Who are Kentucky’s top 25 girls high school basketball players for 2023-24?

Jared Peck

Below is the preseason top-25 ranking of Kentucky high school girls basketball players for the 2023-24 season, as voted on by coaches in a statewide survey conducted by the Lexington Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com.

The poll asked every coach to rank their “top 10 players in the state.”

Tabulating the results, the Herald-Leader lists the overall top 10 along with school, grade level, height, last season’s points per game (in parentheses) and a brief comment. The next 15 players are listed with their school, grade level and last season’s points per game along with their choice of college, if known. All players appearing on at least two ballots received honorable mention.

TOP 10 PLAYERS

1. ZaKiyah Johnson, Sacred Heart (6-0 Jr., 22.5 points): Johnson recently cut her college consideration list to 12 teams. They include Louisiana State, Connecticut, South Carolina and Notre Dame, a who’s who of top programs for the five-star forward who ranks No. 5 on the class of 2025’s HoopGurlz Super 60 by ESPN. She is a two-time Kentucky Gatorade player of the year and a two-time Girls Sweet 16 Tournament MVP.

2. Leah Macy, Bethlehem (6-2 Jr., 25 points): Macy joins the Banshees this year after a two-year run at Mercy that included a trip to the Girls Sweet 16 quarterfinals last season. Macy ranks as a five-star forward and is the class of 2025’s No. 8 recruit in the nation, according to HoopGurlz. Her offers include LSU, Louisville, Tennessee and Kentucky. Macy has already impressed her new coach Jason Clark. “She gives 100% every minute of every practice.”

3. Ciara Byars, Clark County (6-2 Jr., 18.2 points): Coach Robbie Graham praises Byars’ “unrelenting work ethic” and ability to play multiple positions and defend anyone. She has garnered more than 20 college offers, including Kentucky, Mississippi State and Maryland. She led the team with 8.8 rebounds per game last season.

4. Trinity Rowe, Pikeville (5-7 Sr., 16.2 points): Rowe, who recently signed with Southern Mississippi, has been the Panthers’ starting point guard since seventh grade and helped lead them to four consecutive region titles until that streak was broken last season. She holds the school record for career 3-pointers made.

5. Reagan Bender, Sacred Heart (5-10 Sr., 15.2 points): Bender has been a major contributor to the Valkyries three consecutive state titles and was their second-leading scorer last season. Her college offers include Louisville and Western Kentucky.

6. Shaelyn Steele, Russell (5-6 Sr., 19.8 points): Coach Mandy Layne calls Steele “the best rebounding guard in the state,” who can drive, post up and shoot from the perimeter. Steele averaged 7.7 rebounds per game last season and has signed with Penn State.

7. Claire Johnson, McCracken County (5-9 Sr., 17 points): Johnson “makes this team go,” said McCracken coach Scott Sivills. The Samford signee “has incredible court vision … is very good in the open floor and getting to the basket to score.” Sivills expects her points average to increase this season.

8. Peyton Bradley, Meade County (5-9 Jr., 21.9 points): Bradley is one of the state’s most accurate shooters, averaging 3.4 made threes per game and shooting 83.8 percent from the free throw line last season. Her offers include Northern Kentucky and Murray State.

9. Ramiya White, Butler (6-5 Sr., 8.6 points): White became the first in the class of 2024 to sign with Kentucky after a junior season in which she led the Bruins in scoring and rebounding (8 rpg). UK coach Kyra Elzy called White “a force to be reckoned with on the boards.”

10. Mariah Knight, Butler (5-7 Sr., 15.1 points): Knight bolsters Butler’s 6th Region title hopes after transferring from Christian Academy-Louisville where she led the Centurions in rebounding (9.4 rpg) in addition to being their second-leading scorer last season.

Sacred Heart’s ZaKiyah Johnson was not only voted Kentucky’s top high school player this preseason by the state’s coaches but is one of the top recruiting prospects in the country.
Sacred Heart’s ZaKiyah Johnson was not only voted Kentucky’s top high school player this preseason by the state’s coaches but is one of the top recruiting prospects in the country.

THE NEXT 15

11. Audrey Biggs, Boyd County (6-0 Sr., 12 points): Pittsburgh.

12. Ayanna-Sarai Darrington, Frederick Douglass (6-2 Sr., 13 points): Central Michigan.

13. Lainey Johnson, Anderson County (6-0 Jr., 22.2 points): Undecided.

14. Destiny Jones, Central (5-9 Sr., 20.5 points): West Georgia.

15. Hayden Barrier, Montgomery County (5-7 Sr., 17.3 points): Youngstown State.

16. Dea Bradley, Hart County (5-5 Sr., 26.1 points): Undecided.

17. Halle Collins, Knox Central (5-11 Jr., 27.1 points): Undecided.

18. Sydney Martin, Pulaski County (5-11 Sr., 22.7 points): Union (Tenn.)

19. Anna Hamilton, Conner (5-7 Sr., 15.9 points): Northern Kentucky.

20. Angelina Pelayo, Sacred Heart (6-3 Sr., 11.7 points): North Carolina-Wilmington.

21. Brooke Nichelson, North Laurel (5-10 Jr., 14.9 points): Undecided.

22. Niah Rhodes, Frederick Douglass (5-7 Jr., 17.7 points): Undecided.

23. Grace Mbugua, Danville Christian (6-4 Jr., 22.2 points): Liberty.

24. Quinn Eubank, Ryle (6-0 Sr., 14.3 points): Belmont.

25. Sarah Baker, Ryle (6-2 Sr., 11 points): Youngstown State.

HONORABLE MENTION

(Players mentioned on at least two ballots in points order)

Ashlinn James, Manual; Julia Hunt, Holy Cross (Covington); Kenleigh Woods, Ashland Blazer; Liz Freihofer, Cooper; Caroline Eaglin, Newport Central Catholic; Gracie-Jo Wilder, Bell County; Teigh Yeast, George Rogers Clark; Sayler Lowe, Calloway County; Abigail Varney, Barren County; Mikyra Caudill, Powell County; Savannah Gardner, Christian Academy-Louisville; Kennedy Stamper, George Rogers Clark; Anaysia Bagwell, Christian County; Kylie Gayheart, Knott County Central; Jeannae Bolin, Pleasure Ridge Park; Mikee Buchanan, McCracken County; Anna Rodgers, Bullitt East; Kyera Thornsbury, Pikeville; Carlie Thurmond, Bethlehem.

METHODOLOGY

Our annual survey was emailed to all 267 girls basketball head coaches using their email registered with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association. Multiple attempts were made to encourage every school to participate. Coaches were asked to select their top 10 teams and points were assigned based on a team’s position on the ballot (10 points for No. 1, nine points for No. 2, eight points for No. 3, etc.), and tabulated across all ballots received. Some schools participated in the survey but declined to vote due to unfamiliarity with players and teams outside of their own area. A total of 96 coaches (35.9 percent) voted in our top-10 players poll of the 158 coaches (59.2 percent) who responded to the survey and supplied information about their teams. Thanks to all.

2023-24 SEASON PREVIEW

This is the fourth of eight stories the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com is publishing in the coming days previewing the 2023-24 high school boys’ and girls’ basketball seasons, which are scheduled to tip off Nov. 27.

The online version of this story has highlight links for the top 25 players.

Who are Kentucky’s top 25 girls high school basketball teams for 2023-24?

Who are Kentucky’s top 25 boys high school basketball teams for 2023-24?

Who are Kentucky’s top 25 boys high school basketball players for 2023-24?

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