2023 Kentucky Miss Basketball finalists announced. See all 18 players
Sayre’s Kylee Dennis was among 18 Kentucky girls’ high school basketball seniors who earned region player of the year honors Friday and with it a nomination for the sport’s highest individual honor, the 2023 Miss Basketball award.
The honorees were announced Friday morning by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation via its social media channels, including Facebook. In conjunction with the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches, the KLEF conducts a survey each year of coaches and media for the region player of the year awards in advance of a separate vote later this month by the same for Miss Basketball.
The 11th Region’s Dennis, a Southern Indiana signee and Sayre’s all-time leading scorer with more than 2,200 points, will face stiff competition for Miss Basketball from around the state.
Chief among the favorites should be Lawrence County’s Kensley Feltner out of the 15th Region, a Bellarmine commit who unofficially ranks as the state’s fourth all-time leading scorer. Feltner leads the state in scoring this season with 28.7 points per game, just ahead of Dennis’ 27.8. Feltner could top 4,000 career points Friday night in the Bulldogs’ game against Greenup County, making her only the sixth Kentucky boys’ or girls’ high school player ever to do so.
Rowan County’s Haven Ford out of the 16th Region should also be a top consideration. The Murray State commit has also surpassed 3,000 points for her career and, like Feltner, has more than 1,400 rebounds.
And one could make a case for McCracken County’s Destiny Thomas, Manual’s JaKayla Thompson, Cooper’s Whitney Lind or George Rogers Clark’s Brianna Byars. Thomas, Lind and Byars, like Bowling Green’s Meadow Tisdale and Southwestern’s Ayden Smiddy, have had postseason success, while many of their fellow nominees have not.
Two regions had multiple player-of-the-year awards. The 12th Region’s honor was shared by Southwestern’s Smiddy and Mercer County’s Timberlynn Yeast. Yeast, a Buffalo commit and outstanding track athlete, suffered a season-ending knee injury before the Titans’ first game, but had been their leading scorer since eighth grade with more than 2,000 career points. In the 14th Region, Leslie County’s Courtney Hoskins shared the honor with Hazard’s Abby Maggard.
Notable player-of-the-year snubs this season included Ryle’s Abby Holtman, a Cincinnati commit, Henderson County leading scorer Jarie Thomas and Sacred Heart point guard Triniti Ralston, a starter and key defender for the back-to-back state champion Valkyries.
Miss Basketball and other honors will be announced at the 12th annual Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony on March 19 at the Griffin Gate Marriott in Lexington.
Miss Basketball finalists
The 2023 KABC region players of the year with school, height, position, this season’s points per game through Wednesday and (college choice).
1st Region: Destiny Thomas, McCracken County, 5-10 forward, 18.5 ppg (Murray State).
2nd Region: Taylor Guess, Crittenden County, 5-9 guard, 23.3 ppg (Undecided).
3rd Region: Adylan Ayer, Daviess County 5-7 guard, 19.5 ppg (Maryville).
4th Region: Meadow Tisdale, Bowling Green, 5-11 forward, 13.2 ppg (Northern Kentucky).
5th Region: Emma Filiatreau, Bethlehem, 6-0 center, 17.6 ppg (Oklahoma State — equestrian).
6th Region: Haley Dillman, Bullitt Central, 5-10 guard, 15.2 ppg (Undecided).
7th Region: Jakayla Thompson, Manual, 5-8 guard, 15 ppg (Buffalo).
8th Region: Grace Brewer, Walton-Verona, 5-10 forward, 18.9 ppg (Undecided).
9th Region: Whitney Lind, Cooper, 6-2 forward, 17.7 ppg (Lehigh).
10th Region: Brianna Byars, George Rogers Clark, 5-11 forward, 15 ppg (Cincinnati).
11th Region: Kylee Dennis, Sayre, 5-11 guard, 27.8 ppg (Southern Indiana).
12th Region: Ayden Smiddy, Southwestern, 5-6 guard, 14.9 ppg (Cumberlands); Timberlynn Yeast, Mercer County, 5-9 guard, injured as senior, 20.9 ppg as a junior (Buffalo).
13th Region: Emily Sizemore, North Laurel, 5-7 guard, 16.5 ppg (Undecided).
14th Region: Courtney Hoskins, Leslie County, 5-7 guard, 16.8 ppg (Kentucky Christian); Abby Maggard, Hazard, 5-9 guard, 24.4 ppg (Alice Lloyd).
15th Region: Kensley Feltner, Lawrence County, 5-9 forward, 29.2 ppg (Belmont).
16th Region: Haven Ford, Rowan County, 5-7 guard, 25.8 ppg (Murray State).
About the awards
Miss Basketball has honored the top girls’ player since 1976. It’s an award for seniors, and the criteria for winning is up to the individual voter — some showing deference to outstanding senior seasons while others use their ballot to recognize overall career achievements.
Whatever the criteria, the awards are the subject of discussion, debate and celebration each year.
The awards ceremony will also include presentations for the winners of Mr. Basketball, the Donna L.J. Murphy Award, the Wah Wah Jones Award and the William “Mr. Wildcat” Bill Keightley Award.
This story was originally published February 17, 2023 at 9:40 AM.
