DC's Lane named M-I Player of the Year
· Yahoo Sports
After helping lead Daviess County High School to the program’s first 3rd Region championship and KHSAA State Tournament appearance as a junior, Kennedy Lane put the pedal to the metal again this season — leading the team in scoring (23 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg).
In 2025-26, Lane’s consistent efficiency led the Lady Panthers to another outstanding season (23-5), and this led to the 5-foot-7 senior guard being selected as the Messenger-Inquirer Girls’ 3rd Region Player of the Year.
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“Through the years, I’ve become more of a complete player and that’s helped me develop a more well-rounded game,” Lane said. “I got quicker, faster, stronger, and I grew a lot in terms of scoring, defending, passing, and rebounding.
“When I started playing at the high school level, I was one-dimensional, but I feel that I’m a much better all-around player now — and as my game grew over the years, my confidence grew, too.”
This season, Lane shot 51% from the floor, 31% from 3-point range, and 82% from the foul stripe — all the while having a target on her back as Daviess County’s top offensive threat; a challenge she’s handled well, according to her longtime high school coach, Natalie Payne.
“Kennedy is one of those once-in-a-lifetime players that you have an opportunity to coach,” said Payne, who coached Lane two seasons at Apollo and three seasons at DCHS. “I am most impressed with her growth as a player and as a person over the course of the years.
“She has worked countless hours to improve her game, and that’s why she’s been successful — she has the ability to put her team on her back and carry them when needed.
“Kennedy and her family have been a huge blessing in my life. I am forever grateful that God gave me the opportunity to coach her.”
Lane’s numbers are simply extraordinary.
Through the end of the 2025-26 regular season, Lane had set a DCHS school record for points scored in a season (643), career 3-pointers made (276), and career free throws made (404). She is Daviess County’s all-time leading scorer, and has tallied 2,435 points in her career.
Lane has posted 59 career 20-point games and seven career 30-point games.
She has been an All-9th District selection since her freshmen season at Apollo, and has been an All-3rd Region selection in each of her three seasons with the Lady Panthers — earning third-team Courier-Journal All-State recognition last season.
In addition, Lane — who is yet to make a college commitment — has been selected to play in the Ohio/Kentucky All-Star series set for April 10-11.
Personal and team perseverance have played major roles in the team’s success.
“Sometimes people forget we started last season 3-7, but we hung in there, we stuck with it,” Lane said. “We realized our potential as a team in the middle of last season. We began to share the ball more, and we began to become closer as a team by getting involved together in outside activities.
“I think it shocked a lot of people that we won the (regional) championship, and to this point that’s been the highlight of my high school career — we just kept pushing, kept doing what was necessary to take us to the top.”
This season, the Lady Panthers had to overcome the loss of two key players to graduation — forward Zoey Beehn (13.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and guard Lily Hoagland (12.2 ppg).
“Those were big losses, but we stayed strong,” Lane said. “(Coach Payne) really pushed us and helped us build some confidence. What it came down to is that we’ve had younger players stepping into the lineup and getting the job done for us.
“I’ve just tried to work on improving my ball-handling and becoming more vocal as a senior leader — being the best teammate I can be.”
And, the influence of her coach has been formidable throughout.
“Coach Payne has never doubted me one bit, on the court or outside of basketball,” Lane said. “She’s always believed in me, she’s always wanted the best for me. Through it all, through all these years, she’s always pushed me to be the best I can be, and I’m very appreciative of it all.”