We gave you the 50 greatest sports icons from NKY last summer. Since we had so much fun with that, we’re bringing you another list of the 50 greatest things this summer…The 50 greatest prep sports teams from NKY.
Each day for the next 50 days, we’ll release one of the area’s 50 greatest prep sports teams. It starts June 22 and runs into August. This is not a ranking 1-50, it’s just a collection of the 50 best sports teams ever assembled.
We’ll preface this by saying you may or may not agree with all 50 and that’s fine. Sports editor Evan Dennison assembled a panel of dedicated and longly-tenured NKY sports fans to weigh in and give their takes on who should be on the list. I trust those people because of their history and knowledge of the game in NKY. We compiled numerous lists and identified the most certain candidates for inclusion.
Some of the traits we sought in these teams were state championships (almost certainly a requirement), dominance, and standout players and coaches. We may have cheated a little by lumping some dominant teams together that achieved numerous consecutive state titles, but that gives a few more teams an opportunity to be recognized.
I hope you enjoy this, as sports are slow in the summer. This list serves as a way to remember the past a little and keep you entertained daily as it continues.
Another note, while we respect and give coverage to golf, tennis, wrestling, bowling, track and field and cross country, we consider those individual sports, so any teams from those sports will not make the list.
Here we go!
2015 Holy Cross girls’ basketball
How often has a team won both the girls’ basketball All “A” State Championship and the KHSAA state championship?
No team has accomplished the feat since the 2015 Holy Cross Indians.
Holy Cross finished 33-3 and became the first 9th Region girls’ basketball program to win a KHSAA state championship. Since then, only Ryle in 2019 has also brought a girls’ state title back to the 9th Region.
The Indians were coached by Kes Murphy, the Courier Journal and USA Today Kentucky Coach of the Year. Murphy later coached Notre Dame to three 9th Region championship game appearances and is now the head coach at St. Henry. Built on a suffocating defense, Holy Cross allowed just 37.8 points per game during the season and only 35.5 in the state tournament while going 18-0 against 9th Region opponents and finishing on a 22-game winning streak.
Holy Cross’ postseason run featured several unforgettable moments. The Indians upset top-ranked Elizabethtown 41-40 in the state quarterfinals after tournament MVP Deja Turner scored the game-winning basket and Holy Cross held the high-powered Panthers to just 40 points. In the state championship game, the Indians defeated Allen County-Scottsville 35-32, a victory that remains one of the lowest-scoring girls’ state title games in KHSAA history.
Turner went on to play collegiately at Thomas More after originally signing with Wright State. Ally Mayhaus starred at Bellarmine, earning multiple Academic All-GLVC honors while becoming one of the program’s top rebounders and shot blockers. Dajah McClendon continued her career at Thomas More before returning to Holy Cross as an assistant coach. Alehia Tucker became an NFCA All-American at Mount St. Joseph and later returned to Holy Cross as an assistant coach. The championship roster also included key contributors Abby Hassert, Cessie Mayhaus, Courtney Turner, Morgan Gabbard, and Zyah Beal.
Here’s the rundown of the 50 greatest NKY prep sports teams day by day:
Day 1: 1998 Highlands Football
Day 2: 1963 Holmes Baseball
Day 3: 2019 Covington Catholic football
Day 4: 2021 Notre Dame Academy Girls Soccer
Day 5: 1960 Highlands Football
Day 6: 1980 Villa Madonna Volleyball
Day 7: 1976 Lloyd Memorial Football
Day 8: 2009 Holmes Boys Basketball
Day 9: 1991 Beechwood Football
Day 10: 1954 Newport Catholic Baseball
Day 11: 1982 Highlands Football
Day 12: 2019 Ryle Girls Basketball
Day 13: 1987 Boone County Football
Day 14: 1981 St. Henry Volleyball
Day 15: 2021 Beechwood Football
Day 16: 2002 Covington Catholic Baseball
Day 17: 1957 Highlands Football
Day 18: 2006 Ryle Softball
Day 19: 1975 Ludlow Football