Bullitt East has a talent most teams can’t match. She delivered vs. Franklin County.
There’s no mistaking what sets Bullitt East apart from other contenders for the Girls’ Sweet 16 this season.
Standing 6-foot-6, junior center Gracie Merkle has become, arguably, the most dominant post player in Kentucky, averaging 21.1 points and 12.1 rebounds per game for a program that graduated six seniors from its 2020 6th Region title team, yet still looks like a favorite.
Coming off a two-game rest to recover from a slight injury, Merkle scored a game-high 27 points Monday night as the No. 8 Chargers (11-2) dominated a depleted No. 20 Franklin County (8-3) in a 62-39 win in Frankfort.
“Since I’ve been out for two weeks, I was just really ready to play,” said Merkle who scored 22 of her team’s 30 first-half points as well as blocking and changing a number of the Flyers’ shot attempts throughout. “I just always come and try to give it my best effort.”
While setting up Merkle for plays in the post is, of course, part of the offense, Merkle scores many of her buckets on offensive rebounds, a luxury for the Chargers’ other shooters.
“It gives me so much more confidence,” fellow junior Emma Egan said of shooting with Merkle under the basket. Egan scored 11 points against Franklin County. Sophomore guard Lilly Reid scored 13. “She’s always there to get it. She can put a rebound up and get the putback. We all work together.”
Bullitt East Coach Chris Stallings estimates Merkle has grown 5 to 6 inches since her junior varsity days. He saw her work her way into being a significant part of last season’s senior-led team. Merkle had a few breakout games down the stretch even though her averages remained in the single digits as a sophomore.
“She’s always had really, really good hands. She’s got great hands and good feet,” Stallings said of Merkle, who has a number of Division I offers, including Northern Kentucky. “She constantly works on that. … And her confidence has gotten higher and higher.”
Sitting out two games, Merkle saw her team lose to No. 9 Ryle and No. 6 Bardstown, which could have shaken the team’s confidence. It hasn’t.
“Since I’m 6-6, they all know I’m right there and can just lob it up whenever, but Haleigh Mason (a 6-2 junior center) and everyone they all stepped up and played their role like I wasn’t even gone,” Merkle said.
Stallings thought those losses could, ultimately, be meaningful for his team.
“Both of them were really, really close games without her,” Stallings said. “I think the other kids gained confidence, but they realize, too, that they miss her. And she’s picked up where she left off since she’s been back.”
Egan was the team’s third leading scorer last season, but other players, including Merkle, had more supporting than leading roles. Questions about whether the new Bullitt East could truly contend in the 6th Region lingered, especially since region rival Butler was picked by most of the state’s coaches as the Herald-Leader preseason No. 1 team.
“I thought we had talented kids coming back in our program, so I wasn’t that concerned about things we can do offensively and defensively,” Stallings said. “It’s just kind of putting it all together.”
The meshing of a new team usually takes place over summer. But with COVID-19 no team had that luxury. Like everyone else, Bullitt East has been developing chemistry on the fly.
“We talk about the postseason,” Stallings said. “It’s right here around the corner now. Hopefully, this week and next week, we’ll have consistent weeks of being in the gym and being able to play.”
Merkle gives Bullitt East an obvious inside threat. “And we’ve got pretty decent shooters, got some drivers as well, he said. “So, we can do a lot of different things offensively. … Our kids are gaining confidence each day, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Franklin County setbacks
The Flyers played Bullitt East without three of their normal starters. Junior guard Jazmin Chambers injured her knee in January and has already had season-ending surgery.
And the Flyers have been struck by COVID-19 with two players remaining out due to the prolonged 21-day return-to-play guidance period for those who test positive.
When Franklin County played North Oldham on Saturday, it was the Flyers’ first game in 29 days due to contact tracing and isolation.
Franklin County remains highly ranked at No. 20, according to Dave Cantrall’s ratings and just outside the latest Associated Press top 10 poll. And the Flyers should continue to be a threat in the 11th Region, regardless. Tennessee commit Brooklynn Miles led Franklin County with 19 points against Bullitt East. Patience Laster added 12.
All-American nominees
The Flyers’ Brooklyn Miles was recently named one of Kentucky’s three girls’ basketball nominees for the McDonald’s All-American game.
Along with Ryle’s Brie Crittendon and Butler’s Tiarra East, Miles made the preliminary list among more than 700 of the nation’s top boys and girls high school basketball players.
On the boys’ side, Marshall County’s Zion Harmon received the distinction.
The final McDonald’s All-American Team roster of 48 players will be announced later this month. The game will not take place this year due to COVID-19.
Highlights
This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
