3rd Region Hoops- The Girls 2023-24 season is officially over. To no surprise, Sacred Heart claimed their 4th consecutive state championship. To much surprise, OHS claimed their first 3rd Region Championship since 1992. All in all, the season was a blast, but it hampered by injuries to two of our biggest stars; Peyton Bradley & Hailee Johnson. The 3RH team wishes all of our student athletes who sustained significant injuries a speedy recovery. Now let’s look at the season in review by district.

9th District–

District Champion: Owensboro Catholic

District Player of The Year: Hailee Johnson (O’Cath)

Team Recaps:

Owensboro High School. (21-12)

The 2023-24 season will go down as the OHS Breakthrough. The Lady Devils came in with high expectations and belief that they could take more steps forward. They offseason addition of Shalyn Sprinkles (Transferred from Henderson Co), Abby Sapp (Transferred from Apollo), Heleina John (Transferred from Apollo) & Gizelle Whitlock (Transferred from Apollo) all proved to be tremendous boosts for HC Jansen Locher. You factor that in with solidified ALL Region Team member Alyrica Hughes, and you have the makings of something special. OHS played a tough schedule, especially early on, and that played dividends as the season progressed. They would finish (6-3) VS District opponents, splitting the regular season with both Daviess & O’Cath. An Overtime loss in the district final would inspire them to go on to win their first regional championship since 1992. The Lady Devils season ended with a loss to Henderson County in the 1st Round of the KHSAA Girls State Tournament. There’s simply no way to view this season as anything less than a success for those around the program.

Owensboro Catholic (29-5)

The season ended about as disappointing as you could think, for those around the program. A knee injury to Star Hailee Johnson during the Regional Tournament would simply be too much to overcome for HC Michael Robertson. A season in which they were ranked as a top 10 team in the state all season, and with the addition of Delaney Cooper (Transferred from Louisville Assumption), this was a team good enough to play on Saturday of the State Tournament. IF FULLY HEALTHY. They lost to OHS during the regular season, but that would be the lone loss to a team outside the state’s top 20 teams. To finish 29-5, win yet another 9th District title, while playing one of the toughest schedules in the state of Kentucky is no small accomplishment, but that simply is NOT good enough for that program. A program who’s expectation is to win championships, (6 titles in the last 11 seasons), this season came up short.

Daviess County (21-8)

The offseason hire of HC Natalie Payne would prove to be MASSIVE for the Lady Panther program. Kennedy Lane transferred from Apollo to join Lily Hoagland & Zoey Beehn and form a DC “Big 3”. The program almost instantly went from middle of the pack, to a top 5 team in the region. They finished with 21 wins, played a not so easy schedule came in to the district tournament picked to advance to the regional tournament by multiple different media outlets. The season, however would end short of the Owensboro Sportscenter, but there’s A TON of optimism going forward. They lose Emme Roberts, who will graduate early and provided tremendous play throughout the season, knocking down big shot after big shot. Everyone else? THEY ALL RETURN, setting it up for the Lady Panthers to be an early favorite to win the region next season.

Apollo (5-23)

A mass exodus from the program left the cupboard bare on Tamarack Road. The Hiring of Michael Riggs was a solid hire despite the final record. This was a team that depended heavily on Senior post players Jenna Dant & Jennifer Lee to lead them to any ounce of success. Lee & Dant put together solid years for the E-Gals but again, this was a season with extremely low expectations. This program remains in a total rebuild and those within the Apollo community must remain extremely patient with the coaching staff. There’s no reason to believe they made a bad hire, so let’s give them 4 years. Shall we?

10th District–

District Champion:

Muhlenberg County

District Player of The Year:

Brooklyn Stewart (Muhlenberg County)

Team Recaps:

Muhlenberg County (11-20)

The Lady Mustangs won yet another 10th district championship led by Legendary Head Coach Mike Harper & star senior Brooklyn Stewart. To Mike Harper Standards, this was a down year, but the Lady Mustangs continually improved from the start of the season to the end. Brooklyn Stewart & Makayla Duvall provided steady leadership on the court. Taylor Wilkins put together a really productive season, averaging 11ppg & 6rpg (both ranked 2nd on the team.) This team came in ranked inside the top 10 in the region & they finished ranked inside the top 10. They called up 7th Grader Brinly Sparks who provided great point guard play & established herself as someone we’ll see a lot of in the coming years.

Ohio County (9-21)

The Lady Eagles came into the season with expectations of competing for a district title and they were right in the thick of things all season long. An injury to Freshman Celeste Jachimowicz prior to the regular season would turn out to be a brutal blow to the team. HC Ted Hill was able to get his young roster a ton of Varsity Experience. Juniors Ella Decker & Emerson Gray were both really solid throughout the season. Though they finished (1-4) in the district, that record could’ve easily flipped to (4-1) they were in literally every game. Only Coray Milam graduates, which gives the program optimism for the future.

McLean County (9-19)

The Lady Cougars would lose Senior Sarah Miller to a knee injury in the 2nd game of the season which would turn out to be a tough deal to overcome. They were led by 8th Grade star Anna Miller who led the team in scoring. Kenadi Level came alive toward the end of the season for HC Ryan Groves. They finished District Runner Up and lost to regional title contender Breckinridge County in the first round of the 3rd Region Tournament. Much like Ohio County, the Lady Cougars only graduate 1 senior. The majority of their production is set to return & their is high expectations heading into the offseason to win a district crown in the near future.

11th District

District Champion:

Breckinridge County

District Player of The Year:

Caroline Lucas (Breckinridge Co)

Team Recaps:

Meade County (20-13)

The Lady Wave came into the season as a regional title contender but those expectations were dampened due to injuries. Losing 2 starters to season ending knee injuries (Savannah Triplett & Peyton Bradley) would simply be too much to overcome, in order to reach their goals. Peyton Bradley going down midway through the season was BRUTAL. Bradley, one of the best players in the state, regardless of class, was having an exceptional season before the injury. Despite the injuries, Seniors Paige Medley & Annabelle Babb had stellar seasons in Brandenburg & Miranda French stepped up and provided steady production for HC Dina Hackert. The Lady Wave finished District Runner Up & advanced to the Regional Final Four before losing to O’Cath. This was without a doubt, one of the best coaching jobs from Dina Hackert since she’s been in charge.

Breckinridge County (22-10)

The expectations were through the roof in Hardinsburg. They returned everyone from last season including Caroline Lucas who came into the season as a sure fire first teamer & POY Candidate. Adversity lingered over the program throughout the season, yet they were still able to win the 11th District Championship, and advance to a 9th straight Regional Final Four. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the region, Breckinridge County was tested and ready down the stretch & they were right there in contention of a regional title. When you consider all that this program had to endure (some things that most don’t know) there’s no way to look at this season as anything other than a success. The standard though, in Breckinridge County, is HIGH & they are disappointed they didn’t cut the Sportscenter nets down.

Hancock County (13-16)

The Lady Hornets entered the season with the services of Lily Roberts and was heavily reliant on Senior Ella House to carry the torch of success as far as it could go. Hancock County is one of the toughest jobs in the 3rd Region because it has Meade Co & Breck Co in the same district, making regional appearances exceptionally difficult. HC Kevin Husk was able to get great production from 8th Grader Sophia Newby & freshman Carolina Jones to assist Ella House. With Roberts sliding into the rotation late in the year, they were able to compete a lot better toward the end of the season, notably the 11th District tournament first round, where they made Breck Co sweat for a little bit before falling. Newby & Jones headline a returning crop of Lady Hornets to build toward the future.

Cloverport (5-17)

After going winless in 2022-23, HC Brian Weatherholt saw some improvement from his young Lady Aces program. Going (5-17) this season gives the players a bit of a confidence boost heading into the offseason. They ended the season winning 2 of their last 3 games with the lone loss being the 11th District first round, to Meade County. 8th Grader Campbell Moore led the team in both scoring (8ppg) & rebounding (7rpg). The entire roster is set to return next season. The odds are always stacked against this program, but kudos to Coach Weatherholt & those around the program for working hard and doing their best to improve night in & night out.

12th District:

District Champion:

Butler County

District Player of The Year:

Cariann Williams (Edmonson Co)

Team Recaps:

Butler County (18-14)

Preseason, The Lady Bears were picked to finish 3rd in the district but to nobody’s surprise, HC Lexie Belcher exceeded expectations. They had to fill the shoes of Jenna Phelps, who’s playing at Spalding University now. Taylor Leach provided steady veteran leadership this season. Freshman Ava Wilson was a force in the post and is on pace to have an electric career in Motown. Ann Marie Skaggs was a gritty, hard-nosed kid who produced consistently and will be a huge piece going forward. Lexie Belcher has proven to do an outstanding job with what she has, and this year was no different. This district, as it typically is, was very tight. Edmonson, Grayson & Butler all had wars when they played each other. 3 schools who simply don’t like each other. Another district title for the ladies from Motown makes for a successful season.

Whitesville Trinity (1-24)

This season was a struggle in Whitesville. Junior Sarah Payne led The Lady Raiders in scoring (11ppg) & was 2nd on the team in rebounding (4rpg). They will have veteran leadership returning next season; Emily McDaniel, Kenzie McDowell both will be seniors next season and should help contribute to more on court success for HC Emily Hernandez. Coach Hernandez has done a tremendous job and is always doing things to improve the culture & develop young talent. This team never lacked effort & is eager to improve in every facet of the game.

Grayson County (22-9)

Year one for HC Mike McClintic went as good as you ask. They set a school record for consecutive wins in a season (15), they went from 11 wins in 2022-23 to 22 wins this season & they made the Regional Tournament. This is a program that has been on the rise for the last couple seasons, and this year, as you can tell, continued that narrative. The emergence of 8th Grader Breigh Jones gives those in Grayson County a future star to rally around. Obviously, this team sputtered to end the season, but you cannot discredit the uptick of results that took place. Sydney Perkins was HUGE this season, joining the 1,000 point club, and carrying the bulk of the offense from start to finish. Yes, you didn’t end the season the way you’d have liked to, but this was a very solid year in Leitchfield.

Edmonson County (21-8)

The Lady Cats came into the year with a bunch of unknows. Yes, they were the defending district champs, but they lost a bunch of varsity experience and outside of Cariann Williams, everyone else was stepping into a much larger role. First year Head Coach Jody Booth without a doubt, maximized that locker room. He got solid production from Juniors Jenna Cook & Kenadi Swihart & Freshman guard Shelby Sowders showed flashes of being a future ALL REGION caliber player. Cariann Williams solidified herself as one of the top 5 players in this region & didn’t shy away from the spotlight. The only downfall from the season, they got bounced the first round of district & failed to advance to the Regional Tournament. Much of that though, is in large part because of the loss of Kenadi Swihart to a season ending knee injury, which caused an already thin roster, to become even more thin. Without any seniors, this team had a very bright year in Brownsville.