All-region basketball teams are piling up quickly. Bellevue girls basketball is speeding through milestones. Similarly, it didn’t take long for Gia Jones to set a basketball record at Beechwood, and it hasn’t taken Griffin Starks much time to rack up some college basketball offers at Newport. Likewise, here are the fastest thousand words in sports.
All-9TH REGION GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAMS: Ninth Region girls basketball coaches named their 2023-24 all-stars and Holy Cross senior forward Julia Hunt was named player of the year and a first-team choice. Hunt, heading to the University of Washington on a volleyball scholarship, is one of three Holy Cross players recognized by the coaches. The Indians’ Miyah Wimzie is a second-team selection. Aumani Nelson is a third-team pick.
The complete list of 9th Region all-stars: Player of the year: Julia Hunt (Holy Cross). First team: Julia Hunt (Holy Cross), Quinn Eubank (Ryle), Liz Freihofer (Cooper), Marissa Green (Highlands), Anna Hamilton (Conner). Second-team: Sarah Baker (Ryle), Caroline Eaglin (Newport Central Catholic), Logan Luebbers-Palmer (Cooper), Kayla Unkraut (St. Henry), Miyah Wimzie (Holy Cross). Third-team: Catherine Buddenberg (Dixie Heights), Sophia Gibson (Notre Dame Academy), Joslyn LaBordeaux Humphrey (Boone County), Maya Lawrie (Notre Dame Academy), Aumani Nelson (Holy Cross).
Honorable mention: Riley Boyd, Gia Jones (Beechwood); Jayda Dowell, Sydni Massey (Bellevue); Lyric Hooper (Boone County); Aubree Depenbrock, Izelee Kearns (Conner); Haylee Noel, Bella Deere (Cooper); Jalynn Brooks (Dixie Heights); Saylor Macke, Kaylee Mills (Highlands); India Tye, Anjali Faehr (Holmes); Aaliyah Hayes (Holy Cross); Sierra McCoin, Mya Holden (Lloyd); Addy Garrett (Ludlow); DeAyjah White (Newport); Emma Holtzapfel (Notre Dame Academy); Jaelyn Jones (Ryle).
All-8TH REGION BASKETBALL TEAMS: The 8th Region’s basketball coaches association named its boys and girls all-stars. Boys honorees from the LINK nky coverage area are Aaron Gutman and Julian Dixon from Walton-Verona and Travis Krohman from Simon Kenton. Girls honorees are Brynli Pernell and Haylie Webb from Simon Kenton and Braylin Terrell and Elin Logue from Walton-Verona.
TIGER MILESTONES: The Bellevue girls basketball team announced recent milestones achieved by some of its players. Junior Sydni Massey joined the 1,000-point club, becoming the eighth female member at Bellevue to do so. Massey now has 1,042 career points and needs 20 more to catch Reagan Atwood (1,062) for seventh all-time at Bellevue. Junior Jayda Dowell (951) needs 49 points to reach 1,000 in her career. Junior Paulina Long needs 20 points to reach 500. Fellow junior Jaylah Dowell joined the 500-point club earlier this season.
Additionally, Paulina Long recently reached 500 career rebounds. She joined Jayda Dowell, who also cleared 500 career rebounds this season and now has 655, ranking sixth all-time at Bellevue. Jaylah Dowell, with 441 career rebounds, is set to join them in the 500-rebound club.
JONES HISTORIC FROM LONG RANGE: Beechwood girls basketball standout Gia Jones set the program single-season record for 3-pointers made, as an eighth grader. She now has 77 this season. The previous record was 69 by Beechwood all-time leading scorer Ally Johnson.
STARKS CORRALS ANOTHER OFFER. Newport freshman post player Griffin Starks received a college basketball offer from Penn State, giving him at least two offers to go along with one from Ohio University. Starks, a 6-foot-8 left-hander, is a first-year player for the Wildcats. He’s averaging 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Newport hasn’t lost since coach Rod Snapp inserted Starks into the starting lineup at late December’s Ray Furney Holiday Classic in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
PRESEASON PREP SOFTBALL RANKINGS: The 9th Region softball coaches voted Highlands No. 1 in a recent preseason poll. The Bluebirds, 27-9 last season including an unblemished 16-0 mark against regional opponents, are two-time defending 9th Region tournament champions. Highlands has won 21 straight games against 9th Region foes. The Bluebirds finished 15-1 against the region in 2022. The complete top 10: 1. Highlands, 2. Ryle, 3. Conner, 4. Dixie Heights, 5. Cooper, 6. Boone County, 7. Notre Dame Academy, 8. Beechwood, 9. Dayton, 10. Holy Cross.
The coaches also voted on the 9th Region’s top softball players. Here are the results: 1. Maddie Goddard (Ryle), 2. Ava Scott (Cooper), 3. Bailey Markus (Highlands), 4. Mollie Sharp (Conner), t-5. Abby Turnpaugh (Notre Dame Academy), t-5. Laney Schuster (Ryle), 7. Kaitlyn Dixon (Highlands), 8. Michelle Barth (Highlands), 9. Skylar Mitchell (Dixie Heights), t-10. Payton Brown (Highlands), t-10. Sydney Schumacher (Dixie Heights).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR NKU SOFTBALL: Northern Kentucky University junior utility player Trinity Robertson was named Horizon League softball player of the week last week following an 8-for-16 performance at the plate that included three multi-hit games. Robertson smacked a home run and four doubles and had three runs scored and eight RBI in five games. She hit .500 for the week, slugged .938 and put together a .529 on-base percentage.
NORSE NAB BATTER OF THE WEEK: NKU senior baseball player Liam McFadden-Ackman earned the Horizon League’s first weekly baseball award of the season when he was named Batter of the Week. The infielder helped NKU capture its first opening weekend road series win since joining NCAA Division I with a 6-for-14 performance at the plate for a .429 batting average. He also blasted a home run and totaled six runs scored, four RBIs, four stolen bases, two doubles, two walks and a hit by pitch while generating a .529 on-base percentage and a .786 slugging percentage.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Grant Disken, a 2020 CovCath graduate, scored 12 points Feb. 17 for Saint Leo on Senior Night and joined the men’s basketball team’s 1,000-point club. Saint Leo, A Division II program located in Florida and playing out of the Sunshine State Conference, fell to Embry-Riddle. But Disken added his second membership to the club as he also scored over 1,000 points at CovCath. Disken, a 6-foot senior guard, is third on Saint Leo in scoring with 12.6 points per game and third among regulars with 79.8% free throw shooting.
SPEED READS: The Newport Central Catholic girls soccer team has hired Emily Wagner as the new head coach, replacing Raymond Joshua, who left the program after two seasons and a 10-32-2 record. The Thoroughbreds were 3-20-1 last season with 10 seniors. They finished 36th District runner-up and lost in the 9th Region tournament quarterfinals.
Coach Wagner played Division I college soccer at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and has coached with the King’s Hammer club soccer program.
The NewCath boys’ basketball team earned program win No. 1,500 in Friday’s 67-47 home win over Bishop Brossart. The Thoroughbreds finished the regular season with a record of 8-21.
Ryle senior basketball player Rosemary Miller has committed to play for the Kentucky Christian University women’s basketball team. Miller is third on the Raiders in rebounding (4.5 rpg) and sixth in scoring (2.6 ppg).