and Amani Saunders (3.5 PPG). At this point, the coach thinks they will go small with a four guard lineup to start the season.

 

6. Fern Creek Lady Tigers (17-11 last season)

Fern Creek returns everyone from a team that went 17-11 last season. Coach Brad Mefford hopes that a year’s experience and hard work put in over two summers will result in a competitive team for 2015-16. Coach Mefford says his team “prides itself on defense and rebounding” which had them in or around the top 20 in the state last year in scoring defense. Their schedule has been “beefed up” in hopes that it will help his team be tougher come district tournament time. That schedule includes a trip to Lexington for the Traditional Bank Classic, and to Mercer County for the Titan Classic during Christmas break. Key returners include recent Rollins College signee Caroline Mefford (13 PPG, 9 RPG), and Shelbi Knauer, a streaky shooter, who averaged 16 PPG last season. FC’s supporting cast includes: Jane Lado, Sasha Makanda, Micah Harris, Breona Payne, Sierra Hancock, and Lauren Smith. Coach Mefford adds “that Fern Creek is often overlooked due to their recent past, but have the tools in place to field a competitive team.”

 

7. Bullitt Central Lady Cougars (11-20 last season)

Seven Seniors return led by 6’3” Shelby Flener who averaged double digit rebounds last season. Lexi Graham, who averaged double digit points as a sophomore, will return from an injury which caused her to miss several games last season. The supporting cast for BC includes seniors Kassie Gilbert, Belle Leonard, Bethany Peercy, Cortney Johns, DJ Toogood. Juniors Katlyn Graham and Carlie Walls, along with sophomore Sierra Graham, will provide depth off the bench. Coach Kyle Roach describes Sierra Graham as an athletic defender that is just learning to score and will be in the mix for a starting spot. Coach Roach says “We are excited for the season and feel that we can have a very good year and build the program in a positive direction.”

 

8. Holy Cross Lady Cougars (18-14 last season)

Holy Cross will be led by seniors Olivia Morabito, Brooke Blackwell, Shayla Weppler, and Brooke Shields. Morabito led the team in scoring last year averaging 17 PPG. Key contributors for the upcoming season include: Juniors Ally Klein and Beth Newton along with sophomores Madison Turner, Lauren Shrout, Halle Snyder, and Kailey Reed. First year head coach, Chris Jefferson, has high expectations for his team. He says “the girls are buying in and starting to come around. They are a great group of girls and they are working very hard.” Team goals are to return to the Class A State Tournament, compete for a district championship, and making it to the 6th Region tournament.

 

9. Fairdale Lady Bulldogs (5-21 last season)

Coach Marco Price likes his chances of surprising some teams in the 6th region this year. He says “my team has been working hard this preseason in the weight room and conditioning.” Offensively they will try to use their athleticism to get to the rim and kick out for some threes. Defensively, Coach Price says “there are a few question marks, but has no doubt his team will play hard.” He predicts for his team to win 13-15 games this season. Key returners for Fairdale include Senior post player DeAsia Johnson (3 PPG, 4.5 RPG), Junior Point Guard Valerie Johnson (13.9 PPG, 1.9 steals), 8th grader Shanice Thomas (4 PPG, 3 RPG). Coach Price also mentioned a couple of “key newcomers” that he is excited about in Freshman guards Jaida Wiggins and Miyana Foree.

 

10. Moore Lady Mustangs (6-19 last season)

Moore is returning all of last year’s players. The team will be led by 5 Seniors Anastasia Crawford, Kendall French, Devonda Robinson, Aerial Mckay, and Brianna Briscoe. First year coach, Trevor Mason, is excited about his underclassmen as well including sophomore Sage Blue. Coach Mason says “Sage will impact the 6th region heavily.” Junior Nikola Adams and Sophomore Lexus Crawford will also have huge roles to play this season. Coach Mason adds “Moore is not looking for a perfect season, but a progressive one. We plan on making an impact and turning some heads this season with our improvement.”

 

11.Doss Lady Dragons (10-13 last season)

Doss, coming off a 10-13 season, returns its two leading scorers in Senior forward Azaria Battle and Senior guard Ashauntee Hooten. Doss plays in a tough 22nd district that includes perennial power Butler, but they have hopes of making it to the regional tournament. Their schedule includes playing West Jessamine in the Bardstown Holiday Classic at Bardstown High School before Christmas.

 

12. Western Lady Warriors (10-11 last season)

Coach Aubrey Holle seems very optimistic about her team’s future. She commented, “This year’s team is pretty young, but they are proving to be hard workers and willing to learn. Each day, the young kids are putting in the time, and we’ve already seen huge improvements. We’re building a program here at Western, and that is exciting.” Coach says her team will go as far as Senior center Jay’Da Rhodes, Senior guard Destoni Anderson, and Junior guard/forward Destany Love will take them. Jay’Da has become a vocal leader in her senior season. Coach Holle believes if the team will put in the work, the sky is the limit!

 

13. Iroquois Lady Raiders (6-17 last season)

First year head coach, Greg Schackert, is looking forward to the upcoming season and watching his team improve as it goes along. He returns a good number of kids in each class. Coach Schackert says his team is working very hard on the fundamentals. They are learning their roles as part of the team and how to work together in those roles. He is very proud of his Seniors Tonyell Stephens, Nakiya Watkins, Daniella Burgess, and Lawana Ford for providing leadership for the team both on and off the court.

 

14. Valley Lady Vikings (6-21 last season)

Second year coach, Chris Webb is very excited about his team’s accomplishments on and off the court. Two returning players will lead the way for the Lady Vikings---Senior center Raekwon Spinks (7.4 PPG) and Junior point guard Lazhia Mitchell (14.6 PPG). Coach Webb is hoping to see an improvement on the court this upcoming season, but was quick to mention his player’s hard work in the classroom in raising their team GPA to 3.82.

 

15. Southern Lady Trojans (1-25 last season)

Southern is coming off a 1-25 season that ended with a 72-22 loss to North Bullitt in 23rddistrict play. Southern looks to have some players with varsity experience returning to this year’s team including leading scorer, Sophomore DaVionna Sloan (10.5 PPG).

 

16. Whitefield Academy Lady Wildcats (9-16 last season)

Coach Norman Huebner says that this will be a rebuilding year at Whitefield Academy. There are no Juniors or Seniors on his roster. He has two returning players in Freshman Abby Ritter (8.7 PPG) and Sophomore Chelsea Harrison (5.7 PPG). Ritter has started the past two seasons and continues her development into an all-around player. Coach Huebner reports that Harrison will be moving out of state in December adding to the rebuilding of his program.

 

17. Beth Haven Lady Bobcats (4-18 last season)

Beth Haven is coming off of a 4-18 season that ended with a 21st district loss to Valley 69-28. Their leading scorer, Senior Lina Brown (10.7 PPG) and third leading scorer, Freshman Mackenzie Davis (5.8 PPG), return for the Bearcats.

 

18. Evangel Christian Lady Eagles (7-9 last season)

Evangel is coming off a 7-9 season that ended with a 47-34 loss to Heritage Academy in the Kentucky Christian Athletic Conference tournament.

 

6th Region Top 10 Players

 

1. Jaelynn Penn---Butler

2. Katie Downey---North Bullitt

3. Jessica Laemmle---Mercy

4. Carnethia Brown---PRP

5. Raegan Williams---Bullitt East

6. Caroline Mefford---Fern Creek

7. Tasia Jeffries---Butler

8. Olivia Morabito---Holy Cross

9. Lauren Deel---North Bullitt

10. Alyssa Peak---Bullitt East

 

*Lindsey Duvall is out for the 2015-16 Season.

coachforlife

coachforlife

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Great review...Better than any of the newspapers for sure

 

I agree.....I was surprised when it said it was done by a "poster" from this board. This looks almost professionally done!

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