The 2025 girls’ basketball season officially kicks off tonight. Area teams range from having some of the top rosters in the region to being in the middle of rebuilds. Here’s a look at what to expect from each team.
Apollo: The E-Gals enter the season in the midst of a youth movement, having graduated five seniors. Continuing their rebuild, head coach Michael Riggs wants his players to emphasize sharing the ball and defense.
Leading the charge this year is junior guard Aubrey Johnson, who Riggs expects to be one of the team’s top scorers, and junior LeShay Vera, one of Apollo’s top defensive players. Joining them are up-and-comers Emersyn Bullington and junior Mattingly Taylor.
With a relatively young team and competing in one of the toughest districts, Riggs said the E-Gals will experience some growing pains, but this year is about building the foundation.
“We need to limit turnovers to be in a good spot, if not we will struggle,” Riggs said. “We want to improve, and we speak often about having a growth mindset.”
Daviess County: The Lady Panthers return a plethora of experience and four starters from last year’s team that finished 21-9 before falling short in the first round of the 9th District Tournament. Add in a deep bench, and Daviess County has their eyes set on a long playoff run. The Lady Panthers will look to be aggressive on defense and push the tempo.
“We will know when to go and when to settle in and pass it around,” Daviess County head coach Natalie Payne said. “When it comes tournament time, it becomes more of a half-court game.”
Leading the way is the core of Zoey Beehn, Lily Hoagland, Kennedy Lane, Briley Henry, and Molly Hancock. Joining them are contributors and newcomers Riley Hayden, Maddie Baron, Mackenzie Elliot, Kelly Ann Stone, and Madeline Jarboe.
Payne and her players want to once again reach the 20-win threshold, but she acknowledged that this is the toughest schedule she has ever had as a coach.
“We want to advance to the regional tournament, so we need to be playing our best basketball at the right time in order to make a run,” Payne said. “We want to get better every day, but it’s baby steps. The girls will need to show up every day, do their job, not look ahead, and just think about the next day.”
Owensboro: Fresh off of winning the 3rd Region Championship, the Lady Devils return the majority of last year’s title team. However, they lost five seniors who all provided leadership. This year’s seniors Emani Badger, Heleina John, and Shalyn Sprinkles will be leaned on to guide the team.
John and Sprinkles were two of Owensboro’s top scorers a year ago and are joined by junior guards Unique Carter-Swanagan and Abby Sapp.
The Lady Devils have their eyes on pushing the tempo, playing sound defense, and defending their region championship title.
Owensboro Catholic: With three seniors from last year’s 9th District Championship title team graduating, the Lady Aces return a young squad with only two upperclassmen in seniors Aubrey Randolph and Karmin Riley. Joining them are seven sophomores and three freshmen.
“We’re going to be very young,” Owensboro Catholic head coach Michael Robertson said. “Our style of play depends on them not having a lot of experience. I need to see what they are capable of doing.”
The entire sophomore class will be leaned on to replace last year’s senior class, and they hope to come together to make a push when the playoffs come.
Trinity: Plagued by injuries, the Lady Raiders only won one game a year ago, but they enter this year healthy and young. After two straight rebuilding years, head coach Emily Hernandez and her team have their eyes set on reaching the region tournament.
“Last year was rough but this year I expect us to be better,” Hernandez said. “We lack size, but we are planning to be fast, play up-tempo, and utilize pressure defense.”
Leading the way are seniors Sarah Payne, Emily McDaniel, and Madison McDaniel. Payne led the Lady Raiders in scoring a year ago and is ready to take another leap. Joining them are sophomore Aubrey Meserve, and freshman Sophie Hatfield and Ella Morris. With a deep roster of 15 girls, practices have been competitive, leaving Hernandez with a positive feeling for the upcoming season.
“I want us to go out and compete every day,” Hernandez said. “I am expecting a big change from last season.”
Hancock County: The Lady Hornets enter this season with a young and inexperienced roster, with only two girls having spent any time on varsity. Hancock County head coach Kevin Husk said his team will look to run a hard-nose, physical, and aggressive style of play.
“They have showed that during our scrimmages,” Husk said. “With our skill set, our physicality will help on defense, and I expect us to be much improved over the season. We will have to mix it up, and our length will help on both sides of the court.”
The trio of Ansley House, Carolina Jones, and Izzy Ross are expected to be the focal point of the Lady Hornets’ game plan. House is entering her third year on varsity and has spent the offseason working on extending her range. Jones will be running the point and started parts of last season, while Ross had a small role coming off the bench a year ago. Madyson Higdon and Jordan Waltrip are also expected to provide quality minutes.
Husk knows his team will experience some growing pains but believes they can win the All-A region tournament.
McLean County: The Lady Cougars return the entirety of last year’s roster except for one player who graduated. The team is led by new head coach Eli Ellis, who has implemented a new play style and philosophy which the girls are still learning.
“We will want to get out into transition and run,” Ellis said. “Apply pressure on defense, speed teams up to force turnovers, and get out into transition.”
The Lady Cougars’ core consists of last year’s leading scorer in freshman Anna Miller, junior Kenadi Level, and seniors Ava Lannum and Danielle Reynolds.
After a few seasons of losing records, Ellis and his team have their eyes set on developing a winning mindset, going over .500, and competing for the district title.
“Our district is wide open this year,” Ellis said. “Our girls are excited to get rolling and have been working hard all summer.”
