Knox County girls basketball's best

By Steve Williams

Some of the top players in the state are on The Knoxville Focus / Coaches' 2022-23 All-Knox County girls basketball team.

Seventeen head coaches of the 20 high schools in Knox County nominated players from their teams, with their selections based on regular season play.

Here's a thumbnail sketch on each member of the 10-player first-team (in alphabetical order):

Natalya Hodge, Bearden: The 5-7 point guard, who is one of the top freshmen in the state, helped lead Coach Justin Underwood's Lady Bulldogs to a 29-0 record in the regular season, averaging 14.3 points, 4.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.6 steals.

Madelyn Ladd, Webb School: A veteran player for Coach Shelley Collier, the 5-10 guard came into the season as a two-time All-State honoree and averaged 14.5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 deflections per game her senior year. She also won a 3-point shooting contest in the 5Star Preps' inaugural Christmas tournament. Ladd will continue to play on the next level at Carson-Newman.

Keira Leffew, CAK: The Lady Warriors' star forward had a career high 29 points and 16 rebounds in a win over highly-regarded Knoxville Catholic. Before leading CAK in the Final Four of the Division II-A state tournament, Leffew, the MVP in her district, averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.8 assists per game. She racked up 12 double-doubles and is the second leading scorer in school history. Keira signed with Lee University in Cleveland.

Sydney Mains, Knoxville Catholic: The 5-10 junior guard/forward had a comeback season, averaging 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game while recovering from ACL surgery that took place in July of 2022. Sydney also was nominated for Miss Basketball in Division II-AA for the second consecutive year. In the post-season, her outstanding shooting performances guided the Lady Irish to their first-ever state championship. She and her teammates also won the East Region for the third year in a row.

Maelyn McNealy, Farragut: A transfer from Arizona, Maelyn was an outstanding addition to Coach Jason Mayfield's Lady Admiral squad. The 5-9 senior guard, who also is a track athlete, averaged 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds in earning All-District 4-4A first-team honors.

Maiya Moore, Fulton: The swift 5-7 junior point guard ran the offense for the Lady Falcons and put up some impressive numbers, averaging 16.2 points, 3.1 assists and 2 rebounds per contest. She was rewarded for her efforts by being selected the Player of the Year in District 5-3A.

Reese Roberts, Karns: One of the twin sisters who stood out for the Lady Beavers, Reese was the point guard. The 5-6 sophomore averaged 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for first-year head coach Lauren Trent.

Rylee Roberts, Karns: A shooting guard, she averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game. "They (the twins) led Karns to an 18-11 regular season, finishing with the No. 2 seed in District 3-4A," said Coach Trent. "It was Karns' first winning season in over 15 years."

Sophie Tharpe, Halls: The versatile senior was a scorer and rebounder for Coach Savannah Harrison's Lady Red Devils this season and led the team in scoring (14 points per game), field goal shooting overall (44 percent) and 3-pointers (38 percent). The District 4-3A Player of the Year also averaged 5 rebounds and 2.3 assists as Halls went 6-0 en route to the district title. Sophie had a career high 27 points in one district game where she hit her 1000th career point to go with over 500 career rebounds.

Avery Treadwell, Bearden: The 6-3 senior power forward, who earlier was named the Knox County Player of the Year, averaged 16.7 points along with 10.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. She recently was announced the Class 4A Miss Basketball in Tennessee, an award that also is based on regular season play. In the post-season, Treadwell led the defending champion Lady Bulldogs back to the state tournament, where they lost to Bradley Central 55-53 and saw their 57-game win streak snapped. After an outstanding prep career, the Florida State signee now wants to see how she can do at the next level.

SECOND TEAM: Keira Everett, Halls senior point guard; Meeyah Green, Webb freshman guard; Cadence Horner, Central 5-7 junior; Lindsey McDaniel, Grace Christian senior shooting guard; KJ McNealy, Farragut 5-10 freshman wing; Amaya Redd, Catholic 5-11 sophomore forward; Alaina Schroeder, Powell junior guard; Kyndra West, Hardin Valley sophomore point guard; Dee Williams, Fulton 5-11 sophomore; Jaz Williams, Catholic 5-9 senior guard; Emily Wilson, CAK senior shooting guard.

HONORABLE MENTION: Amanda Parker, Rachael Wilhoit, Lindsay Wilson, Bearden; Marah Yeo, Carter; Raleigh Jack Walker, Concord Christian; Logan Connatser, Maggie Frana, Caroline Kreuger, Catholic; Avery Brewer, Central; Madi Jones, CAK; Annalise Bishop, Annie Priest, Farragut; Judy Taylor, Fulton; Dakota Large, Jadyn Parker, Gibbs; Megan Biliter, Raegan Corvette, Halls; Lauren Martin, Karns; Adisyn Smith, Powell; Damoni Kpana, South-Doyle; Azyua Blair, Webb.

Knox County Girls Basketball Leaders

(Regular Season Averages Per Game)

SCORING

Sydney Mains, Catholic 18.0

Avery Brewer, Central 17.0

Avery Treadwell, Bearden 16.7

Maiya Moore, Fulton 16.2

Reese Roberts, Karns 15.0

Madelyn Ladd, Webb 14.5

Keira Leffew, CAK 14.5

Natalya Hodge, Bearden 14.3

Sophie Tharpe, Halls 14.0

Raleigh Jack Walker, CCS 13.6

REBOUNDING

Avery Treadwell, Bearden 10.2

Cadence Horner, Central 9.0

Dee Williams, Fulton 9.0

Keira Leffew, CAK 7.5

Ava McSwain, Carter 7.3

KJ McNealy, Farragut 7.1

Jadyn Parker, Gibbs 7.0

Amaya Redd, Catholic 7.0

Kyndra West, HVA 7.0

Megan Biliter, Halls 6.3

Lily Lampkin, Carter 6.3

ASSISTS

Kyndra West, HVA 6.0

Jaz Williams, Catholic 6.0

Dakota Large, Gibbs 5.0

Natalya Hodge, Bearden 4.4

Meeyah Green, Webb 4.0

Emily Wilson, CAK 3.5

Annie Priest, Farragut 3.3

Adisyn Smith, Powell 3.2

Maiya Moore, Fulton 3.1

Madelyn Ladd, Webb 3.0

Reese Roberts, Karns 3.0

STEALS

Natalya Hodge, Bearden 3.6

Dakota Large, Gibbs 3.5

Reese Roberts, Karns 3.0

Azyua Blair, Webb 2.7

Raegan Corvette, Halls 2.2

Keira Leffew, CAK 2.2

Alaina Schroeder, Powell 2.1

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