3rd Region Hoops— It’s the week of Thanksgiving & we’re less than a week away from the official start of prep basketball in Kentucky, but it’s time to declare the DC Basketball program.. BACK! No, we aren’t talking about Neil Hayden & his lottery winning off season, although they too, ARE BACK! Instead we are going to talk about the Girls BB Program.

Some how, we, along with everybody else undervalued the off-season the GIRLS had. First of all, Kudos to the DC Athletic program on making a splash and bringing Natalie Payne back to New Hartford Road. That decision could be the most impactful off-season move of any AD in the region, when this 23/24 season concludes. Payne is without a doubt a home run hire & would almost assuredly change the trajectory of ANY program in West Kentucky. Yes, she’s THAT good! Daviess Co has floated in the pool of mediocrity on the hardwood for several years & people have grown accustomed to the Lady Panthers failing to reach the mark of legitimacy. The potential is always there. DC is made up of a large enrollment & there’s not necessarily a shortage of talent walking the hallways.. it just needed a spark & some good fortune! Insert Natalie Payne. Insert Apollo Transfer Kennedy Lane. Insert a healthy Lily Hoagland & an underrated Zoey Beehn & you’ve got the pieces to be good. All of those things were mentioned from time to time throughout the offseason. Daviess is ranked preseason #5 but many have wondered how good they’ll really be.. Well, here’s your answer: THEY’RE GOOD!

In a final tune up against 4th Region powerhouse Bowling Green last night, DC stunned everyone in the gym & beat the Lady Purples in dominating fashion. One must note that the Bowling Green team isn’t necessarily the Heavy Favorite to win the 4th like it has been in years past, but that Lady Purple team is good & it wouldn’t be a shock to see them at RUPP for a 5th consecutive year when the post season comes around., but with all that being said, albeit a scrimmage, this was a statement made from the Lady Panthers that screams… PUT SOME RESPECT ON US! The 3rd Region isn’t getting enough attention statewide on the girls side that it deserves with just how deep and talented it is this season. All the focus is on Owensboro Catholic who possesses one of the best, if not THE best starting 5 this side of I65. Breckinridge County is LOADED, Meade County has Dina Hackert & Peyton Bradley. Owensboro is LEGIT & has more momentum than it has had in the last 20+ years. Mike Harper is entering his 65th year of coaching & his Mustangs, though down in recent years to their standards, are always capable of sneaking up on folks, so yeah, this thing is going to be fun. But again, DC made moves and shame on us for not paying attention & giving them due credit.

Here’s What We Know— Kennedy Lane is a walking bucket. One of the more prolific scorers in the area, only a sophomore, Lane showed the ability to completely bust open a game with her scoring ability. The second & third quarters, Lane made it look easy. She’s really, REALLY good, folks! Lily Hoagland had a ton of hype coming up through middle school but has been plagued with injuries but is FINALLY healthy again. She showed why there was so much hype around her & might be the best all around player on the roster. Zoey Beehn has been disrespected all summer by the lack of attention she’s gotten. She’s steady in the post & has the ability to stretch the floor. Zoey HAS TO BE in the conversation of the top post players in the region.

Outlook— The 9th district is going to be a heavyweight fight all season long. 3 of the preseason top 5 teams in the same district and only 2 can make it out alive & almost every casual BB fan you’ll talk to will assume it’ll be OHS & Catholic with DC a notch below and Apollo is in a complete rebuild. but listen, DC IS GOING TO BE TOUGH! Natalie has won a regional championship with less talent before, so one shouldn’t be shocked if she makes a deep run this season! Again, enough cannot be said about how fun this season is going to be & in case you guys didn’t get the memo, as Pat McAfee likes to put it.. DC IS ALL THE WAY BACK!!!! Buckle up!