Zander Carter is an "elite player" according to Ashland coach Ryan Boone. (Twitter Photo)
University of Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard of North Laurel and Lyon County’s Travis Perry, the soon-to-be all-time leading scorer in Kentucky high school basketball history, are the marquee players in this week’s state high school tournament.
But one of the other players to watch should be Ashland sophomore Zander Carter, who is averaging 22 points per game and six rebounds per game and is a 50 percent overall shooter from the field and almost 40 percent shooter from 3-point range.
“He is an elite player,” Ashland coach Ryan Bonner said. “On the court, off the court he plays like a senior. He has been a huge leader for us this year. He’s had a huge leadership role because of all we lost last year. Zander had to fill not only the scoring role but also the leadership void.”
Ashland is playing in its fifth straight state tournament and will take on Owensboro tonight at 8:30.
“He is a 6-5 win with the capability of scoring from all three levels. That makes him a hard guard. He also always defends well. With his length, we can utilize different matchups. He is a guy who when we got to the region took his game to a higher level and was not one to be denied, Bonner said.”
The combo guard already has Division I scholarship offers from Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech. He has been on unofficial visits to Marshall and Ohio State.
Another really talented sophomore playing in the state is Breathitt County’s Austin Sperry. The 6-4 sophomore point guard has scholarship offers from Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State and Ohio along with a football scholarship offer from Eastern Kentucky.
He averages 18 points per game going into Thursday’s game against Male. He’s a 55 percent overall shooter from the field and has 21 3-pointers. Sperry is his team’s second leading rebounder at 6.1 per game.
Newport will face Perry and Lyon County Thursday afternoon and features two talented freshmen in James Turner and Taylen Kinney.
The 6-7 Turner averages 8.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and is a 57 percent shooter from the field. He has scholarship offers from Stony Brook and Charleston.
Kinney, a 6-foot point guard, has offers from Texas A&M and Charleston. He averages 14 points per game and is a 37 percent shooter from 3 with 61 treys in 33 games. He also averages almost four rebounds per game.
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Owensboro coach Roderick Drake likes the state tourney storylines with players like Perry and Sheppard in the field along with defending state champion George Rogers Clark.
Owensboro has a tradition of winning the 3rd Region to reach the state tourney and says the “whole community” is excited about coming back to Rupp Arena tonight.
“When you do not go every year, it’s a treasure when you do go,” the coach said. “I think the state tournament is the greatest show on earth. Now we have two storied programs going at it in our game.”
Drake is anxious for fans across the state to see his senior guard Kenyatta Carbon play. He’s averaging 22.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, both team highs. He’s been to the free throw line 210 times and is a 55 percent shooter from the field.
“I am really excited to go to state and let the rest of the state see him,” Drake said. “He is a one-man show. As he goes, we go.”
He was also an exceptional football player. He ran for 1,420 yards and 24 scores in 2022 and caught 14 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown.
