By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Balanced scoring and stingy defense have been a winning combination for the Cooper girls basketball team. The Jaguars won the last two 9th Region championships and they were voted the No. 1 team in Northern Kentucky by local coaches going into this season.
Cooper has five of the top eight scorers returning from last season’s 29-4 team and all of them are seniors who know the heavy emphasis coach Justin Holthaus puts on playing defense. Last year’s team limited opponents to 39 points per game while scoring at a 61.8 clip.
Cooper’s three returning starters are 5-foot-11 senior forward Logan Palmer and senior guards Liz Freihofer and Maleah Alexander, who have all made commitments with Division I college programs.
Freihofer was recruited by Eastern Kentucky University after averaging 10.3 points and shooting 49.8 percent (118 of 237) from the field last season. She was named most valuable player in the 9th Region tournament and scored 15 points in a season-ending loss to Louisville Mercy in the opening round of the “Sweet 16” state tournament.
Palmer is a University of Evansville recruit and Alexander will be a preferred walk-on at Liberty University. Last season, Palmer averaged 8.6 points and Alexander was a defensive standout for the Jaguars.
Coach Holthaus said the Jaguars will also be counting on 6-foot-1 senior forward Bella Deere, senior guard Damysia Knox and 5-foot-10 freshman guard Haylee Noel to provide a balanced scoring attack.
Deere was recruited by Gannon University, an NCAA Division II team. Noel is already getting Division I college offers after averaging 6.6 points and shooting 47.8 percent (75 of 157) from the field as an eighth-grader.
“The Jaguars depth, athleticism and length will provide them with multiple lineups and the ability to play different styles throughout the season,” said Holthaus.
Here’s a look at the other Northern Kentucky girls basketball teams ranked in the top 10 in a preseason poll of local coaches conducted by the NKyTribune:
2. Ryle Raiders
The Raiders have played in the 9th Region championship final six times in the last eight years and won three titles under coach Katie Haitz, who led one of those teams to the biggest state title in school history in 2019.
Ryle will be a leading contender for the region title once again with three starters back from last season’s 24-9 region runner-up team. Two of them are senior guard Quinn Eubank and senior center Sarah Baker, who both signed with NCAA Division I teams during the fall.
Eubank is a Belmont University recruit who averaged 14.3 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds last season. Baker, who averaged 11 points and 6.9 rebounds, will continue her career at Youngstown State.
The Raiders’ other returning starter is guard Jaelyn Jones. They also have versatile senior Gracie Carrigan, who provided a spark off the bench last season when eight of the team’s nine losses were to teams that made it to the state tournament.
“We have a tough schedule again this year and continue to hope that it will help us be prepared for the end of the season,” said coach Haitz.
3. Holy Cross Indians
Five of the top seven players on the Holy Cross team that won the All “A” Classic state tournament, made it to the 9th Region semifinals and posted a 26-8 record last season are back and expecting another successful run.
Two of them are 6-foot-3 senior center Julia Hunt and senior point guard Miyah Wimzie, who have been varsity starters since they were freshmen. Hunt enters her final season with career totals of 1,339 points and 1,142 rebounds.
“Julia has averaged a double-double in points and rebounds and five blocks per game over the course of her career,” said coach Ted Arlinghaus. “Miyah has been our best perimeter defender and consistently guards the other team’s top player.”
Senior forward Aaliyah Hayes, junior guard Aumani Nelson and freshman guard D’Myah Williams are the other top returning players for the Indians. Freshman guard Alyssa Arlinghaus, the head coach’s daughter, is a capable 3-point shooter.
“We return five of the top top seven players from our team that finished ranked in the top 10 in the state last year,” Arlinghaus said. “We hope to be able to compete for a 9th Region championship this year.”
4. Notre Dame Pandas
The Pandas have a long list of players returning from last season’s 19-11 team that won the 35th District title and made it to the 9th Region semifinals for the fourth time in five years under coach Kes Murphy.
One of the varsity veterans is 6-foot-4 junior center Sophia Gibson, who averaged 8.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and shot 49 percent (96 of 196) from the field in her first season as a starter. She has already received scholarship offers from Evansville, Yale and Lafayette.
Notre Dame’s only returning senior is 5-foot-11 forward Kendra Collins, who averaged 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds. The leading contenders for starting guard positions are juniors Maya Lawrie, Tori Lenihan and Georgi Kirtley.
Last season, Lawrie was the Pandas’ third leading scorer with a 7.1 average, led the team in free throws made (72) and ranked second in total rebounds (132).
The Pandas take a lot of pride in their defense. They plan to be as relentless as last season when they limited their opponents to 41.1 points per game.
5. Highlands Bluebirds
Marissa Green is drawing quite a bit of attention from college recruiters after averaging 17.6 points and nine rebounds last season while shooting 64 percent (212 of 333) from the field for the 23-9 Bluebirds.
Coach Jaime Walz Richey said the 6-foot-3 junior has already received scholarship offers from Marshall, Murray State, Eastern Kentucky and others because she’s proven to be a “dominant force” in the paint at both ends of the court.
“We are a very athletic team that will need to use our quickness to our advantage,” coach Richey said. “With the presence of Marissa inside, we also have players that are able to knock down shots from the outside.”
Highlands has an experienced backcourt tandem returning in sophomore point guard Kaylee Mills and sophomore shooting guard Saylor Macke, who made a team-high 43 3-point goals.
“Saylor is a great 3-point shooter that has improved in all areas of the game,” coach Richey said. “Kaylee is an outstanding point guard that always makes the right pass. Last year, she had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.”
6. Simon Kenton Pioneers
Winning the 8th Region championship with one eighth-grader, three freshmen and one senior in the starting lineup was quite an accomplishment for Simon Kenton’s first-year head coach Brenden Stowers last season.
The Pioneers are considered a top contender once again with freshman point guard Brynli Pernell as their returning floor leader. She is a highly competitive player at both ends of the floor who averaged 11.7 points per game last season.
“She is a game-changer defensively and can score at all three levels,” Stowers said of Pernell. “She gets her teammates involved and only getting better as she’s gaining more knowledge and experience.”
Simon Kenton’s other returning starters are sophomore guards Anna Kelch and Megan Gadzala and 5-foot-11 sophomore forward Haylie Webb, an athletic interior player who averaged 10.5 points and eight rebounds in her team’s six playoff games.
“We will be deep and gained a lot of experience last year as a very young team and played in some big games,” said coach Stowers. “We are still young and developing, but that experience should help our growth going into this season.”
7. Dixie Heights Colonels
The Colonels lost two four-year starters to graduation and their top returning scorer, Coralee Pelfrey, will not play this season due to an injury. Does that mean the team’s 12-year run of 9th Region tournament appearances is in jeopardy?
“While the team lacks varsity court experience, there’s plenty to be excited about,” said coach Joel Stecyznski. “Dixie Heights looks hungry on the defensive side of the ball and will grow by the game on the offensive side.”
Senior forward Abby Thelen and senior guard Jalynn Brooks are the most experienced players on the roster. They had a combined average of 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds last season. The other starters will likely be juniors Catherine Buddenberg and Bella Crawford along with freshman guard Asia Carner, a varsity newcomer.
8. Conner Cougars
Conner coach Michelle Gambrel said her team will have a mixture of experience and young talent that she hopes meshes in time for the Cougars to make the 9th Region tournament field for the first time since 2020.
The top returning player is senior guard Anna Hamilton, a Northern Kentucky University recruit who averaged a team-high 15.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. She also led the team in 3-point goals (58) and free throw percentage (81.7).
The next two players in the scoring column graduated, but Gambrel expects sophomore forward Izelee Kerns to take on a bigger role in the offense after her strong finish last season. The team’s other varsity veterans are guards Aubrey Fisher, Alexis Craddock and Aubree Depenbrock.
9. Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds
First-year head coach Dan Albrinck takes charge of a NewCath program that has one of the state’s leading scorers returning from a 17-11 team that extended the program’s string of 9th Region tournament appearances to seven consecutive years.
Junior guard Caroline Eaglin averaged 24.6 points and surpassed the 1,000-point mark in career scoring last season when she was one of four underclassmen in the Thoroughbreds’ starting lineup.
The other returning veterans who together provided 16.8 and 9.7 rebounds per game are senior Delaney Green and juniors Madison McFarland and Jaylee Brannen. Green led the team in 3-point goals with 48.
10. Campbell County Camels
After going through a 10-20 campaign last season, Campbell County coach Dave Johnson expects his team to “take a giant step in the right direction” with three returning starters leading the Camels’ comeback effort.
Senior point guard Allison Collins was the team’s floor leader last season, averaging 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists. The top returning scorers are sophomore Isabella Jayasuriya and junior Macie Peoples with averages of 9.1 and 8.1 points per game.
There’s a good chance that Collins will be the only senior starter for the Camels. Coach Johnson said sophomores Faith Whitford and Madeleine Barbian will likely fill out the lineup and many of the contributors off the bench will be younger than them.