McCracken's Scott Sivills repeats as Courier Journal Girls Basketball Coach of Year

Scott Sivills has built an elite girls basketball program at McCracken County High School, so much so that losing four of his top six players to graduation didn’t dampen expectations entering the 2023-24 season.

“We felt we still had players who could get us back to the state tournament,” Sivills said.

Led by seniors Claire Johnson and Mikee Buchanan, the Mustangs returned to the Sweet 16 last month and advanced to the championship game for the second straight season before falling to Sacred Heart.

The state’s coaches took notice of Sivills’ work, voting him The Courier Journal’s Girls Basketball Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

“I’m just extremely blessed,” Sivills said.

Sivills received 21 votes from the 98 coaches who returned ballots. Sacred Heart’s Donna Moir was the runner-up with 18, followed by Cooper’s Justin Holthaus (14) and Butler’s Candyce Wheeler (six).

Sivills is the second straight back-to-back winner after Moir accomplished the feat in 2021 and 2022.

Sivills, 53, took the McCracken County job in 2015 and is 210-87 in nine seasons there. He’s led the Mustangs to three straight First Region championships.

His 2022-23 squad finished 35-3 after falling to Sacred Heart, 68-53, in the state final. Three starters (Destiny Thomas, Caroline Sivills and Jordan Bufford) and the top reserve (Briley Benton) graduated.

Johnson and Buchanan took over as leaders and wouldn’t let the program slip, Johnson earning first-team All-State honors and Buchanan a third-team selection.

Senior Jayden Skaggs, sophomore Reagan Hill and eighth grader Ava Hughes developed throughout the season as McCracken’s new starters.

“I had some kids who really played their roles well down the stretch in the last month of the season,” Sivills said.

But Johnson was the star, averaging 23.1 points and 3.9 rebounds. The Samford University signee was even better in the Sweet 16, averaging 25 points over four games. That included a 39-point masterpiece in a 74-57 victory over Butler in the semifinals.

Johnson battled shin splints all season.

“She put us on her back the whole year,” Sivills said, “especially in the state tournament.”

In the state final, McCracken County trailed just 32-28 at halftime before falling 60-49 to Sacred Heart, which won its fourth straight state title.

“If I could have about five possessions back in the Sacred Heart game, I’d love to have those back,” Sivills said. “But they’re an incredible team. We knew what we were up against. I’m glad we played them a little bit better this year than we did in the previous year.”

Sivills is a 1989 graduate of Trigg County High School and played four seasons (1989-93) at Murray State.

He was an assistant coach for his uncle, Buddy Sivills, for three seasons with the Trigg County girls program and was named head coach at Calloway County in 1998. He posted a 302-209 record in 17 seasons there, leading the Lakers to First Region titles in 2003, 2007 and 2011. The 2010-11 squad reached the Sweet 16 semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Rockcastle County.

In 26 seasons, he has a career record of 512-296.

Sivills expects the Mustangs to be in the hunt for a fourth straight Sweet 16 trip next season.

“It’s given us some tradition here at our school, so hopefully these young kids coming behind them can get us back,” he said. “Maybe before I retire I can knock it off and win one. But it’s so hard to get there.”

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.

Past Courier Journal Girls Basketball Coaches of the Year 

1975 – Bunny Daugherty, Sacred Heart; 1976 – Daugherty, Sacred Heart; 1977 – Peggy Fiehrer, Butler; 1978 – Roy Bowling, Laurel County; 1979 – Bowling, Laurel County; 1980 – David Young, Allen County-Scottsville.

1981 – Dan Hempel, Clark County; 1982 – Charlie Just, Mercy; 1983 – Vanous Lloyd, Warren Central; 1984 – Howard Beth, Marshall County; 1985 – Beth, Marshall County; 1986 – (tie) Teresa Ashby Terry, Madisonville; Beth, Marshall County; 1987 – Bill Brown, Southern; 1988 – Bowling Laurel County; 1989 – (tie) Ken Smith, Manual; Dave Weedman, Oldham County; 1990 – B.J. Elswick, Elkhorn City.

1991 – Leslie Scully, Mercy; 1992 – Jerry Troutman, Bullitt East; 1993 – Barbara Kenney, Nicholas County; 1994 – Rick Powell, Holy Cross; 1995 – Beverly Roby, Marion County; 1996 – Mark Evans, Oldham County; 1997 – Tim Mudd, Elizabethtown; 1998 – Mike Kindred, Montgomery County; 1999 – Jim Wright, Shelby County; 2000 – John “Hop” Brown, West Carter.

2001 – Greg Parrett, Jackson County; 2002 – Donna Moir, Sacred Heart; 2003 – Moir, Sacred Heart; 2004 – Moir, Sacred Heart; 2005 – Chrysti Noble, Rockcastle County; 2006 – Steve Helton, Scott County; 2007 – Jason Seamands, Lexington Christian; 2008 – Mike Sowers, Paul Dunbar; 2009 – Mudd, Elizabethtown; 2010 – Trent Milby, Marion County.

2011 – Noble, Rockcastle County; 2012 – Sarah Van Horn, Paul Dunbar; 2013 – Milby, Marion County; 2014 – Larry Just, Butler; 2015 – Kes Murphy, Covington Holy Cross; 2016 – Just, Butler; 2017 – Chris Souder, Mercer County; 2018 – Souder, Mercer County; 2019 – Katie Haitz, Ryle; 2020 – Chris Stallings, Bullitt East.

2021 – Moir, Sacred Heart; 2022 – Moir, Sacred Heart; 2023 – Scott Sivills, McCracken County; 2024 – Sivills, McCracken County.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: McCracken's Scott Sivills repeats as Girls Basketball Coach of Year