This Friday and Saturday, the Owensboro Sportscenter will be hosting both the boys’ and girls’ Kentucky Christian Athletic Association (KCAA) Varsity State Basketball Tournament. This will be the first edition of the event to take place in Owensboro as the championships have been played at West Jessamine High School since 2020.
The first state championship was held in 1984 as the KCAA has grown to now having 25 member schools across the state. The league currently features sanctioned competition in archery, baseball, basketball, bowling, cheer, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, and volleyball. Community Christian (Independence, KY) defeated Galilean Christian Academy (Liberty, KY) in the 2025 edition of the boys’ state championship, with Oak Ridge Christian Academy (Morgantown, KY) claiming the 2025 girls title over Academy for Individual Excellence (Louisville, KY).
Boys Tournament Preview
Community Christian (Independence, KY) comes into the State Tournament as the #1 overall seed and a favorite to win back-to-back state championships for the first time since Somerset Christian did so in 2019 and 2020. Standing in their way is Bethel Christian (McDaniels, KY). The two teams met on February 16 in their regular-season league finale. Both teams brought undefeated league records into the game.
It was a one-point game with 30 seconds left before Community left Bethel’s gym with a hard-fought 53-47 victory. Community is led by senior Trey Casper (20 ppg, 7 rpg, 7 apg) and sophomore Maximus Hays (18 ppg, 5 rpg). Community won state titles 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2025.
Bethel is led by senior Isiah Poteet (25.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg) and junior Haylon Dean (12.2 ppg, 9.6apg). Haylon Dean is ranked 11th nationally and 1st in Kentucky on MaxPreps for assists per game. Bethel is looking for their first title since 1988.
Girls Tournament Preview
Academy for Individual Excellence (Louisville, KY), also known as AIE, New Covenant (Hardin, KY), and Veritas (Lexington, KY) are the top teams in the KCAA. Veritas beat AIE 44-43 early in the season, but has yet to play New Covenant. AIE has a pair of wins over New Covenant this season.
Veritas and New Covenant will be looking for their first ever State Championship. AIE, led by senior Kenzlee Williams, is in search of their fourth having previously won in 2000, 2001, and AIE was also the State Runner-up in 2023 and 2025. While Oak Ridge has had their struggles this season, it’s hard to ignore a team that has won four of the last six KCAA titles (2020, 2022, 2023, 2025).
Tip-Off Tournament Recap
The KCAA Boys’ season got underway in the Sportscenter as well this season with the Tip-Off Classic being hosted in Owensboro on November 21-22, 2025. Bethel Christian claimed the 2025 Tip-Off Classic title with local side, Valor Christian Academy, taking home third place in the tournament. The KCAA Girls’ campaign was highlighted by the Holiday Classic, hosted in Louisville, with Academy for Individual Excellence being crowned champions.
Scholarship Program
The KCAA will be awarding scholarships this weekend that were designed to recognize students who were leaders in the classroom and on the court. It was also implemented to encourage students to get involved in athletics. The program began in 2024 with a golf scramble at My Old Kentucky Home Golf Course in Bardstown, KY. The league plans to move the scholarship scramble to Owensboro in 2026. All of the tournament action will be streamed on PrepSpin.
Event Details of KCAA State Basketball Championships:
Date: February 27-28, 2026
Location: Owensboro Sportscenter
Friday schedule
Game 1: 9:30a Girls 1 v 8
Game 2: 11:00a Girls 4 v 5
Game 3 – 12:30p Boys 1 v 8
Game 4 – 2:00p Boys 4 v 5
Game 5 – 3:30p Girls 2 v 7
Game 6 – 5:00p Girls 3 v 6
Game 7 – 6:30p Boys 2 v 7
Game 8 – 8:00p Boys 3 v 6
Saturday schedule
Game 9 – 9:00a Girls Semifinal 1
Game 10 – 10:30a Girls Semifinal 2
Game 11 – 12:00p Boys Semifinal 1
Game 12 – 1:30p Boys Semifinal 2
KCAA Scholarship Presentations
Game 13 – 4:00p Girls Championship
KCAA Mr./Miss Basketball Awards
Game 14 – 6:00p Boys Championship
