Louisa, Ky. — After falling in overtime 46-43 in the Girls 15th Region championship game the Lawrence Co. Bulldogs are eying a trip to Rupp Arena this season.
2022-2023 Lawrence Co. Bulldogs
Front row L to R Addison Bloomfield, Sophie Adkins, Kaison Ward, Kensley Feltner, Brooke Neal, Emmalee Holt, Abby Nelson, Leandra Curnutte, Abby Maynard. Back row L to R Madison Artrip, Breana Ramey, Jada Patton, Brylee Stafford, Lilly Fitzpatrick, Caroline See, Makayla Artrip, Emalynn Kitts
The Dawgs won the 58th District title, finished 27-8 and beat Shelby Valley and Paintsville before falling in the 15th region title game to Pikeville.
Senior Kensley Feltner who just signed on with Belmont University and is a Kentucky Miss Basketball candidate is in her final season and is ready to help the Bulldogs to Rupp Arena.
Feltner has scored 3,150 points and is on pace to score over 4,000 for her illustrious Lawrence Co. career.
The Bulldogs return everyone but Tyra Hammond, who graduated. Feltner along with senior Emmalee Holt joins juniors Kaison Ward, Leandra Curnutte and Abby Nelson, sophomore sharpshooter Sophie Adkins and 10th grader Abby Maynard. They will also get senior Brooke Neal back at some point after she was hurt in January and missed most of last season.
Lawrence Co. will start the season with four straight road games and won’t play at Home until December 13th against Russell.
The Dawgs will play a challenging schedule against the likes of Pikeville, Letcher Co. Central, Martin Co. and Russell. They will also play in the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic, the Carolina Invitational in Charleston, South Carolina and Anderson Co. in the Raatz Fence/O’sheas Classic at Mercy Academy and the Class 2A Section tournament at Magoffin Co.
Lawrence Co. Seniors
Kensley Feltner, Brooke Neal, Emmalee Holt
Schedule and roster HERE
Lawrence Co. Head Coach Melinda Feltner
“… On our board in the locker room it reads 46-43 so the girls see that every time they are in there and it is just a constant reminder. In practice if we give up an offensive rebound we talk about the one we gave up in the Regional Championship game. There were other things that happen in that game but we always talk about that one rebound. I do feel like we got over some hurdles by getting to the championship game. Most wins in school history, another District title, won two games in the region tournament. So we accomplished a lot and had a great season. The first half of the game I don’t think we believed we could win but about midway through the third quarter a switch came on after that the girls dug in and really went to work and almost pulled it out. If we play like that the entire game it’s a different ending. They have a different mentality this season. We host them in January so we are excited for that matchup. Our District will be competitive once again and I have beefed our schedule up and tried to play as many region champions as possible plus the tournaments in Lexington and South Carolina.”
“… All of the girls have put in a ton of work this offseason in the weight room with Wade and everyone of them are stronger, more physical and can get up down the court. We have been building this for some time and should have a great year. I have had a lot of the girls for a long time and it has been a great run so far and this year shouldn’t be any different. We have to stay motivated and keep their eye on the prize.”
“… Everybody that we have back has worked on their game and developed themselves. Sophie Adkins is stronger and is finishing around the rim which she couldn’t do that last year. Leandra Curnutte is able to finish around the basket and her shot is a lot better. Kaison Ward is shooting lights out from the three point line. Abby Nelson and Abby Maynard have stepped in as well and are doing a lot stuff that goes unnoticed. Emmalee Holt has improved as well. 7th grader Jada Patton hit a couple of three pointers against Leslie Co. and she is on no one’s radar and playing with the older kids will help her. Every kid that we we have has put in the work. This should be our deepest team in a while and maybe since I been here. Our younger kids are coming off a OVC middle school title and had a great year. Matt Fitzpatrick does a great job with that group and our youth league has grown and developed as well and that is where it starts.”
“… Really proud of Kensley as well, when she was in the 8th grade Perry Co. Central coach Randy Napier told me to keep it separate, that was one mistake he made with his daughter. And it is hard because she still wants to learn and wants to talk about it at home. We watch film and break stuff down and see if we could have done anything different. The journey from when she started till now has been awesome. Not only basketball wise but her growth as a person as well. She really is another coach on the floor and that was one of the things that attracted Belmont to her is how she is always organizing everyone on the floor to make sure they were in the right spots. That is something that can’t be taught and she has always been good at and continues to grow as a player and a person. She is a great teammate and leader. She brought some younger kids in on Wednesday and an 8th grader made a three and Kensley was the first one to greet and give her a high five. She is the type that wants everyone to be successful and that’s something that we are proud of. Sunday she wanted to hang the Senior banners up and made sure Emmalee and Brooke and make sure how they wanted them hung. That is just an unbelievable character trait that she has.”
