By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
With the experience, size and depth that Notre Dame has on its girls basketball roster, it’s easy to see why the Pandas were voted No. 1 in a preseason poll of Northern Kentucky coaches. The fact that last year’s team allowed only 38.4 points per game was another determining factor.
“Experienced depth is a major strength and will allow for a return to our up-tempo pace of play,” said coach Kes Murphy, who took Notre Dame teams to the 9th Region final in 2020 and 2021 and could do it again this season.
Cooper and Highlands actually received more first-place votes than Notre Dame on the 18 ballots submitted by coaches in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties. But the Pandas got the No. 1 ranking based on total voting points.
Notre Dame has three starters returning from last season’s 21-10 team that lost to Highlands in the first round of the region tournament.
One of them is 6-foot-5 senior center Sophia Gibson, a Yale University recruit who averaged 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds in addition to being an intimidating presence in the paint on defense.
Senior forwards Maya Lawrie and Ryan Burden and junior guard Emma Holtzapfel are varsity veterans listed at 5-foot-10 on the Notre Dame roster. Holtzapfel averaged 9.4 points last season with 80 of her 91 field goals coming from behind the 3-point arch.
The Pandas also added 5-foot-11 junior forward Joslyn LaBordeaux-Humphrey to their roster. She transferred from Boone County where she averaged 12.4 points and 11.3 rebounds last season.
Here’s a rundown of the other girls basketball teams that made the top 10 in the Northern Kentucky coaches poll going into the 2024-25 season that begins on Monday.
2. Cooper Jaguars
Cooper could become the first girls basketball team to win four consecutive 9th Region championships this season, but the Jaguars will have to do it with four newcomers in the starting lineup and only one senior on the roster.
The lone starter returning from last year’s 31-5 team that made it to the state semifinals is Haylee Noel, a 5-foot-10 sophomore guard who averaged 7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the field.
Noel has already received offers from several Division I college teams. That’s not surprising to Cooper coach Justin Holthaus, who describes her as an “elite competitor” capable of scoring at all three levels and strong defensive player.
The leading candidates for Cooper’s other starting positions include sophomore Alivia Scott, junior Addyson Brissey and senior Zene Thompson, who scored 43 points and shot 45 percent from the field off the bench in eight post-season playoff games.
“We’ll continue to focus on our stingy defense to create easy transition opportunities for us on offense,” coach Holthaus said. “We are confident in our group to compete at a high level all season in the 9th Region. In order for this to happen, we will have to navigate through our lack of varsity experience as well as our size with playing a heavy guard lineup.”
3. Highlands Bluebirds
Highlands senior Marissa Green is the main reason the Bluebirds are considered a 9th Region contender once again. On last season’s 22-9 team that made it to the region semifinals, the 6-foot-3 post player averaged 15.6 points, shot 61.3 percent from the field and pulled down 8.9 rebounds per game.
Green was being recruited by several Division I college teams before making a commitment with University of Illinois-Chicago during the off-season.
But the Bluebirds’ second-leading scorer and best perimeter shooter, Saylor Macke, is sitting out this season for medical reasons.
That means junior point guard Kaylee Mills and freshman off-guard Maren Orme will be the starting backcourt. They averaged 6.6 and 6.1 points per game last season and played defense well enough to help Highlands limit their opponents to 42.1 points per game.
“Kaylee Mills is an outstanding point guard that always makes the right pass,” said Highlands coach Jaime Walz-Richey. “Last year she had a positive assist to turnover ratio, and she will be looked on to score more this year.”
4. Simon Kenton Pioneers
Jeff Stowers returns as head coach of the Pioneers after his son, Brenden, stepped down to become an assistant coach at Northern Kentucky University.
With all five starters returning from last year’s 21-11 team, Simon Kenton expects to be among the top contenders for the 8th Region title the Pioneers have won six times in 17 years.
The veterans include sophomore point guard Brynli Pernell and junior forwards Haylie Webb and Anna Kelch, who were all starters on the 2023 8th Region championship team.
Pernell is a tough-minded floor leader who averaged 16.1 points, four assists and 3.3 rebounds last season. Webb is a physical inside player who provided 11.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while Kelch contributed 9.2 points and 6.2 rebounds.
“The players have collectively set a high-reaching goal for the upcoming season and are steadfast in their pursuit of the objective,” Stowers said.
5. Ryle Raiders
The top two scorers and rebounders on Ryle’s team that lost in the 9th Region final last March were among six seniors who graduated, but coach Katie Haitz has two talented underclassmen to build a new lineup around.
One of them is junior guard Jaelyn Jones, who averaged 11.6 points and made a team-high 56 3-point goals. Last season also marked the varsity debut of Jayden McClain. The 6-foot-6 eighth-grader who averaged 1.7 points and 2.3 rebounds is already receiving offers from major college teams.
The leading candidates for the forward positions appear to be juniors Ava Warner and Alexis Elliott. There’s a good chance eighth-grader Laynee Hampton will share point guard duties with Jones.
“With graduating six seniors last year, we are going to be a young team,” coach Haitz said. “However, we are skilled and they are eager to contribute.”
6. Campbell County Camels
Campbell County coach Davey Johnson knows expectations are high for his team after making it to the 10th Region final and posting a 22-11 record last season with six underclassmen among the top seven players.
The Camels’ top returning player is junior Isabella ”Izzy” Jayasuriya, who had team-high averages of 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds as a shooting guard and small forward.
The three players behind her in the scoring column – Madelein Barbian, Faith Whitford and Macie Peoples – had combined averages of 18.6 points and 10.2 rebounds last season. In the 37th District final against Scott, Peoples finished with seven points and 11 rebounds.
“Izzy can do it all. She can score in many different ways and passes the ball extremely well,” coach Johnson said. “Macie is the leader on the defensive end. She does all the little things during a game that go unnoticed by most.”
7. Holy Cross Indians
What will Holy Cross do without 6-foot-2 center Julia Hunt, who led the Indians to back-to-back Kentucky All “A” Classic state championships and surpassed the 1,000 mark in points and rebounds during her five-year varsity career?
Coach Ted Arlinghaus said the Indians will be much more guard oriented this season with senior floor leader Aniyah Carter, sophomores Alyssa Arlinghaus and D’Myah Williams and freshman Jai Johnson in the backcourt.
Carter’s quickness also made her a defensive standout last season when the Indians created 25 turnovers per game with full-court pressure. Coach Arlinghaus said that will be one of team’s assets once again.
The Indians are also counting on senior forward Aumani Nelson to improve on her averages of 10.5 points and 2.8 rebounds.
Nelson, Arlinghaus and Carter are all good perimeter shooters who accounted for 115 of the team’s 200 3-point goals last season. Nelson shot 40 percent from behind the arc.
8. Dixie Heights Colonels
Dixie Heights has one of the 9th Region’s top returning seniors in guard Catherine Buddenberg, who averaged 12.9 points and 4.3 rebounds, shot 45.4 percent from the field and made a team-high 45 treys.
Coach Joel Steczynski also has 5-foot-10 forward Bella Crawford back in the lineup and welcomes the return of guards Coralee Pelfrey and Asia Carter. They were sidelined by injuries last season when the Colonels posted an 18-13 record.
“A healthy rotation will create an increased ability to score,” coach Steczynski said. “Look for the Colonels to push the pace and increase defensive intensity with a lineup that is quicker and deeper than previous seasons.”
9. Conner Cougars
Conner coach Michelle Gambrel has been working on defining roles and improving team chemistry during practice after graduating five seniors who provided 65 percent of the scoring last season.
The Cougars’ top returning scorers are junior forward Izalee Kerns and senior point guard Alexia Craddock, who averaged 9.3 and 5.0 points per game. Kerns shot 50 percent from the field and was also one of the team’s top rebounders with a 6.3 average.
Avery Burcham is the other senior on the Conner roster. Gambrel said four freshman and an eighth-grader have been competing for the other starting positions.
10. Brossart Mustangs
The Mustangs have every player returning from a young team that got off to an 11-2 start last season and ended up with an 18-9 record after a loss in the 37th District tournament.
The starting guards on that team were senior Zoee Meyers and junior Rachel Shewmaker, who were among the top 15 players selected by 10th Region coaches. Meyers averaged 11 points per game and made a team-high 41 3-point goals. Shewmaker averaged 10.3 points and a team-high 5.4 rebounds.
Coach Steve Brown said the Mustangs will rely on an up-tempo style of play like they used last season when they limited opponents to 42.2 points per game.