Girls high school basketball: Voting by Kentucky’s coaches reveals top teams in each region

By Jared Peck

Updated December 7, 2023 4:35 PM

2023-24 High School Basketball Preview

The Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com is publishing season preview stories leading up to the start of the 2023-24 high school basketball season on Monday, Nov. 27. You can read everything we’ve published to this point by clicking on this drop-down list. All of the stories are also available in our print and e-editions.

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Before Kentucky’s girls high school basketball season tipped off late last month, the Herald-Leader offered its annual preseason top 25 rankings based on our survey of coaches.

But we also asked everyone to rank their top 10 teams in each of their respective regions. Here’s what the coaches had to say once their ratings were all tabulated in our region-by-region girls top 10s.

1st Region

1. McCracken County; 2. Graves County; 3. Calloway County; 4. Marshall County; 5. Mayfield; 6. Carlisle County; 7. Fulton County; 8. Paducah Tilghman; 9. Ballard Memorial; 10. St. Mary. Voting: 4/15 coaches.

2nd Region

1. Madisonville-North Hopkins; 2. Christian County; 3. Henderson County; 4. Webster County; 5. Lyon County; 6. Union County; 7. Crittenden County; 8. Livingston Central; 9. Hopkinsville; 10. Hopkins County Central. Voting: 5/15 coaches.

3rd Region

1. Owensboro Catholic; 2. Meade County; 3. Breckinridge County; 4. Owensboro; 5. Daviess County; 6. Muhlenberg County; 7. Hancock County; 8. Grayson County; 9. Edmonson County; 10. Butler County. Voting: 6/15 coaches.

4th Region

1. Barren County; 2. Bowling Green; 3. Franklin-Simpson; 4. Metcalfe County; 5. Greenwood; 6. Allen County-Scottsville; 7. South Warren; 8. Todd County Central; 9. Cumberland County; 10. Logan County. Voting: 10/17 coaches.

Bethlehem’s Carlie Thurmond (13) tries to drive past McCracken County’s Caroline Sivills (0) during last season’s state tournament in Rupp Arena. Coaches voted McCracken County No. 1 in the 1st Region and Bethlehem No. 1 in the 5th Region to start the season. Ryan C. Hermens rhermens@herald-leader.com

5th Region

1. Bethlehem; 2. Taylor County; 3. North Hardin; 4. Elizabethtown; 5. Hart County; 6. Green County; 7. Bardstown; 8. Nelson County; 9. John Hardin; 10. Adair County; Voting: 9/19 coaches.

6th Region

1. Butler; 2. Bullitt East; 3. Whitefield Academy; 4. Mercy; 5. North Bullitt; 6. Pleasure Ridge Park; 7. Valley; 8. Bullitt Central; 9. Holy Cross (Louisville); 10. Western. Voting: 9/18 coaches.

7th Region

1. Sacred Heart; 2. Christian Academy-Louisville; 3. Central; 4. DuPont Manual; 5. Assumption; 6. Male; 7. Ballard; 8. Shawnee; 9. Brown; 10. Portland Christian. Voting: 5/19 coaches.

8th Region

1. Simon Kenton; 2. Anderson County; 3. South Oldham; 4. Spencer County; 5. Owen County; 6. Grant County; 7. Walton-Verona; 8. Oldham County; 9. North Oldham; 10. Gallatin County. Voting: 11/18 coaches.

9th Region

1. Cooper; 2. Ryle; 3. Holy Cross (Covington); 4. Notre Dame; 5. Conner; 6. Highlands; 7. Dixie Heights; 8. Newport Central Catholic; 9. St. Henry; 10. Lloyd Memorial. Voting: 11/19 coaches.

10th Region

1. George Rogers Clark; 2. Montgomery County; 3. Campbell County; 4. Bracken County; 5. Bishop Brossart; 6. Scott; 7. Nicholas County; 8. Mason County; 9. Bourbon County; 10. Augusta. Voting: 11/15 coaches.

11th Region

1. Frederick Douglass; 2. Franklin County; 3. Madison Central; 4. Madison Southern; 5. Great Crossing; 6. Henry Clay; 7. Bryan Station; 8. Lexington Catholic; 9. Berea; 10. Scott County. Voting: 16/18 coaches.

12th Region

1. Pulaski County; 2. Southwestern; 3. Danville Christian; 4. Rockcastle County; 5. Mercer County; 6. Wayne County; 7. West Jessamine; 8. Danville; 9. Boyle County; 10. McCreary Central. Voting: 12/16 coaches.

13th Region

1. North Laurel; 2. Corbin; 3. Knox Central; 4. South Laurel; 5. Bell County; 6. Jackson County; 7. Pineville; 8. Harlan; 9. Harlan County; 10. Whitley County. Voting: 8/16 coaches.

14th Region

1. Owsley County; 2. Knott County Central; 3. Letcher County Central; 4. Perry County Central; 5. Leslie County; 6. Estill County; 7. Powell County; 8. Hazard; 9. Wolfe County; 10. Breathitt County. Voting: 9/15 coaches.

15th Region

1. Pikeville; 2. Martin County; 3. Johnson Central; 4. Paintsville; 5. Lawrence County; 6. Shelby Valley; 7. Pike County Central; 8. Betsy Layne; 9. Floyd Central; 10. Prestonsburg. Voting: 9/15 coaches.

16th Region

1. Ashland Blazer; 2. Boyd County; 3. Russell; 4. Rowan County; 5. Fleming County; 6. Morgan County; 7. Bath County; 8. Raceland; 9. Menifee County; 10. Greenup County. Voting: 9/15 coaches.

This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 1:52 PM.

Jared Peck

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-488-2883

Jared Peck, the Herald-Leader’s Digital Sports Writer, covers high school athletics and has been with the company as a writer and editor for more than 20 years. Support my work with a digital subscription