Daviess County walked away from the Girls Region 2 Golf Tournament with the gold as they placed first overall for the second year in a row. Apollo’s own Mary Ann Lyons joins DCHS in moving on to the semi-state tournament for the fourth time in a row as an individual after placing 10th overall.
The regional tournament saw Daviess County finish first and Madisonville-North Hopkins finish second. The two teams moved on to semi-state along with any golfer in the top 10 individualists not from the two schools. This included Apollo’s Lyons.
The Lady Panthers finished first, so all of their golfers will move on to semi-state. The team was led by Alexa Salamah who shot for 80 and tied for third in individual scores. Following her were Claire Reynolds who shot for 84 and placed eighth individually, Annalee Yager who shot for 93, Baylie Billingsley who shot for 96 and Briley Billingsley who shot for 97.
Last year, Salamah could not finish at semi-state due to an injury, but this year she will make her return. Reynolds was the only Lady Panther to move on from semi-state and qualify for the state tournament last year, so she will look to expand upon if not match her performance this year. Head coach Brandon Reynolds is already planning for the prep the team will need tactically and mentally to get ready for next week’s return to semi-state.
“We will have some short game work for sure as well as a lot of putting and chipping,” he said. “We have already started talking to the girls about one shot at a time. If it’s bad, get mad for a few steps and then move on to the next shot.”
Apollo only had one golfer play in regionals and she secured her spot in semi-state. Lyons shot for 86 and placed 10th individually to qualify. Lyons has now advanced to semi-state for four years in a row. She will hope to make it to the state tournament for a third time after making appearances in her freshman and sophomore years. Across her high school career, Lyons has attributed her success to her grit and determination to keep pushing forward.
“I have really put in as much time as I could and have worked really hard to get to this point,” she said. “There were days where I was tired and frustrated, but I knew that there was work that needed to be done and that I needed to push through because it would all pay off in the end. I have had really good rounds and really bad rounds, but it’s all a matter of how to come back from the bad rounds and how to continue on with the good rounds and get consistent.”
The semi-state tournament will take place on September 25.
