To be the winning team, fan votes play a heavy role, along with consideration from our sports team here at LINK.
Nominations are reader-submitted or recommended by our sports team. Our Team of the Week program honors all local sports at all levels, whether it’s youth or adult-oriented recreation, high school or college, professional or amateur.
Want to get a jump start on next week’s Team of the Week nominations? Email: edennison@linknky.com to nominate a team for next week.
This week’s nominated teams are listed below with some information provided by the submitter or LINK nky staff. The poll where you can vote follows at the end of the article.
Voting is open until Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
LLOYD MEMORIAL BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM
Lloyd Memorial clinched the program’s first ever No. 1 seed for the 34th District Tournament with a win over St. Henry on Feb. 2.
The Juggernauts also won games over Simon Kenton and Oldham County last week as they’ve now won five in a row and seven of eight.
The 12-point win at Simon Kenton was met with a balanced attack, Jeremiah Israel leading the way with 19 points, adding nine rebounds. EJ Walker added 15 points and seven rebounds, Elijah Collins scoring 14 and Isaiah Sebastian with 12. The Jugs hit 57% from the field and 66% from deep in the victory.
The victory over St. Henry had Israel scoring a season-high 32 points, also pulling down nine rebounds while Walker added 14 points and nine rebounds. The third win of the week over Oldham County also had the quartet of Sebastian, Walker, Collins and Sebastian leading the way, Israel with 29 and 10 rebounds, Walker adding 18 points and 11 rebounds, Collins with 11 and Sebastian 10.
Lloyd’s surge has them with a 14-7 record currently, bouncing back from a 7-6 start to the season.
NOTRE DAME GIRLS SWIM TEAM
It had been four years of Notre Dame watching Ryle or Dixie Heights win a girls Region 7 swimming title.
That streak ended Saturday. Notre Dame captured its first team title since 2019 by dethroning three-time defending champion Ryle, 372-353, at Silverlake The Family Place.
The 200-yard freestyle team of Claire Monahan, Olivia Wallace, Riley Quinn and Sadie Hartig finished three-tenths of a second ahead of St. Henry’s Sarah Littrell, Alexis Fassbender, Emma Littrell and Ameliya Lynn to effectively help them clinch the title.
It also helped Notre Dame had two-time state champion Lainy Kruger. The Florida-bound senior won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:50.03 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.23.
RYLE BOYS SWIM TEAM
The Raiders bested Highlands at the Region 7 swim meet at Silverlake, 518-473, to win the program’s first regional crown.
Eight years ago when Jeff Floyd took over the program, the Raiders finished ninth and have been climbing the ladder ever since.
Freshman Chase Knopf and sophomore Andy Pleiman had played large roles in the Raiders’ win. Knopf placed first in the 200 freestyle (1:43.18), and Pleiman won the 50 freestyle (21.84) and 100 freestyle (48.16).
Ryle senior Roman Furuta thought the relays would determine the winner, and he was correct.
Knopf, Furuta, Garrett Dennis and Blake Koenigsknecht won the 200 medley relay (1:38.22). A couple hours later, Furuta, Pleiman, Koenigsknecht and Zach Stephens won the 200 freestyle relay (1:28.48), and Pleiman, Stephens, Dennis and Knopf won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:16.55.
DIXIE HEIGHTS GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM
Dixie Heights is hot at the right time with a season long seven-game winning streak after victories over Campbell County and Ludlow last week and securing the No. 1 seed for the 34th District Tournament.
Four different players hit double figures in their win over the Camels, led by Samantha Berman’s 17 points. Abby Thelen and Aubrey Elkins scored 12 apiece, Ella Steczynski with 11.
Steczynski led the way in the win over Ludlow with 16 points, Berman adding 14 and Jalynn Brooks with 11 as 10 different Colonels scored in the victory.
During their seven-game winning streak, Dixie Heights is winning by an average of 34.5 points. They currently have a 20-6 record headed into their contest with Conner on Tuesday night.
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