The 2023 Lexington Herald-Leader All-State Girls’ Basketball Team is here
The Herald-Leader is proud to announce its 2023 All-State Girls’ Basketball Teams as voted on by high school coaches across the commonwealth.
For the second year in a row, Sacred Heart sophomore ZaKiyah Johnson tops the All-State list as Herald-Leader Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year. Johnson, a 6-foot forward ranked as a five-star recruit by ESPN’s HoopGurlz ratings, led the Valkyries with 22.5 points and eight rebounds per game in helping Sacred Heart to its third consecutive Girls’ Sweet 16 championship.
Johnson received 73 No. 1 player votes and appeared on 102 of the 125 ballots turned in by Kentucky’s girls high school coaches last week. Johnson is also two-time Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year and a two-time Sweet 16 MVP.
Second in the voting was Rowan County’s Haven Ford, a Murray State signee who was recently recognized as Kentucky Miss Basketball, an award reserved for seniors.
Joining them on the Herald-Leader’s first team are Mercy’s Leah Macy, Lawrence County’s Kensley Feltner, George Rogers Clark sisters Brianna and Ciara Byars, McCracken County’s Destiny Thomas, Manual’s Jakayla Thompson, Cooper’s Whitney Lind and Johnson’s Sacred Heart teammate Reagan Bender.
The Herald-Leader All-State Teams are based on coaches’ selections in a statewide survey conducted by the Lexington Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com. Players are listed in order of point totals based on coaches’ votes. There are three teams of 10 players, plus 20 honorable mentions.
FIRST TEAM
Player | Ht. | Class | PPG | Notes | All-State Points | POY Votes | Ballots |
ZaKiyah Johnson, Sacred Heart | 6-0 | So. | 22.5 | Two-time Ky. Gatorade POY and Sweet 16 MVP. ESPN HoopGurlz No. 2 in class of 2024. | 937 | 73 | 102 |
Haven Ford, Rowan County | 5-7 | Sr. | 26.1 | 2023 Ky. Miss Basketball. Murray State signee. | 719 | 15 | 96 |
Leah Macy, Mercy | 6-2 | So. | 25.0 | ESPN HoopGurlz No. 17 recruit in class of 2024. | 623 | 9 | 84 |
Kensley Feltner, Lawrence County | 5-10 | Sr. | 28.9 | Belmont signee. 2023’s top scorer. 4,189 career points rank fourth all-time. 15th Region POY. | 622 | 16 | 91 |
Brianna Byars, George Rogers Clark | 6-0 | Sr. | 14.6 | Cincinnati signee and 10th Region POY. | 374 | 2 | 67 |
Destiny Thomas, McCracken County | 6-0 | Sr. | 18.2 | Murray State signee and 1st Region POY. | 353 | 3 | 69 |
Ciara Byars, George Rogers Clark | 6-1 | So. | 18.2 | Starter for back-to-back 10th Region champs. | 288 | — | 52 |
Jakayla Thompson, Manual | 5-8 | Sr. | 15.2 | Buffalo signee and 7th Region POY. | 220 | — | 47 |
Whitney Lind, Cooper | 6-2 | Sr. | 16.1 | Lehigh signee and 9th Region POY. | 165 | — | 38 |
Reagan Bender, Sacred Heart | 5-10 | Jr. | 15.2 | Starter on three state championship teams. | 151 | 1 | 31 |
SECOND TEAM
Player, School | Ht. | Class | PPG |
Shaelyn Steele, Russell | 5-4 | Jr. | 19.8 |
Trinity Rowe, Pikeville | 5-5 | Jr. | 16.2 |
Meadow Tisdale, Bowling Green | 5-10 | Sr. | 13.2 |
Emma Filiatreau, Bethlehem | 6-0 | Sr. | 17.6 |
Dea Bradley, Hart County | 5-1 | Jr. | 26.1 |
Triniti Ralston, Sacred Heart | 5-8 | Sr. | 7.8 |
Kylee Dennis, Sayre | 5-10 | Sr. | 28.7 |
Abby Maggard, Hazard | 5-9 | Sr. | 24.8 |
Peyton Bradley, Meade County | 5-9 | So. | 21.9 |
Claire Johnson, McCracken County | 5-9 | Jr. | 17.0 |
THIRD TEAM
Player, School | Ht. | Class | PPG |
Halle Collins, Knox Central | 5-11 | So. | 27.1 |
Carly Smith, Owsley County | 5-6 | Jr. | 19.7 |
Kenleigh Woods, Ashland Blazer | 5-3 | So. | 18.6 |
Courtney Hoskins, Leslie County | 5-7 | Sr. | 17.7 |
Lainey Johnson, Anderson County | 6-0 | So. | 22.4 |
Mikyra Caudill, Powell County | 5-6 | Jr. | 22.5 |
Kylie Gayheart, Knott County Central | 5-5 | Jr. | 17.2 |
Love Mays, Danville | 5-7 | Sr. | 21.8 |
Sarah Weddington, Lewis County | 6-0 | Sr. | 19.2 |
Abby Holtman, Ryle | 5-11 | Sr. | 15.2 |
HONORABLE MENTION
Emily Sizemore, North Laurel; Grace Mbugua, Danville; Kyera Thornsbury, Pikeville; Saniyah Shelton, Bowling Green; Haley Dillman, Bullitt Central; Brooke Nichelson, North Laurel; Laken Williams, Martin County; Destiny Jones, Central; Emilea Preece, Paintsville; Jenna Hampton, Morgan County; Angelina Pelayo, Sacred Heart; Audrey Biggs, Boyd County; Jarie Thomas, Henderson County; Jasmine Jordan, Boyd County; Emily Cox, South Laurel; Mikayla “Gracie-Jo” Wilder, Bell County; Rachel Bush, Greenup County; Lilly Reid, Bullitt East; Niah Rhodes, Frederick Douglass; Ella Sellars, Ashland Blazer.
Methodology: Our annual All-State survey was emailed to all 273 KHSAA girls’ basketball coaches in Kentucky using their email registered with the KHSAA. Multiple attempts were made to encourage every school to participate. Coaches were asked to select their top 10 players and points were assigned based on a player’s position on the ballot (10 points for Player of the Year, nine points for No. 2, eight points for No. 3, etc.), and tabulated across all ballots received. The top 50 players receiving votes made our All-State list. This year, 125 coaches participated.
Voters: Allen County-Scottsville, Anderson County, Ashland Blazer, Assumption, Ballard, Bardstown, Barren County, Bath County, Bell County, Bethlehem, Bishop Brossart, Bowling Green, Boyd County, Boyle County, Bracken County, Breathitt County, Buckhorn, Bullitt Central, Bullitt East, Calloway County, Carroll County, Central Hardin, Christian Academy-Louisville, Christian County, Conner, Cooper, Corbin, Crittenden County, Danville, Daviess County, Elizabethtown, Fairdale, Fleming County, Floyd Central, Franklin County, Franklin-Simpson, Frederick Douglass, Gallatin County, George Rogers Clark, Glasgow, Grant County, Graves County, Grayson County, Great Crossing, Green County, Greenup County, Greenwood, Harlan, Harrison County, Hart County, Hazard, Henderson County, Henry Clay, Highlands, Holy Cross (Covington), Holy Cross (Louisville), Hopkinsville, Johnson Central, Knott County Central, Knox Central, Lafayette, LaRue County, Lawrence County, Leslie County, Letcher County Central, Lewis County, Logan County, Madison Central, Madison Southern, Madisonville, Marshall County, Martin County, McCracken County, Meade County, Mercer County, Mercy, Metcalfe County, Montgomery County, Morgan County, Nicholas County, North Hardin, North Laurel, Notre Dame, Oldham County, Owen County, Owensboro Catholic, Owsley County, Paducah Tilghman, Paintsville, Paris, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Pendleton County, Perry County Central, Pike County Central, Pikeville, Pleasure Ridge Park, Powell County, Prestonsburg, Pulaski County, Raceland, Rockcastle County, Rowan County, Russell, Russellville, Sacred Heart, Sayre, Scott County, Shelby County, Simon Kenton, Somerset, South Laurel, South Warren, Southwestern, Spencer County, Tates Creek, Taylor County, Valley, Walton-Verona, Warren Central, Warren East, Wayne County, West Carter, Whitefield Academy, Whitley County, Wolfe County.
