No. 2 Anderson County girls’ basketball shows it’s second to none, right now
There’s a long way to go in the season, yet, and some girls’ basketball teams, notably Herald-Leader preseason No. 1 Butler, haven’t even taken the court due to COVID-19 precautions.
But if there’s a better team, right now, than Anderson County — voted No. 2 in this week’s Associated Press media rankings — they’ve got some work ahead to prove it.
Anderson County (4-0) proved its prowess Tuesday night in a 64-32 statement-making rout of AP No. 1 Franklin County on the Flyers’ home floor.
“That’s the second-best team that’s played in here since we played E-town (in 2016),” Franklin County Coach Joey Thacker said after the loss. That Elizabethtown team had Gatorade Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American Erin Boley. “I think they’ve got all the pieces. They share the ball well. I think they’ve got a kid that is for sure a Power Five SEC kid in (Amiya) Jenkins … It was an offensive clinic for them.”
Jenkins, a 5-foot-11 junior guard, led the Bearcats with 24 points, including two three-pointers with four rebounds and six assists. But it was his team’s defense that impressed Anderson County Coach Clay Birdwhistell the most, especially having to deal with Franklin County’s Brooklynn Miles, a Tennessee commit regarded as one of the top players in the state. Miles finished with six points.
“We got after people without getting beat in the seams, especially. They’re super, super quick and it’s really hard for us to apply pressure and not get beat off the dribble,” Birdwhistell said. “I thought the kids really battled. I thought Amiya was special defensively … Amiya showed she’s the best defensive player in the state of Kentucky.”
Last season, Franklin County (3-1) was one of the top scoring teams in the state, averaging 62.7 points per game. While they are breaking in some new players, the Flyers have three starters back and have averaged more than 65 points per game this season.
“When you take the No. 1 team in the state and don’t let them break 40, it’s a big deal,” Birdwhistell said. “I’m just really proud of our kids.”
Anderson County returned four starters and most of its offensive production from a 31-win 8th Region championship team, which nipped 11th Region champ Franklin County 40-37 last season in one of the few girls’ state tournament games played before the COVID-19 shutdown.
The Bearcats’ chemistry also showed on offense Tuesday where they shot 50 percent from the field and made an astounding 20 of 34 two-point shots to go along with five three-point makes.
“We are mentally prepared for any outcome and we work as hard as we can to get there,” said 6-1 junior center Jacie Chesser, who scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. “I feel like all around, we’re a really good team. … and I feel like we can go big places this year.”
The Bearcats took control of the game early, turning a 6-6 tie in the opening minutes into a 22-12 first quarter lead and outscoring Franklin County 15-3 in the second quarter despite some key players picking up two fouls each.
“In the first half, we knew we were doing good, because (Birdwhistell) had to put some JV players in when we were in foul trouble. We were deep in the bench and the bench showed up and played really well,” Chesser said.
Franklin County drew a little closer in the third quarter but scored only three points again in the fourth as Anderson pulled away. Franklin County shot 27 percent from the field and was led by Patience Laster’s 11 points.
If Anderson County wins out the rest of the week with games against Shelby County and Collins on the slate, the Bearcats can expect they’ll be No. 1 when a new poll comes out.
But such things don’t concern Chesser, Jenkins or their teammates, they said.
“We’ve just got to focus on who’s next,” Jenkins said.
Birdwhistell doesn’t put much stock into rankings either, but he does like that a number of top-ranked teams — No. 4 Ryle, No. 5 Bethlehem, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 7 Sacred Heart and No. 8 Elizabethtown — lie ahead on Anderson County’s schedule.
“The only time we really care about being No. 1 in the state is when we start cutting nets. Other than that, it’s other people’s opinions, it’s conjecture, it doesn’t mean a whole lot to us,” Birdwhistell said. “I looked at that (AP) poll and I realized we play most of them, so we’re going to have a chance to play really good teams in the state of Kentucky and be tested. But it’s March, or I guess in this case, April, that’s going to matter.”
Cancellations
Since the season began in boys’ and girls’ basketball there have been multiple COVID-19 cancellations recorded in both. Tuesday night, for instance, 17 boys’ games and 11 girls’ games were wiped out. District games that affect postseason seeding will probably be made up.
Bryan Station’s girls team was reported to be observing a COVID-19 isolation period Tuesday and Henry Clay’s girls’ team has yet to take the court with three cancellations already on its schedule.
Cancellations are occurring due to both COVID-19 cases/contacts on teams and due to school district concerns over community spread. Jefferson County is among the districts that have not allowed play due to their county’s COVID-19 status. Boyle County delayed beginning its seasons until this week.
Monster night
North Laurel sophomore Reed Sheppard continues to astound for the Jaguars.
The son of University of Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball standouts Jeff and Stacy Sheppard, who notched a quadruple double last year, scored 45 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help lead the Jaguars to an 89-87 overtime upset of No. 2 Covington Catholic on Tuesday. In his first two games, both wins, he scored 37 and 48 points.
North Laurel comes Lexington’s way on Feb. 18 when the Jaguars visit Frederick Douglass. They’ll be in Richmond against Madison Central on Feb. 23 and then back in Lexington to take on Lexington Catholic on March 6.
Rankings
With so little of the season played and with Jefferson County Public Schools teams still out due to their school district’s decision, the Herald-Leader did not participate in this week’s Associated Press poll. That will change next week.
Here are the rankings after Week 1 of the season in the Kentucky Associated Press high school basketball polls, with first-place votes, records through Sunday and total points:
BOYS’ TOP 10
Rank-School (FPV) Rcd TP
1. Male (4) 0-0 101
2. Covington Catholic (7) 3-0 96
3. Bowling Green 3-0 74
4. Lexington Catholic 3-0 69
5. Ballard 0-0 64
6. (tie) Elizabethtown 2-0 38
6. (tie) Fern Creek 0-0 38
8. Ashland Blazer 2-1 31
9. Highlands 1-1 18
10. St. Henry 2-1 16
Others receiving votes: McCracken Co. 8, North Laurel 8, Clark Co. 7, Mayfield 7, Frederick Douglass 5, Marshall Co. 5, Christian Co. 4, Oldham Co. 4, Owensboro Catholic 3, University Heights 3, Knott Co. Central 2, Madison Central 2, John Hardin 1, Breathitt Co. 1.
GIRLS’ TOP 10
Rank-School (FPV) Rcd TP
1. Franklin Co. (7) 3-0 97
2. Anderson Co. 3-0 83
3. Butler (2) 0-0 70
4. Ryle 2-0 62
5. Bethlehem 4-0 47
6. Notre Dame 3-0 40
7. Sacred Heart 2-0 37
8. Elizabethtown 3-0 36
9. South Laurel 1-0 21
10. Marshall Co. 1-1 12
Others receiving votes: Butler Co. 10, Boyd Co. 8, North Laurel 7, Paris 7, Russell 4, Clark Co. 3, Manual 3, Barren Co. 1, Graves County 1, Scott 1.
This week’s voters: Daily News, Bowling Green; Kentucky Enquirer, Cincinnati; Times-Tribune, Corbin; The News-Enterprise, Elizabethtown; KPG Football, Owensboro; The Gleaner, Henderson; Courier-Journal, Louisville; The Ledger Independent, Maysville; Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro; Kentucky Today, Louisville; WKYX, Paducah.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 7:58 AM.
