Head coach: Natalie Payne (4th season)
2019-20 record: 21-10
The Apollo E-gals fell in the first round of the 3rd Region Tournament last season but a new year brings a lot of expectations for AHS as they were picked No. 1 in the annual Cats’ Pause rankings.
Apollo coach Natalie Payne said the honor is nice but there’s still work to be done.
“We’ve kind of acknowledged the fact that we have been voted No. 1 in the Cats’ Pause and the coaches from around our region consider us one of the top teams and that’s a great honor to have but we told them the season hasn’t started,” she said. “That’s just based on we have a lot of experience coming back. They understand they have to go out each night and prove themselves over and over and over again because even last year, we found ourselves in a situation where we had proven ourselves against some top teams but it was here and there, it wasn’t consistent so that was the theme for this year for our kids. Consistency.
“We have to come ready to battle against it doesn’t matter who it is, we’ve got to be ready to play so they now they’re going to have to prove that.”
Not only was Apollo ranked No. 1 but the E-gals also had the top-ranked player in senior guard Kassidy Daugherty.
Daugherty averaged 14.4 ppg last season as Apollo returns its top several scorers, including the Cats’ Pause No. 3 ranked player in Amber Dunn (11. ppg, 10.3 ppg).
Daugherty said she’s ready to be a leader for her team and knows there’s some pressure.
“It definitely does to some extent just because the higher you are, the more you have to fall but at the same time, it’s a confidence thing knowing I want to come out here and I have something to prove every single game,” she said.
Zoe Floyd, Addison Carter, Brylee Rhodes, Amaya Curry, Shelbie Beatty and Havanah John will also play a key role for Apollo this season.
The E-gals had a scrimmage Tuesday evening at AHS and Daugherty said it helped them realize they might not be as sharp as they thought in some aspects.
Payne said it’s a good feeling knowing her leaders can realize where they’re lacking but she also knows they’re just ready to compete.
“They’re so hungry to play and I understand,” she said. “After so long and practice and practice, they know it’s important but they’re ready to play somebody else. They haven’t played another opponent besides their teammates since March 3. Given an opportunity to do something like this with real officials and live situations, timeouts is perfect for us. We film everything we do, we have Hudl up there so we film our practices and obviously the scrimmages.
“We talked about it over there as a team, they know that we’re not picture perfect with our execution. We’ve got to break things down. We told them, come tournament time, you’re not going to be able to do this. You’re not going to be able to get out and run and trap and pressure for four quarters. You’re going to have to be able to execute in the halfcourt. That’s what we’ve really got to focus on because the timing is there.”
Apollo starts the season Monday at home against Webster County as the E-gals play their first four games at home before playing at Evansville Bosse Jan. 12.
Payne said they have to focus on taking care of themselves in the days leading up to the game.
“I think keeping our conditioning where it needs to be, taking care of our bodies and staying healthy,” she said. “We’ve been preaching to these kids, you’ve got to get your rest. They’re out of routine, we’re not in school so it’s very important that they’re limiting their contact and that’s hard to do as teenages but they are taking it to heart because we keep telling them, one person goes down or gets Covid or is in contact with a close family member, we could get shut down and they’re taking that serious. I think just staying healthy is number one.
“Number two, just focusing on the attention to detail, we say that everyday – attention to detail. It’s the little things, it’s the little things that are going to keep us at that top level and ultimately take us where we want to be.”
