Ben Johnson, Brooklynn Miles win Mr. and Miss Basketball awards

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - For the first time since the Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards have been handed out, the 11th region sweeps the honors. Ben Johnson of Lexington Catholic is the Mister Basketball recipient for 2021 and Franklin County’s Brooklynn Miles is the 2021 Miss Basketball.

Johnson, who is Lexington Catholic’s all-time leading scorer, becomes the 9th player from Lexington to win Mister Basketball and the first since Dunbar’s Taveion Hollingsworth in 2017. As for Miles, she is the first 11th region player to grab the state’s highest honor since Sarah Beth Barnette of LCA in 2010. The Franklin County star is also the first Kentucky Miss Basketball to sign with Tennessee since Lisa Harrison (Louisville Southern) in 1989.

Johnson is the first winner in Lexington Catholic history and Miles will be the first Franklin County grad to do the same. In 1982, Connie Goins was named Miss Basketball. She started her career at Franklin County but then transferred to Western Hills.

With Johnson and Miles claiming the title as Kentucky’s best, it marks the fourth time this has happened in one region.

In 1986, the third region saw Rex Chapman (Apollo) and Kris Miller (Owensboro Catholic) sweep the awards. It happened again in 2005 with Dominic Tilford (J’Town) and Carly Ormerod (Sacred Heart) doing the honors for the seventh region. Perhaps the most impressive feat in Mister/Miss Basketball history was turned in by usual 12th region contender Mercer County in 2018. That’s when the Harrodsburg school did a double take with Trevon Faulkner and Seygan Robbins winning Kentucky’s highest individual acclaim.

11th Region winners of Miss Basketball

1982: Connie Goins - Franklin Co./Western Hills

2007: Rebecca Gray - Scott Co.

2010: Sarah Beth Barnette - LCA

2021: BROOKLYNN MILES - FRANKLIN CO.

(*) 1995: Ukari Figgs won Miss Basketball at Scott County, but at the time the Cardinals were in the 8th region.

11th Region winners of Mister Basketball

1954: Vernon Hatton - Lafayette

1957: Billy Ray Lickert - Lafayette

1960: Jeff Mullins - Lafayette

1970: Robert Brooks - Richmond Madison

1974: Jack Givens - Bryan Station

1975: Dom Fucci - Tates Creek

1979: Dirk Minniefield - Lafayette

1984: Steve Miller - Henry Clay

2013: Dominique Hawkins - Madison Central

2017: Taveion Hollingsworth - Dunbar

2021: BEN JOHNSON - LEXINGTON CATHOLIC

(*) 1999-2000: Rick Jones and Scott Hundley won back-to-back Mister Basketball awards but Scott County was in the 8th region at the time.

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