SPARKS AND RECREATION: Prospering with girl power

Feb. 16—Shaelyn Steele secured her 3,000th career point in a game against Portsmouth, Ohio, on Tuesday night.

The senior becomes the first player, boys or girls, in Russell history to reach that monumental mark.

Steele's career numbers may stand the test of time but girls basketball keeps growing at an exponential pace. Our area had a deep talent pool across numerous schools and Steele has been one of the catalysts that has helped grow the sport over the last decade.

The Red Devils guard has spent six seasons guided by a former player of similar stature. Russell coach Mandy Layne played on a state championship team at West Carter. The roster included many impactful players that seemingly started the upward trajectory in 2000.

You have to go back to 1929 to find a state title team from our area. The difficulties of winning the top prize at the Sweet Sixteen are evident. But success doesn't always have to be calculated in that way. It's the dream of every player that puts on the jersey. The reality has changed and the spotlight from our area keeps getting brighter.

"I think she has definitely elevated the level of play," Russell coach Mandy Layne said of Steele. "When I played (in high school), we talked about trying to get the Division I level. Kids like to see her getting to play in a Power 5 conference where back in the day they would say you can't get there out of small eastern Kentucky. She has helped grow the game and shown that if you work hard, great things can happen."

We've had state semifinalists, record breakers and history makers, scoring milestones and a pair of Miss Basketballs in just the last decade. Rose Hill Christian also made it to the state final in 2006 and Rowan County made a semifinal appearance in 2010.

Steele will most likely be a candidate for a third Miss Basketball in the last six years and a fourth overall from our area. The senior has seen the sport flourish on all levels during her time on the court.

"It's been really special," said Steele, a Penn State signee. "Girls basketball has grown so much. Even at the college level. There's a lot more hype around it and more people are watching and enjoying it. Especially with me going into it next year, it is really exciting. I am really happy to be part of a program like Russell and be a part of the growth it's had over the last few years."

Russell won its first state tournament game since 1976 three seasons ago. The Red Devils had advanced to the Sweet Sixteen once between 1976 and 2015 but they have made the trip three times in the last eight years.

Savannah Wheeler won Miss Basketball in 2019 after guiding the Lions to three consecutive region titles and a Final Four appearance in 2018. Wheeler has become a roundball ambassador to a new generation of girls basketball players and become a prime example of how to succeed at the next level. She started her college career at Marshall before moving to Middle Tennessee. Wheeler has become a conference champion and led the Blue Raiders to the NCAA Tournament last year.

The guard recently scored her 2,000th college point, the 10th player to ever do so in Conference USA, after recording 3,621 points in high school.

Kensley Feltner became the fourth girls player to reach 4,000 points last season but she said the highlight for her was Lawrence County winning their first region title in school history.

Rowan County's Haven Ford is the reigning Miss Basketball and currently plays at Murray State. Boyd County's Jasmine Jordan and Audrey Biggs will be playing college basketball at Rio Grande and Pitt, respectively. The Boyd County duo were selected as candidates for the McDonald's All-American Game which features the best players from across the country.

For a sport to thrive, in any state or any region, that has to be a track record of success from those who came before you. There were talented players in our area before the Comets climbed the mountaintop in 2000 and there will be after this impressive stretch of roundball we have witnessed over the last decade.

You can choose any team from our region and find a player who served as a role model for countless others who wore the same jersey. and I bet they wear that title proudly.

Steele has had several basketball influences, including a pair of Kittens who share the same last name. She went to Ashland until sixth grade.

"I played a lot of different sports growing up," Steele said. "Around second grade, I started playing basketball in a church league. I played for Matt Robinson too. I was around Mykasa and Alexis Robinson a lot. I really looked up to Mykasa. It was the first time I started watching basketball. She was definitely a leader for me."

The Robinson sisters made an indelible mark on girls basketball. It carried over to college. Alexis starred at Colorado. Mykasa set the Louisville record for games played and competed in a Final Four.

Alexis and Haley Sue Foutch, a current Russell assistant, starred on an Ashland team that advanced to the state semifinals in 2014.

Former Ashland coach Bill Bradley won four consecutive region titles between 2012 and 2015. He felt that the 2014 team had the capability to make a deeper mark on history.

"Whenever I see those former players, it's all we talk about; how good that team was," Bradley said. "We had a once-in-a-lifetime team that was clicking. ... Shelby Gransberry blew her ankle out. She had 26 points in the first round. The way Haley Sue was playing with the Robinsons. Alexis Young was a great shooter. One of the game changers was Chelsea Woodson. She was the best one-on-one defender I ever had. We knew that we could win the state tournament. You always remember that one chance you had that was messed up by an injury."

The gravity of that moment can be felt today along with so many others that have occurred along the way. Bradley said the level of play keeps rising due to kids' commitment to their sport the entire year.

"A big part of it is travel ball," Bradley said. "It has pluses and minuses. It's where Alexis and Mykasa learned to play great competition. The individual work with their dad was even more impactful all those years. But when you combine that and the competition they played against, it made a huge difference."

When the talent level increases, so must the competition. Teams don't have to search for opponents outside the region anymore. They are welcomed and those opponents are now willing to come to our area.

"Since I've started coaching, I like the way we have competed on the state level," Layne said. "Even before, if we were really good, we would struggle against northern Kentucky teams. When we went to the state tournament and beat a Ninth Region team, that used to be unheard of. As we continue to grow, it's brought a lot more recognition."

"I am super excited that those teams are coming to play us," she added, "when we could not get that to happen. They didn't feel like the game would be competitive. We are also getting statewide voting, which is a huge boost for our area."

The fact remains that three teams have a stranglehold on the 16th Region but it appears that interest or participation elsewhere has not taken a hit. We have watched and enjoyed arguably the best players this sport will ever offer and these shining moments are not over.

We don't know what the future holds and winning another championship from this part of the state will be a tall task but you can clearly see that the belief it could happen has never been higher.

Steele will have plenty of time to contemplate the fact that her name will stand alone on Russell's scoring chart that hangs on a wall inside Marvin Meredith Gym. She wants to add a couple more banners to the rafters before she is done.

"I really haven't grasped it yet," Steele said, "after becoming the all-time leading scorer and hitting 3,000. It is really nice knowing that I am leaving a legacy here.

"It's definitely a testament to all the work that I have put in. To see that pay off, it means a lot."

Two-pointer

—Seven teams will descend on Morehead in a few weeks looking to stop Ashland's five-year region reign. Fleming County has defeated the Tomcats and Boyd County in consecutive weeks in Flemingsburg. Barring a hiccup in the 62nd District Tournament, the Panthers will make the short drive to Ellis T. Johnson Arena with plenty of confidence.

—The KHSAA announced the state tournament brackets this week. On the boys side, the 16th Region will meet the Second Region winner on March 20 at 1:30. Lyon County, along with the state's all-time leading scorer and UK signee, Travis Perry, could be waiting.

The 16th Region girls champion will face the First Region on March 13 at 1:30. McCracken County is the defending First Region champ and made it to the state finals last year. The Mustangs narrowly escaped Ashland in the 2023 state quarterfinals.

Reach*MATTHEW SPARKS*atmsparks@dailyindependent.comor (606) 326-2671. Follow @SparksWillFly35 on Twitter. (X).