Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By John Henson
Sports Writer
When her Harlan Lady Dragons suffered a first-round loss to Corbin last month in the 13th Region Tournament, senior forward Kylie Noe was certain basketball was part of her past.
“At the end of this season, I was dead set on putting this chapter behind me and focusing on just an education because I felt like it was mentally and physically draining,” said Noe, who had been a basketball standout going back to her grade school days at Cawood and then Evarts.
“But something just didn’t feel right, knowing that If I didn’t play I probably would never pick up a basketball again. I did a lot of praying and asking God to lead me in the right direction,” she added.
Noe gives credit to her mother, Billie Noe, who died in October of 2023 after years of battling cancer, for helping her decide to continue playing basketball, resulting in her decision to sign with Union Commonwealth University on Monday.
“My mom always pushed me and encouraged me to play basketball because she enjoyed watching me play, and she loved to watch me succeed,” Noe said. “I can only hope she is so proud that I chose to continue my career. Everything I do is for her now. When I went on a visit to Union, the coaches, players, and staff made me feel so welcomed. After touring the campus and sports facilities it immediately felt like home. Right then I knew I wanted to go there, and that I would be able to continue doing something that I love and pursue a degree in nursing, It doesn’t get much better than that.
Noe and classmate Aymanni Wynn, both ranked among the top players in the 13th Region each of the past two seasons, helped transform the Harlan basketball program over the past five years. Noe averaged 13 points and rebounds a game as an eighth grader on Harlans 8-15 squad in 2021. Harlan finished 9-18 the next year as Noe averaged 18 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The Lady Dragons were 11-18 in 2023 as Noe scored 16.3 points per game and pulled down 5.9 rebounds per game. Harlan made it back to the regional tournament in 2024 and finished 18-14 as Noe averaged 18.6 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Harlan took the next step this season, finishing 20-13 and capturing the program’s first 52nd District Tournament title in nine years. Noe averaged 17 points and seven rebounds per game.
“High school basketball was some of the best years of my life. I’ll forever cherish those memories I had with all of my teammates and coaches,” Noe said. “When I first attended Harlan, we were always the underdog, but after a few years of hard work and determination we had a lot of success and turned a lot of people’s heads. The last two seasons were so much fun because we finally got the feel of knowing what it’s like to win big games and achieve the goals that we set from day one. I believe that you have to know what it feels to like to lose to push yourself to be able to win.”