Kyndall Johnson makes her way down the court during a 2024-2025 high school basketball game.
The 2025-2026 Kentucky high school basketball season tips off in just under a month.
For many teams across the Commonwealth, it will be business as usual. There might be some roster shakeups due to last May’s graduation, but generally speaking, it will be much of the same. Others, however, will take to the court for the first time this season under a new head coach, with new game plans and new ideas.
Four local teams will start the 2025-2026 season with a new captain at the helm: the Saint Patrick Saints, Augusta Lady Panthers, Robertson County Lady Devils and Bracken County Lady Bears.
The St. Pat Saints will take the court under head coach Lex Turner, who is new to them, but not to the program.
Turner led the Saints for 28 seasons from 1976-1977 to 2003-2004, picking up several wins, including three 10th Region All “A” Classic championships in 1995, 1999 and 2000, and two district championships in 1997 and 2000. Turner returned to the sidelines in 2024 as an assistant coach for the Saints under interim head coach Chris Bauer and will take over the program this season.
The Saints’ first game of the year is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 2 at home against Covington Latin, before they face their first 39th District opponent in the Bracken County Polar Bears at the Shamrock two days later.
The Augusta Lady Panthers will also take the floor in 2025-2026 under a familiar face. It has been announced that Dana Bach will take over from Todd Kelsch as the new head coach at the start of this season.
Bach was a prominent member of the Lady Panthers from 1989-1994 and helped lead the team to three consecutive regional tournament appearances and the 38th District championship in 1993. She was also the middle school girls’ head coach and assistant varsity coach but stepped away from coaching in 2015. Now that she is returning to lead the program, Bach is eager to get to know her team and start over with a “clean slate.”
“We have really good ball handlers across the board. We have some shooting guards that we’re trying to get some quick shots for,” said Coach Bach. “I think us not knowing each other starting out is going to be beneficial because it’s a whole new system, and I’m just trying to get them to trust me and to make them successful.”
Augusta’s first game is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 1 on the road against Newport Central Catholic, before they will return for their first home game against the Dayton Lady Devils on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Afterwards, they will visit Maysville on Friday, Dec. 5 for their first 39th District game against the Mason County Lady Royals.
Brian Dufresne will take over the girls’ program at Robertson County this season, after longtime head coach John Pilosky stepped down at the end of last year. The 2024-2025 Lady Devils graduated a lot of scoring power in Emma Adamson, Makayla Brumagen, Hadleigh Linville and Caree Morgan, but they still have a lot of young talent on the roster heading into the new season.
Dufresne is excited for his chance to lead the varsity team after two years of head coaching the middle school program.
“It’s all about the confidence level. If you have confidence in your team, and implore them to have confidence, they’re going to have confidence,” said Dufresne. “That’s gonna implore them to play better. I think that’s all these girls need, is a little confidence. If a mistake happens, they gotta learn to live with it and move on and keep playing. That’s how you stay in games and be competitive.”
Robertson County’s first game is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 1 at home against the St. Pat Lady Saints. Their first 38th District game will be Friday, Dec. 19 at home against Nicholas County.
In Bracken County, former Lady Bears head coach Troy Archibald stepped down at the end of the 2024-2025 season, with Jonathan Nelson taking over at the start of the 2025-2026 season.
Last season’s Lady Bears picked up their third consecutive 39th District championship with a 63-48 win over the district’s first ever No. 1 seed, the Mason County Lady Royals. That year also saw Bracken County advance to the 10th Region semifinals for the first time since 2012 and end the year with 23 wins for the first time since 1992.
The Lady Bears enter this season without three of their top five scorers from last year: Nicole Archibald, Brianna Bauer and Savannah Kelsch. However, they still have several powerful underclassmen on the roster, eager to make their mark.
Bracken County’s 2025-2026 season will get underway on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at home against the Holmes Lady Bulldogs. Their first 39th District game is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 17 on the road against Mason County.
Each of these teams and their new head coaches are excited to get the season underway, hopeful for strong records and deep runs well into the postseason.
