6 Takeaways from Girls High School Basketball
With the season nearly half over there are a few surprises and several takes from area Girls Basketball in the Area so let’s take a look.
The Favorite –
Elizabethtown is looking like the clear cut favorite for the 5th Region. At 17-2, head coach Donnie Swiney’s team looks like not only a repeat Region Champion, but an early contender for the Final Four at State. The Lady Panthers have weathered a grueling schedule against the State’s top teams and are getting top performances from junior guard Whitney Hay, forward Sydney Clark transfer Ellie Taylor. After Leikyn Walker comes back from a knee injury, the Lady Panthers should be even tougher to handle.
Top Contenders –
If you were to ask which team will meet Elizabethtown in the Region Final, you might get several votes for Bardstown, which made a Region Final appearance last season, but after losing starters Destanie Love, Haylee Koger and Allie Walsh, the Lady Tigers stumbled out of the gate with a surprise loss to Marion County. Since then, head coach Amber Courtney’s team has run off 18-straight wins including a pressure packed overtime win over Bethlehem. Jaileyah Cotton and Katrina Brown have given great performances as they prepare for another meeting with another surprise team in their District.
For some reason, Region contender and the Bethlehem Lady Banshees didn’t seem to go together until this season. But with the hiring of head coach Jason Clark, a former disciple of Kelly Wood, the Lady Banshees are off and running. After an 18-win season last season, Clark has the team at 14-2 with standout performances by couple tranfers in sophomores Amelia Hodges and Ella Thompson. Add to that seniors Maddie Sparks, Carly Beam and Baeli Young along with inside post player Mikiah Livers-Bryant you have a team which got better despite losing it’s top scorer from last year (Ellie Taylor). Their two losses were a one-point last second shot by Marion County and the overtime classic to Bardstown.
Biggest Surprise –
At one time a state champion, the Marion County Lady Knights have the look of a team which really wants to create a three team log jam for second place with a 15-3 record at this point. After a 17-13 record over new head coach Kelly Wood last season, the Lady Knights have bought into his system and are playing much more consistent this season. Dailyn Spalding is leading the team in scoring with Jayla Cowherd right behind and senior Maddie Wood and Katie Mattingly are leading the team in three point shooting. More importantly, the Lady Knights are playing good team defense allowing over 50-points just twice so far.
Oh By The Way –
In the 3rd Region, Owensboro Catholic may be the favorite in some minds, but there are plenty of teams which think they can take them on the “Any Given Day” theory. If Breckinirdge County can get it all together and get consistent performances by freshman Isabela Grimes and senior post player Kayla Young, they could be that team. Aleigha Mucker is third on the team in scoring and Natalee Tabor, after weathering a foot injury looks to be back where they belong.
After a slow start, Meade County just might be heating up. After starting 2-10, the Lady Waves have won 3-of -4 the only loss to powerful Elizabethtown. The biggest problem for head coach Dina Hackett is trying to find someone to help ease the scoring burden by Kendall Wingler. If the Lady Waves help solve that problem, then maybe Meade County could make some noise.
