Kentucky high school girls basketball All-State first team: Meet 10 players coaches picked
Here are the first-team selections for The Courier Journal's Kentucky All-State girls basketball team for the 2022-23 season.
Selections were made via a statewide vote of girls basketball coaches. A total of 87 votes were received.
Players are listed in order by the number of votes they received.
ZaKiyah Johnson
Sacred Heart, 6-0, sophomore
Accomplishments: Averaged 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals for a Valkyries team that went 36-3 and won the school’s third straight state championship. Shot 52.5% from the field and 39.6% (80 of 202) from 3-point range. ESPN ranks Johnson as the No. 2 recruit in the nation in the Class of 2025. She has won back-to-back Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year and Sweet 16 MVP honors. Johnson played at Shelby County as a seventh- and eighth-grader and has totaled 2,346 points and 1,007 rebounds over four varsity seasons. Earned second-team All-State honors as an eighth-grader and first-team as a freshman.
Future: Johnson has nearly 40 Division I scholarship offers, including from Baylor, Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
Quotable: “ZaKiyah did anything and everything that we needed to win,” coach Donna Moir said. “If we needed to her to score, she did. If we needed her to make a pass to a teammate, she did. And two of her best abilities are rebounding and ballhandling. She is a position-less player, and we played her at all five spots. The best thing about ‘Z’ is that she is humble in all her success. She has never made it about herself. She has the potential to be the best player to ever come out of Kentucky.”
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Haven Ford
Rowan County, 5-6, senior
Accomplishments: Kentucky’s Miss Basketball winner averaged 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 5.2 steals for a Vikings team that went 24-8. Also named 16th Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches. Ford joined the Rowan County varsity team as a seventh-grader and finished with 3,325 career points and 1,458 career rebounds, both school records. She was a third-team All-State pick as a freshman and earned first-team honors her final three seasons.
Future: Signed with Murray State.
Quotable: “Haven never takes a play off on the defensive or offensive side of the ball,” coach Matt Stokes said. “She plays the game hard all the time. Haven loves to make that pass that nobody else sees on the floor that gets her teammates a basket. Being a great teammate has always been her best attribute.”
Kensley Feltner
Lawrence County, 5-9, senior
Accomplishments: Led the state in scoring (28.9 ppg) and also pitched in 9.4 rebounds per game for a Bulldogs team that finished 30-6 after falling to eventual state champion Sacred Heart in the first round of the Sweet 16. Shot 58.8% from the field, 35.6% from 3-point range (36 of 101) and 80.9% from the free-throw line. Named 15th Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches. Finished her career with 4,189 points, ranking fourth in state history. Also set school career records with 1,542 rebounds, 816 assists and 413 steals. Earned third-team All-State honors as a sophomore and second-team honors as a junior.
Future: Signed with Belmont.
Quotable: “The most impressive aspect of her game is her leadership ability,” coach and mother Melinda Feltner said. “She is an amazing leader on and off the court. The way that she has impacted this program and community will not soon be forgotten. She has left a legacy here and a standard that everyone who plays in our program will strive to live up to.”
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Leah Macy
Mercy, 6-2, sophomore
Accomplishments: Ranked among the top 10 in the state in scoring (sixth, 25.0 ppg), rebounding (fourth, 13.2 rpg) and field-goal shooting (seventh, 61.4%). Helped the Jaguars go 25-10 and reach the quarterfinals of the Sweet 16. Also shot 80.8% from the free-throw line and showed her versatility while playing point guard because of teammates’ injuries. Named The Courier Journal’s Sixth Region Player of the Year. ESPN ranks Macy as the No. 15 recruit in the nation in the Class of 2025. She was a third-team All-State pick as an eighth-grader at Elizabethtown and earned first-team honors last season. In four seasons of varsity play, she has 2,027 points and 1,197 rebounds.
Future: Macy has a bevy of Division I scholarship offers, including from Florida State, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Mississippi State, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Quotable: "Leah is an amazing talent who is capable of filling almost any role on the court at a high level,” coach Nick Cann said. “She can score at all three levels, she can handle the ball and she is one of the fiercest competitors and rebounders I have ever been around. She is an extremely hard worker who continues to add to her game and improve each and every time she steps on a court."
Brianna Byars
George Rogers Clark, 6-0, senior
Accomplishments: Averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 rebounds for a Cardinals squad that went 28-8 and reached the Sweet 16 semifinals before falling to eventual champion Sacred Heart. She shot 47.7% from the field and was named 10th Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches. She played as a seventh-grader at Paris before playing five seasons of varsity basketball at GRC, amassing 2,252 career points and 1,113 career rebounds. Her 2,029 career points at GRC are a school record. She was an honorable-mention All-State pick as a sophomore and earned second-team honors last season. Her younger sister, Ciara, also earned first-team honors this season.
Future: Signed with Cincinnati.
Quotable: “Bri has been a cornerstone for our program throughout her career,” coach Robbie Graham said. “She is a true leader — not only on the court but also in our building. Bri has the unique ability to play all positions on offense and guard all positions on defense. She was a tough matchup for opposing teams with her ability to play inside and out.”
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Destiny Thomas
McCracken County, 6-0, senior
Accomplishments: Averaged 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.2 steals for a Mustangs team that went 35-3 and lost to Sacred Heart in the Sweet 16 final. Thomas shot 63.5% from the field (No. 4 in the state), 45.6% from 3-point range (36 of 79) and 81.4% from the free-throw line. She was named First Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches. Thomas played at Paducah Tilghman as a middle-schooler and missed her sophomore season at McCracken County with an ACL injury. She tallied 2,559 points and 1,131 rebounds in her career. She also earned first-team honors last season.
Future: Signed with Murray State.
Quotable: “Long, athletic and handles the ball like a guard,” coach Scott Sivills said. “She has all the tools to play inside and outside. She doesn’t have to score to impact the game. She can play and guard all five positions on the floor. She is just a complete player. One of the biggest attributes I saw this year was her leadership on and off the floor.”
JaKayla Thompson
Manual, 5-8, senior
Accomplishments: Averaged 15.2 points and 5.5 rebounds for a Manual team that went 28-3, with all three losses coming to state champion Sacred Heart. Thompson shot 51.3% from the field, 34.5% from 3-point range (20 of 58) and 77% from the free-throw line. She was named Seventh Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches. She played as a middle-schooler at Fern Creek and tallied 1,717 points over six varsity seasons. Thompson earned honorable-mention All-State honors as a junior.
Future: Signed with Buffalo.
Quotable: “She went outside of what she was used to and learned a whole new position for the betterment of her team,” coach Ashley Franklin said, noting the former guard played primarily in the paint for the undersized Crimsons. “If I had to say anything about her — other than she’s an amazing athlete and is amazing off the court and in the classroom — it’s that she’s selfless because she did what was needed for the betterment of her team.”
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Ciara Byars
George Rogers Clark, 6-1, sophomore
Accomplishments: Averaged 18.2 points and 8.8 rebounds — both team-highs — for a Cardinals squad that went 28-8 and reached the Sweet 16 semifinals before falling to eventual champion Sacred Heart. Also shot 51.2% from the field. In four seasons of varsity action, Byars has totaled 1,484 points and 722 rebounds. She was a second-team All-State pick as a freshman. Her older sister, Brianna, also earned first-team honors this season.
Future: Has scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Dayton, Eastern Kentucky, Louisville, Marshall, Northern Kentucky and Saint Louis.
Quotable: “Ciara’s improvement over the last three years has been remarkable,” coach Robbie Graham said. “She has grown physically and matured into a tremendous player, at times dominating. Ciara has a very high basketball IQ along with being a fierce competitor. Her dedication and hard work has raised the bar for her continued growth as a player.”
Whitney Lind
Cooper, 6-2, senior
Accomplishments: Averaged 16.1 points and 6.9 rebounds for a Jaguars team that finished 29-4 after falling to Mercy in the first round of the Sweet 16. Lind shot 54% from the field and 75.5% from the free-throw line. She was named Ninth Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches. A five-year starter at Cooper, she totaled 2,257 points and 1,000 rebounds. She was a second-team All-State pick last season.
Future: Signed with Lehigh.
Quotable: “Whitney’s work ethic and consistency has been a major reason why she has led the Cooper Jaguars in scoring and rebounding the past five seasons,” coach Justin Holthaus said. “Her length and athleticism, matched with her toughness, have made her a premier scorer and rebounder in the state of Kentucky.”
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Reagan Bender
Sacred Heart, 5-10, junior
Accomplishments: Averaged 15.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals for a Valkyries team that went 36-3 and won the school’s third straight state championship. She shot 48.8% from the field, 33% from 3-point range (64 of 194) and 75.5% from the free-throw line. A three-year starter, Bender has tallied 1,319 career points. She earned honorable-mention All-State honors last season and will be among the top candidates for Kentucky’s 2024 Miss Basketball award.
Future: Has scholarship offers from Bellarmine, East Tennessee State and Murray State.
Quotable: “Reagan is instant offense, a three-level scorer who can get to the rim, good mid-range jump shot and excellent 3-point shooter,” coach Donna Moir said. “Reagan always seemed to hit the big shot when we needed it most. We do not win the state tournament without her play in the second half against George Rogers Clark (in the state semifinals). She took over the game offensively that half, and our team did a great job of finding her. She is one of the most complete players I have ever coached and one of the most competitive.”
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky high school girls basketball: KHSAA All-State honors 2023
