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Finalists named for Kentucky Mr. and Miss Basketball, including 8 from Louisville area

Butler's Dayton Williams (2) scored a tough bucket as the Butler Bears and the St. Xavier Tigers faced off in the championship game of the 2024 Louisville Invitational Tournament on Saturday at Valley High School. Jan. 13, 2024
Butler's Dayton Williams (2) scored a tough bucket as the Butler Bears and the St. Xavier Tigers faced off in the championship game of the 2024 Louisville Invitational Tournament on Saturday at Valley High School. Jan. 13, 2024

The Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation and Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches have named their finalists for the 2024 Mr. and Miss Basketball awards.

Nineteen boys and 19 girls were named finalists as the result of being named Player of the Year or co-Player of the Year in their respective regions.

The Mr. and Miss Basketball winners will be announced during a ceremony scheduled for March 17 in Lexington. Only seniors are eligible.

Three boys from the Louisville area are finalists for the Mr. Basketball award: Butler’s Dayton Williams, Seneca’s Quel’Ron House and Oldham County’s Max Green.

Williams, a 6-foot-4 guard, was named Sixth Region Player of the Year and is averaging 19.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. House, a 5-11 guard, was named Seventh Region Player of the Year and is averaging 27.1 points. Green, a 6-6 guard who has signed with Holy Cross, was named Eighth Region Player of the Year. He leads the state in scoring (32.5 ppg) and 3-pointers made (133).

Lyon County’s Travis Perry was named Second Region Player of the Year and is considered the front-runner for Mr. Basketball. The University of Kentucky signee became the state’s all-time leading scorer last year and is averaging 30.2 points per game this season.

Five girls from the Louisville area are finalists for the Miss Basketball honor.

Butler teammates Mariah Knight and Ramiya White were named co-Sixth Region Players of the Year. Knight, a 5-10 forward, is averaging 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds and recently committed to Jacksonville. White, a 6-5 center, is averaging 11.1 points and 7.4 rebounds and has signed with UK.

Butler’s Mariah Knight tries to make the shot against Assumption Tuesday night.
Feb. 06, 2024
Butler’s Mariah Knight tries to make the shot against Assumption Tuesday night. Feb. 06, 2024

Central’s Destiny Jones and Sacred Heart’s Reagan Bender were named co-Seventh Region Players of the Year. Jones, a 5-9 forward, is averaging 23.5 points and 11.5 rebounds and has signed with West Georgia. Bender, a 5-10 guard, is averaging 13.2 points and 3.2 rebounds and has narrowed her college choices to Louisville and Western Kentucky.

South Oldham’s Ella Morrison was named Eighth Region Player of the Year. The 5-8 guard is averaging 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds and is shooting 42.1% from 3-point range (51 of 121).

The KABC also named its Coaches of the Year for each region. Boys Coach of the Year winners from the Louisville area were Fairdale’s John Hunt (Sixth Region), St. Xavier’s Kevin Klein (Seventh Region) and North Oldham’s David Levitch (Eighth Region). Girls honors from the Louisville area went to Butler’s Candyce Wheeler (Sixth Region), Assumption’s Caryn Kovatch (Seventh Region) and Spencer County’s John Howie (Eighth Region).

Here's the complete list of winners:

Boys Players of the Year

First Region – Connor Miller (McCracken County)

Second Region – Travis Perry (Lyon County)

Third Region – Elijah Decker (Ohio County)

Fourth Region – Mason Ritter (Bowling Green), Kade Unseld (Warren Central)

Fifth Region – Brett Decker (Central Hardin), Ayden Evans (Elizabethtown)

Sixth Region – Dayton Williams (Butler)

Seventh Region – Quel'Ron House (Seneca)

Eighth Region – Max Green (Oldham County)

Ninth Region – Caden Miller (Covington Catholic), Nathan Vinson (Highlands)

10th Region – Kylan Hinson (Augusta)

11th Region – Tyler Doyle (Lexington Catholic)

12th Region – Ben Godby (Somerset)

13th Region – Trent Noah (Harlan County)

14th Region – Peyton Dixon (Letcher County Central)

15th Region – Aden Barnett (Magoffin County)

16th Region – Adam Hargett (Fleming County)

Girls Players of the Year

First Region – Claire Johnson (McCracken County)

Second Region – Shiyah Forte (Hopkinsville)

Third Region – Hailee Johnson (Owensboro Catholic)

Fourth Region – Abby Varney (Barren County)

Fifth Region – Dea Bradley (Hart County)

Sixth Region – Mariah Knight (Butler), Ramiya White (Butler)

Seventh Region – Destiny Jones (Central), Reagan Bender (Sacred Heart)

Eighth Region – Ella Morrison (South Oldham)

Ninth Region – Quinn Eubank (Ryle), Julia Hunt (Covington Holy Cross)

10th Region – Hayden Barrier (Montgomery County)

11th Region – Ayanna-Sarai Darrington (Frederick Douglass)

12th Region – Anna Drakeford (Mercer County)

13th Region – Ella Karst (Harlan County)

14th Region – Carly Smith (Owsley County)

15th Region – Trinity Rowe (Pikeville)

16th Region – Shaelyn Steele (Russell)

Boys Coaches of the Year

First Region – Brian O’Neill (Carlisle County)

Second Region – Tyler Smithhart (Henderson County)

Third Region – Neil Hayden (Daviess County)

Fourth Region – Kyle Benge (Warren East)

Fifth Region – Deron Breeze (Adair County)

Sixth Region – John Hunt (Fairdale)

Seventh Region – Kevin Klein (St. Xavier)

Eighth Region – David Levitch (North Oldham)

Ninth Region – Nate Browning (Boone County)

10th Region – Jason Hinson (Augusta)

11th Region – Champ Ligon Jr. (Bryan Station)

12th Region – Jeff Jackson (Lincoln County)

13th Region – Kyle Jones (Harlan County)

14th Region – Al Holland (Hazard)

15th Region – Chandler Thompson (Lawrence County)

16th Region – Buddy Biggs (Fleming County)

Girls Coaches of the Year

First Region – Bradley Nanny (Mayfield)

Second Region – Stephen Haile (Henderson County)

Third Region – Chad Moorman (Breckinridge County)

Fourth Region – Jennifer Neville (Warren East)

Fifth Region – Ashley Buckham (Bardstown)

Sixth Region – Candyce Wheeler (Butler)

Seventh Region – Caryn Kovatch (Assumption)

Eighth Region – John Howie (Spencer County)

Ninth Region – Ted Arlinghaus (Covington Holy Cross)

10th Region – Greg Letcher (Nicholas County)

11th Region – Joey Thacker (Franklin County)

12th Region – Matt Hilkens (West Jessamine)

13th Region – Eddie Mahan (North Laurel)

14th Region – Travis Smith (Owsley County)

15th Region – Kristy Orem (Pikeville)

16th Region – Stacy Davis (Ashland Blazer)

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Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Mr. and Miss Basketball: Finalists named, including 8 from Louisville area