Wide open is an understatement.
For the third consecutive season, Calvary Christian will not field a girls basketball team, leaving the 37th District title up for grabs among Campbell County, Bishop Brossart, and Scott.
In five matchups between these teams last season, the games were tightly contested, with an average margin of just 4.6 points. However, it was the Lady Camels who emerged victorious, capturing the district championship in 2023-24and finishing as the 10th Region runner-up.
Campbell County (22-11 in 2023-24)
The picture is clear in Claryville.
After reaching the 10th Region Championship last season before falling to George Rogers Clark, the Lady Camels are eager for a return trip—this time with their sights set on toppling the regional powerhouse in GRC.
“The ultimate goal is to make it back to the region final and give ourselves an opportunity to play at Rupp,” Campbell County coach Davey Johnson said. “The girls know, I know, just like the entire 10th Region knows, that it’s an uphill challenge with GRC. I don’t want to say its a lost cause because it’s not and we’re going to give it everything we have.”
The Lady Camels bring back several key contributors from last season, positioning them for another strong campaign.
Isabella Jayasuriya, who averaged 13.2 points per game last season, will continue to be the team’s focal point. However, in the Lady Camels’ quick style of play, she won’t have to carry the load alone.
“I’m playing nine players and I’m playing nine players a lot,” Johnson said. “We want to play up and down very fast paced.”
The supporting cast includes three returning starters: Faith Whitford, Madeline Barbian, and Macie Peoples. Whitford and Barbian each averaged over six points per game last season, while Peoples is the team’s defensive anchor.
Bishop Brossart (24-9 in 2023-24)
The Lady ‘Stangs have their sights set on more than one goal this season.
Their first mission is to reclaim the 10th Region All “A” Championship, followed by their pursuit of the 37th District Championship title.
Brossart faced tough losses to Nicholas County in the quarterfinals of the 10th Region All “A” Classic and to Scott in the 37th District Semifinals. However, with the talent they have returning, the team’s future looks bright.
The top two scorers from last season, Zoee Meyers (11.0 PPG) and Rachel Shewmaker (10.3 PPG) will be heavily relied on.
“Meyers is more explosive, more confident. She can impact the game on both ends of the floor. She’s not just a scorer, but she also does a great job defensively,” Bishop Brossart coach Steve Brown said. “Rachel, I think might be the best, pure athletic female athlete that I’ve been around at the high school level. All-State soccer player, All-Region basketball player, plays travel softball.”
With the personnel that they have, it allows them to play the style they want.
“We would like to push the ball and play fast, more than we did last season,” Brown said. “Right now we’re still at the phase where it’s not really a buy-in thing, it’s getting them to fight through the initial fatigue, but we will be fine. We will be competitive and I have no reason to think otherwise.”
The Lady ‘Stangs virtually went nine deep last season without a senior on the roster. Hadley Eviston, Greylee Kramer, Kylie Smith, Zoey Woosley, Luciana Guidugli, Ava Walters and Elly Clift all return from that rotation on top of Meyers and Shewmaker.
Scott (17-14 in 2023-24)
The Lady Eagles are poised and ready to take the next big step forward.
A stronger schedule and nearly the same roster should be what Scott needs.
The Lady Eagles take on some of the northern Kentucky’s top teams including Notre Dame, Ryle, Highlands, Simon Kenton and more, adding on a trip to Allen County-Scottsville for the Lady Invitational of the South, where they will take on Franklin County.
“It’s going to be tough,” Scott head coach Eric Pouncy said. “We played good teams last year, but it was kind of a shock with how GRC started the game against us in 10th Region tournament quarterfinals. I don’t want the kids to be in that position again.”
Next up is the need for players that are capable of handling it, and the players are bought in.
Scott had only two seniors last season, but return six of the seven players who appeared in all 31 games, including their top three scorers, Kaia Peterson (10.9 PPG), Nakiah Mejia (9.4 PPG) and Noelle Price (8.7 PPG).
The Lady Eagles know that they’re going to need all hands on deck in district play.
“I’ve stressed to our kids and staff,” Pouncy said. “I think it’s three teams that can compete for the region title. The big thing is we need to win those regular season games just to get the one seed, but it’s going to be a grind.”