Kenton Ridge Miss Basketball winners
2015 Baylee Bennett
2011 Mariah Harris
2004 Stephanie Bennet and Jasmine House
2001 Allison Bennett
1996 Angie Finkes
1991 Tara Cosby
Three basketball players from the Bennett family have placed their hands on the Pam Evans Smith Miss Basketball award, given to the top player in Clark County.
There’s one thing sisters Allison and Stephanie and cousin Baylee won’t touch, though: Who would emerge the victor in a one-on-one contest?
“Oh, I don’t know. I have no idea,” Stephanie said, smiling at the notion. “It would be a good, competitive fight, that’s for sure.”
Baylee joined her cousins as Miss Basketball winners Tuesday night at Wittenberg University’s Shouvlin Center. Allison won in 2001 and Stephanie in 2004.
The award is voted on by the Clark County coaches and presented during the All-County girls basketball banquet. Baylee was joined on the 10-player All-County team by teammates Sydney Bates and Jamari McDavid. The Miss Basketball award was the seventh for Kenton Ridge.
Also named All-County were Greenon’s Taylor Burson, Northeastern’s Brittany Ruhe, Northwestern’s Korynne Berner, Shawnee’s Kyla Driskill, Southeastern’s Lexie Perry and Tecumseh’s Danielle Franklin and Lindsey Nartker.
“All these girls deserve it because they’ve all worked very hard. I just hope they keep working hard and coming back here,” Baylee said.
The award focuses on a player’s basketball exploits, and also takes into account extracurricular activities off the court. Baylee is a member of the National Honor Society, Leo Club and French Honor Society at Kenton Ridge. She also volunteers at the Rainbow Table soup kitchen.
“It’s a great honor,” she said. “I was proud of our team, and of our coaches and players. I was proud to have played at Kenton Ridge for four years.”
Among her on-court accomplishments, Bennett set the school — and family — record with 10 three-pointers in a game. That topped Stephanie’s mark of nine, which beat Allison’s previous record of eight. Stephanie witnessed the record from the Cougars’ bench as a KR assistant coach.
“It’s cool she beat the record for three’s in a game. It’s cool she beat my record. I love it. I don’t know if a Bennett will be able to beat that one again,” Stephanie said.
“(Winning Miss Basketball) is a pretty neat thing. We’re a truly blessed family to have the support in the family we have, the parents we have, the grandparents we have on all sides. That support has given us the strength to do what we’ve accomplished. That strength came from God. He is what makes us go and what makes our family stay tight.”
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