Keeping Score: Kentucky High School Girls Basketball 2026 Scoring Leaders

Chris Adams | 2 Hours Ago

Assumption senior Ashlinn James goes up for a shot against Danville Christian center Achan Deng in a game Jan. 13, 2026. / Chris Adams

To be atop the leader board is an accomplishment. To be in the top 20 is too. But, as I like to murmur, what does it mean in the scheme?

An Overrated Stat?

Is it an overrated stat vulnerable to subjectivity? Indeed, or possibly? Pick one. I’ll provide some cases-in-point below. This article doesn’t try to answer the question, but seeks to convey between the lines.

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) girls' list of top scorers comprises a total of 50, but I've compiled 20 from the KHSAA 1-23 for girls who have participated in a minimum of 10 games.

The KHSAA list as of Jan. 16. 2026:

1. Lillian Klee, St. Patrick, 29.2

2. Maliah Courtney, Elizabethtown, 29.1

3. Charlotte McCurry, John Hardin, 29.0

4. Avery Morris, Allen County-Scottsville, 27.5

5. Kylie Kinner, Paintsville, 26.4

6. Maggie Simons, Nicholas County, 25.5

7. Kennedy Deener, Taylor County, 25.0

8. Tayvlonnia Caldwell, Danville, 24.6

9. Marryah Carr, Pleasure Ridge Park, 23.2

10. Allye Pennington, Franklin-Simpson, 22.8

11. Kennedy Lane, Daviess County, 22.6

12. Addy Garrett, Ludlow, 22.0

13. Jaycee Gevedon, Menifee County, 21.9

14. Sayler Lowe, Calloway County, 21.9

15. Asia Carner, Dixie Heights, 21.4

16. Caleigh McCoy, Phelps, 21.3

17. Ava Watson, Fleming County, 20.9

18. Haylee Noel, Cooper, 20.8

19. Victoria Spiegl, Eminence, 20.5

20. Jada Ray, Boyd County, 20.5

First of all, Noel’s average is incomplete. Statistics from her last two games have not been factored in. She dropped 42 points on No. 9 Ryle Thursday night and will most likely leapfrog a couple of players.

As for prolific scoring, sure, these girls have game, but is that too one-dimensional in a high school team sport?

The Caliber of Competition is Also Important to Consider

Competition is also a key factor. What caliber of teams and types of defenses has a squad faced during the course of a season? For Noel, six of the Cooper Lady Jaguars' 16 contests have been against ranked teams, and another matchup was against the No. 8 team in the state of Indiana. She also averages 7.4 rebounds per game. Cooper has faced three of the top defenses in the state.

Rebounding with Scoring Is a Great Combination

That brings us to Central Hardin’s Kaitlyn Huggins. The senior post player is ranked No. 30 in scoring — 19.7 points per game. But the more compelling stat is her 16.2 boards per contest, which ranks second in Kentucky. Incidentally, Huggins plays in the 17th District, as do the No. 2 and No. 3 scorers from the list, Maliah Courtney and Charlotte McCurry, respectively. The top scorer, Klee, a forward/guard, is No. 5 in rebounds with 15.5 per game. Interestingly, Klee’s team, St. Patrick, is 1-12.

This suggests that position and role matter to some extent. Generally, Huggins is going to log more rebounds than a shooting guard. But who is more valuable? A shooting guard, scoring 25 to 30 points per contest with minimal assists and boards, or a post who averages 20 points and 15 rebounds per game? Or a Lillian Klee?

And then you have a player such as Paintsville’s Kylie Kinner, who is ranked No. 5 in scoring, but is also one of the foremost volleyball players in Kentucky. She splits time between both sports but manages to excel in each. Would her scoring contributions in hoops be that much greater if she chose to focus on basketball only?

Lastly, is Assumption’s Ashlinn James. James is a four-star recruit headed to Indiana next year, who is not in the top 20 in any KHSAA statistical category. She averages 13.9 points per game and grabs 4.5 boards, but hustle, leadership, passing, kinesthetic awareness and defense go a long way in success. (Unfortunately, the KHSAA doesn’t provide numbers for assists and steals. Our loss.)

Two Questions

While the eye-candy stat of points-per-game is fun to look at, is its importance overstated? Are the scoring stats not subjective and open to interpretation based on a variety of factors? Assumption, Sacred Heart and George Rogers Clark rank No. 2 through No. 4, respectively, but none of these programs have a player in the top 50 in scoring.