The 29th Lady Invitational of the South (LIS) has a new look—-12 teams, three states represented, and no preseason top-20 Kentucky teams—but tournament officials are expecting a showcase of outstanding players and competitive teams.
“Fans will get a chance to see some outstanding basketball over the four days,” noted LIS event coordinator Don Meador, “You will see top-notch players and teams, rising programs and players, and out of state teams and what they have to offer.”
As has been the case in 26 of the previous 28 LIS tournaments, play starts on December 27 and continues to December 30. Participating teams are assured of playing three games with the possibility that six teams play all four days.
Bishop Brossart from Region 10 has started the 2025-26 season with a 6-0 record. The Lady Stangs are led by sophomore Kylie Smith who is averaging 20 points and 6.2 rebounds. Junior Greylee Kramer adds 11.5 points and 3.7 rebounds. Senior Rachel Shewmaker scores 9.5 points and leads her team in rebounds with 7.7 per game. Bishop Brossart’s hot start has the team ranked among the top 25 according to some early-season polls.
Bowling Green—a tradition-rich Region 4 team—is in the field. The Lady Purples bring a 4-2 record into the tournament as well as a 12-day rest. Bowling Green has a balanced attack with four players averaging around nine points per game—Junior Maddie Davenport (9.2 points), senior Aniyah Smith (8.6 points) and eighth-grader Amaya Brown (8.4 points).
Grayson County returns to the LIS with a high-caliber team. The Region 3 Lady Cougars are 5-0 to start the season. Two young sophomores—-Breigh Jones and Payton Bowman—lead the way. Jones has averaged 17 points and 3.8 rebounds while Bowman has averaged 16.2 points and 2.4 rebounds. Sophomore teammate Hannah Smith has averaged 13.4 rebounds in her first five games.
Green County from Region 5 is also a young team with a trio of sophomores spearheading the Lady Dragons. Scout Brockman has scored an average of 16.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in her first six contests. Chloe Fortner adds 13.2 points while Molly Dixon brings 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds to the mix. The Lady Dragons were 3-3 through their first six games.
Hopkins County-Central is off to a strong 4-1 start but has a challenging week prior to the LIS. Storm sophomore Addie Menser averages 16 points, senior Tyah White chips in 11 points and senior Calajia Mason scores 10.2 points. Hopkins Central will gain additional experience at this weekend’s Queen of the Commonwealth tournament at Bullitt East—an event that could see the Storm play four games in four days.
Madisonville-North Hopkins opened their season with a 3-3 worksheet. The Lady Maroons are led by junior Macy Wright who puts 16 points in the books and collects 8.8 rebounds per game. Freshman JaMia Harris scores 10.7 points per game. Freshman Sadie Kirk grabs nine rebounds while freshman Lily Gobin averages 7.7 rebounds.
Mayfield from Region 1 is led by Lay Mayes, a senior who has started the season averaging 20.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Senior Lex Feagin adds 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. The Cardinals are 2-2 as of December 17.
Pulaski County—representing Region 12—has opened the season with a 5-1 worksheet. Leading the way for the Lady Maroons is a pair of seniors—Madeline Butcher and Brooklyn Thomas. Butcher averages 20.2 points while Thomas adds 16.2 points and leads the team with 4.6 rebounds. Junior Bella Stevens averages 11 points.
Warren Central is a rebuilding program which has already doubled their win total from last season. The Lady Dragons have wins over Fort Campbell and Caverna. Senior Myra Mayberry scored 18 and sophomore Charlee Bailey added 14 in an early season game with Butler County.
Fort Walton Beach High School from the Sunshine State has started the season 10-0. Nine of the Lady Vikings 10 wins have been by 10 points or more. Junior Alexis Smith averages 10.7 points and five rebounds. Freshman Harmony Lee adds 10 points while junior Abria Jordan-Jackson has averaged nine points in four games. The Florida 4-A school is ranked second in their division per MaxPreps.
Pleasant High School from Marion Ohio will be the first Buckeye State team to participate in the LIS. The Lady Spartans have started the year with two wins in their first five games. Stats for their players were unavailable.
Allen County-Scottsville will be among the favorites. The Lady Patriots are off to their best start at 5-1 since the 2015-16 season—-pending the outcome of the Barren County game on December 18. AC-S junior Avery Morris is averaging 28.7 points per game while teammate Debora Patrick scores 10.3 points per game. Patrick also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.5 per game. Senior Allsion Ford averages 5.2 rebounds and 6.2 points. Senior Kyra Marr contributes 6.3 points per game. AC-S has never won the LIS.
The LIS with 12 teams has necessitated a unique bracket. Play starts on Saturday, December 27 at noon when Pulaski County faces Bowling Green. The 1:30 game pits Hopkins County Central against Fort Walton Beach. At 3:15, Grayson County and Green County tangle followed by Mayfield and Warren Central. To help each school receive three games, the 6:30 nightcap on Saturday will see Bishop Brossart face Madisonville-North Hopkins.
Sunday’s slate of games start at noon as the loser of the Pulaski County/Bowling Green game faces the loser of Hopkins Central and Ft. Walton Beach. The Grayson County/Green County loser meets the loser of Mayfield/Warren Central at 1:30.
Winner bracket action launches at 3:15 as Bishop Brossart faces the Pulaski County/Bowling Green winner. The next game at 4:45 sees Pleasant (OH) and the Hopkins Central/Ft. Walton Beach winner face off. The 6:30 game has the Grayson County/Green County winner against Madisonville-North Hopkins. Sunday’s 8;00 p.m. game has AC-S meeting the Mayfield/Warren Central winner.
Monday’s action starts with losers’ bracket match-ups at 12:00 and 1:30. Fifth place bracket games are set for 3:15 and 4:45. The tournament’s semifinals are at 6:30 and 8:00. The final games are Tuesday with the championship game at 6:30 on December 30.
Tournament admission will be $10.00 for adults with children under six admitted free. The LIS does not honor AC-S season-pass holders. This year’s presenting sponsors include Halton, Dollar General, CPC Commodities,