From shutdowns to injuries to a coach celebrating his last season on the sideline, the Apollo E-gals had a little bit of everything going on this year and it concluded with their first trip to the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen since 1997.
Senior Kassidy Daugherty was there through it all as she helped lead the E-gals to heights it hadn’t seen in decades this season.
It’s Daugherty’s drive and her ability to lead her team that makes her the Owensboro Times Female Basketball Player of the Year.
“I just feel blessed,” she said of the honor. “I couldn’t love the game anymore than I already do and i’m grateful I had the coaches and teammates I did for these past years to form me into the player I am.”
Daugherty averaged 11.4 points per game this season and was the top free throw and 3-pointer shooter for the E-gals but that’s not what it’s about for her.
It’s about the bond she had with her fellow seniors and the Apollo roster as a whole.
“To be able to say our class won the district and region then played in the Sweet 16 at Rupp after all we’ve been through as a senior class is something to be proud of,” she said. “You dream about doing things like that when you’re a little kid, and I got to be a part of a talented team where we formed one goal and mindset together. Individually, I feel like I took my role every game regardless of what it was. It’s about winning at the end of the day, and I would’ve done anything to make that happen.”
Despite their trip to the Sweet Sixteen not going the way they’d hoped, Daugherty said the pride she earned from that experience will stay with her forever.
“Taking the picture for the wall at Apollo really made it set in for me,” she said. “Coach (Natalie) Payne played in the state game 24 years ago and then was coaching us in it this year. Every single one of our coaches brings something different to the team and they sacrificed a lot to make sure we were prepared for every game.”
Most of the Apollo E-gals upperclassmen grew up with each other and have played together for several years btu Daugherty isn’t one of those players.
After moving from McLean County her sophomore year, it was a transition for Daughtery but she admits the players accepted her and made her feel like she’s been there since the beginning. They’re also the reason she’s been so successful on the court during her time at Apollo.
“My teammates are the reason I can do what I do out on the floor, especially my class,” she said. “We all formed such a close friendship and it makes the game easier to play. Learning to know how Zoë (Floyd) wants the ball when she’s posted, where Addison (Carter) is so when her defender comes with me, she’s got a shot. How to find Amber (Dunn) in transition to make something happen and Brylee (Rhodes) causing chaos with her defense. I wouldn’t have wanted to accomplish all that we did with any other group. they became my family.”
While one phase of her basketball career is closed, Daugherty said she’s ready to get to the next level as she recently committed to play at Midway University.
“I am excited to get back to the gritty parts of basketball,” she said. “Competing each and everyday and continuing to better my game. I’m ready to get stronger and develop my shot and inside game to a whole different level. My high school experience was everything I could’ve wished for, and the next chapter, it can only be better.”
All-Owensboro Times Basketball Team
Kassidy Daugherty, Apollo
Amber Dunn, Apollo
Hailee Johnson, Owensboro Catholic
Catherine Head, Owensboro Catholic
Adylan Ayder, Daviess County
Alyrica Hughes, Owensboro
Cassidy Morris, Trinity
