The 11 names you should know in 11th Region girls’ basketball this season
The 2018-19 Kentucky girls’ basketball season gets underway on Nov. 26. Here are 11 of the best players, in alphabetical order, playing for teams in the 11th Region this winter.
Jay Ballard, Lexington Catholic (Sr.): Knights Coach Steve True says Ballard is one of the hardest working players he’s ever coached. She averaged 16.8 points and 4.1 rebounds last season but is recovering from off-season knee surgery, from which she’s expected to return in December.
KeLynn Clay, Bryan Station (Sr.): She finished with a team-best 14.6 ppg for the Defenders in Brian Hall’s first season as skipper and was named as a second-team selection to last season’s Lexington Herald-Leader All-City team.
Grace Combs, Lexington Christian Academy (Sr.): The 5-foot-8 guard’s scoring average dropped slightly from her sophomore year to last season, but with only seven high schoolers available at the start of the season a lot will be expected of the LCA star.
Lindi DeBilzan, Lafayette (Sr.): “Each year her basketball knowledge and skills continue to improve,” said Generals Coach Allison Denton. She expects DeBilzan, a 5-10 guard who can play all five positions if asked, to be her team’s leader and to play at the next level.
Elise Ellison-Coons, Paul Laurence Dunbar (So.): The 5-10 guard was the only freshman named to any of last season’s All-City squads (she was picked to the second team) after averaging 12.7 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs.
Delaney Enlow, Woodford County (Jr.): Her shooting mark — 65.1 percent on 327 field-goal attempts — was sixth-highest in the state and tops in the 11th Region in 2017-18. The walking double-double (15.9 ppg, 10 rpg) is also an All-State softball player who’s committed to play at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Destyne Jackson, Frederick Douglass (Sr.): The Cats’ Pause tabbed Jackson as one of its preseason front-runners for Miss Basketball. Lack of team success might keep the second-year Broncos from getting their first winner, but her production sure won’t: she averaged 26 points last season, fifth-most in the state.
Brooklynn Miles, Franklin County (So.): Miles played big minutes for the Flyers in the last two of their three straight 11th Region championship teams from 2015-2017 but didn’t play high school ball last season. Her return could be a game-changer in the hunt for state.
Maaliya Owens, Scott County (Sr.): The Tennessee Tech signee is Scott County’s leading returning scorer and a contender for 11th Region Player of the Year. Scott County has not had a Miss Basketball winner since Rebecca Gray in 2007.
Kiya Thompson, Henry Clay (Sr.): Blue Devils Coach Eric Sanford called Thompson “the best-kept secret in Kentucky” and believes the 5-7 combo guard will be in contention for Player of the Year consideration by year’s end.
Malea Williams, Scott County (Jr.): Georgia, St. John’s, Boston College and Cincinnati are among the schools that have offered Williams, a stringy 6-2 forward whose role with the Cardinals should swell this season.