Wayne County Outlook

Wayne County¹s Ashley Bell named Kentucky All-Star
Shannon Hutchinson
Sports Writer

Wayne County senior Ashley Bell joined elite company over the weekend by

becoming only the second ever Lady Cardinal named to the Kentucky All-Star

team. The 5-10 forward, the 12th Region KABC Player of the Year,

participated in tryouts over the past weekend at Georgetown College and was

selected to participate in the prestigious Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Classic

this June.

Bell finished a very successful senior season by averaging 19 points and

9 rebounds per game, which earned her Honorable Mention All-State honors by

both the Herald-Leader and Courier Journal.

Bell is coming off a very solid performance in Kentucky¹s win over the

Ohio All-Stars just two weeks ago. The senior totaled 6 points with 8

rebounds and 4 steals in the contest.

³Ashley played pretty well in the Ohio All-Star Classic and did a lot of

the little things that don¹t show up in the box score. I thought in the

tryouts her effort was very consistent. She¹s not real flashy, but just does

all the little things so well. I was very proud of her effort and the way

she represents Wayne County basketball,² said Lady Cards head coach Tim

Pyles.

The senior was also very excited to become the first Lady Cardinal since

Kendra Germain in 1989 to be named to the Kentucky All-Star roster.

³This is such a great honor. To represent both Wayne County and Kentucky

against Indiana will be an awesome experience,² said Bell.

Bell was a key player on last year¹s Kentucky Junior All-Star squad,

which defeated Indiana.

³I think having played with several of the girls really made things

easier for me. I was able to play with a comfort level, which allowed me to

play with a greater confidence. I also think the way we practice during the

season really prepared me for the drills during tryouts. The intensity level

didn¹t change from our practices, only the size and ability of some of the

girls at the tryouts,² said Bell.

Sacred Heart¹s Carly Ormerod, the 2005 Miss Basketball and University of

Kentucky signee, headlines the talented 12-player roster. Bell joins Amber

and Paige Guffey of Clinton County and Johnna Abney and Tara Rowe of

Rockcastle County, as familiar faces to local basketball fans.

Bell, a Georgetown signee, just wrapped up an impressive prep career at

Wayne County. The talented All-Star finished with over 1,500 points at Wayne

County and over 2,500 for her varsity career.

The stalwart was a major contributor on teams that produced four 47th

District titles, two 12th Region championships, plus an Elite 8 appearance

at Diddle Arena in 2004.

³I¹m certainly looking forward to playing at Diddle Arena again, plus to

have the chance to play at Conseco Fieldhouse is a once in a lifetime

opportunity,² said Bell.

The girls¹ Kentucky All-Stars will be coached by longtime Rockcastle

County coach Chrysti Noble. Noble appears very excited about the challenge.

³I think we¹ve got great chemistry and great attitudes. We¹ve got a

bunch of very coachable kids,² said Noble.

The opening game of the Kentucky-Indiana series will be June 18 at

Diddle Arena and the teams return to the hardwood on June 25 at Conseco

Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

³I¹m looking forward to the opportunity and am just so excited to be a

part of the team,² said Bell.

The All-Stars will start practice on weekends soon, as the team prepares

to face Indiana.

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