A record year. These are the best words to describe the season the Lady Kings had in 2023-24. Previously, the Lady Kings had twenty-two wins and four losses making history with a regional win, the first team in over twenty years to come out with a winning season as well as the first team in nineteen years to win a sectional title.

Is another year like this looking promising? Head coach, Kyle Amor says, “We returned many of our key pieces from last year’s regional championship team. We have one of the fastest most athletic backcourts in the area, maybe the state. Whenever you have strong guard play you are going to have success. We have great guard play. Our returning varsity players who had a significant role in last year’s team are Senior, Mylie Sipe, Juniors, Anna Hedrick, Aftin Griffin, Ava Hubner, and Kylie Logan. These girls have seen a lot of varsity time their last few years and are ready to keep winning here at Cass.” Although last year was memorable as well as historical, the Lady Kings have big shoes to fill. Coach Amor was asked who he hopes will fill those shoes and said, “There are some talented kids ready to contribute. JV players from a year ago, Laney Davis and Lexi Gotshall have made an immediate impact on the varsity roster. Laney adds to our already talented backcourt with speed and the ability to handle the ball and get to the rim. Lexi is our tallest kid trying to replace the height we lost to graduation. Lexi has improved a ton from a year ago, improving her speed and athleticism. We also have a really talented incoming freshmen class that has added a ton of competitiveness to our practices.”
The Lady Kings have already racked up seven wins and one loss. Junior, Anna Hedrick added, “I feel like this season has had a good start so far. We came out with a 7-1 start to the record with only losing to Kokomo which is a pretty solid team. I’m excited for the success that we’ll have for the rest of the season.” The Lady Kings have recently achieved a county championship at the Logansport Berry Bowl. To win the championship the Lady Kings had to first defeat the Pioneer Panthers and then continue on to the championship game against the Caston Comets. The final score of the championship game was 42-23. When asked how he felt winning the championship Amor said, “ Winning the county championship was absolutely incredible. It’s hard to put into words just how much it meant to this team, the school, and the community. I’ve been here six years now, and it seems like we’ve always been in that consolation game, even despite how good we were last year. It was like a weight had been lifted. Seeing the joy on the players’ faces as they were hugging each other, their friends and family, and then cutting down the net are the moments I will always treasure.” Amor was also asked what his teams’ biggest challenges were on achieving this title and he said, “The biggest challenge is staying mentally tough when things don’t go well. Teams that handle adversity are going to be successful. Another challenge is just handling the pressure. Winning is hard. Everyone expected this group to win this year. That’s a lot of pressure on high school kids. On top of that, we were the team to beat which paints a target on our backs. Beating Cass is now what teams strive for. Night in and night out, we seem to get everyone’s best. Cass has only won the Cass County tournament one other time. So I feel like that added even more pressure to our girls.”

So far this season has been very successful for the Lady Kings. Senior, Mylie Sipe, was asked if she thinks this year will be the most successful and said, “ I think this season will be the most successful season yet. We have most of the players back from last year and they know what it takes to have a successful season. Another thing is that we have a deep bench. We have solid girls who can come off the bench and give us a spark. We all believe in each other and know we can do great things out on the court. Mylie also shared her favorite basketball memory and responded, “My favorite basketball memory is jumping in the swimming pool after winning sectionals.” Hopefully, the Lady Kings have more moments jumping in the pool!

All in all the Lady Kings are experienced, determined, and respected. They have the skill, mindset, and drive to push themselves to their full potential. They also have an incredible community and school supporting them. The Lady Kings may not only repeat history but make history once again and make this one of the most memorable seasons so far. Good luck Lady Kings!