Head coach: John Kirkpatrick (3rd year)
2019-20 record: 10-19
The Daviess County Lady Panthers had an early exit in last year’s 9th District Tournament as they fell to Apollo but head coach John Kirkpatrick and his squad are ready for redemption in 2021.
Kirkpatrick said his keys to success this season are simple.
“We hope to apply pressure on the defensive end of the court this season and attempt to create some easy opportunities to score in transition,” he said. “Ball security and rebounding are always an emphasis of ours – we want to be on the winning end of the rebounding and turnover war. I think this will be an athletic Daviess County team that has an opportunity to make a run in the postseason.”
Kirkpatrick said his team had some momentum when they were able to start practice a couple of months ago.
He said even with the break in play, they knew they had to work on themselves before worrying about another team.
“The focus has really been on us,” he said. “We were able to have about 19-20 practices before we got shutdown again and we had a lot of stuff in, we knew what we wanted to do, it was just can we fine-tune that. We really wanted to put more of an emphasis on us and areas of improvement for us.”
The Lady Panthers return a trio of players that averaged double digits last season with sophomore guard Adylan Ayer leading the way with her 13.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg.
Kirkpatrick said despite being a sophomore, Adyer has shined in her role as a leader this season.
“Her athleticism and ability to finish around the rim paired with her shooting range make her an above-average offensive player,” he said. “She also brings a lot of energy on the defensive end.”
Ayer hadn’t had as much time as others in preparing for the season because she was in the middle of a postseason run of her own as the Lady Panthers won their first 3rd Region Volleyball Tournament this season.
“Of course we got her late because volleyball made a deep run. Big props to them, I’m happy for them,” Kirkpatrick said. “Nursed a bit of an injury but she’s finally back in full force now. She’s an unbelievable ball player.”
Senior Brooklyn Daugherty (11.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and junior Katie Mewes (10 ppg, 3.4 rpg) are two upperclassmen Kirkpatrick will also look toward for leadership this season. Junior guards Druree Glen and Ella Payne will also provide minutes this season.
Daviess County also has a slew of younger players that Kirkpatrick said Panther fans should be on the lookout for this season and beyond. Lily Hoagland, Kaylee Blandford, C.J. Paige, Madison Spurrier, Reagan Chinn and Kennedi Owens will all play their roles for the Lady Panthers this season.
DC will play its first two games this season away as they take on Butler County Tuesday in their opener then take on Cloverport Thursday before the Lady Panthers host Trigg County Jan. 9 in their home opener.
