Harris begins new era for Lady Devils

Two seasons removed from its first KHSAA state tournament appearance since 1992, the Owensboro High School girls basketball program enters a new era as Wynn Harris takes over for Jansen Locher at the Lady Devils’ helm.

Last season, OHS went 15-9, and the cupboard isn’t bare for Harris and Co.

“I’ve got two guards who played on the state tournament floor in Rupp Arena two seasons back, and not many coaches can say that,” Harris said. “At the same time, we’ve got some young players who are going to have to meld with our experienced players, and this could take some time — you have to be patient and let the process take care of itself.

“There’s always a transition with a new coach, but we’re going to work as hard as we can and become a better basketball team as the season goes along.”

Owensboro will be led by senior point guard Unique Carter-Swanagan, who last season averaged 8.3 points per game and led the squad in 3-point accuracy (36%).

“Unique is incredibly talented,” Harris said. “She’s a great on-ball defender who sees the floor very well and finds her spots for shooting the basketball — she’s capable on floaters, jump shots and 3-pointers.”

Also back is senior guard-forward Abby Sapp, who averaged 5.8 points per game and paced the Lady Devils in field-goal percentage at 39%.

“Abby is another extremely talented player,” Harris said. “She’s very good at finding her lanes and driving to the basket, and she’s outstanding when it comes to anticipation.”

Also in the mix for OHS are sophomore forward-center Avery Martin, sophomore center Olivia Hogg, sophomore wing Adrean Carothers, and sophomores Taylor Sowders and Mariah Sepulveda.

“Avery is going to have to rebound for us, along with Olivia, who is relentless on the interior,” Harris said. “Adrean is a very versatile player, and both Taylor and Mariah worked very hard in the summer.”

Owensboro’s overall athleticism and versatility should help at both ends of the court.

“This is an athletic bunch,” Harris said. “Offensively, there will be a lot of motion, so players will have to move the ball and move themselves to make it effective — we’ll spread the ball and look to put ourselves in position for quality shots.

“Defensively, we’ll play man-to-man with some pressing. We’ll get after it and, of course, try to make it difficult for our opponents to score.”

Last season, Owensboro failed to reach the 3rd Region Tournament, losing a 75-60 decision in the first round of the 9th District Tournament to eventual regional champion Daviess County.

“We want to get back to the regional tournament,” Harris said. “We want to get to the regional and give ourselves an opportunity to compete for the championship — we want to be a factor in the region, and the first step in doing that is to get out of the district tournament.

“Again, there will be a period of transition, but as the season progresses I see us figuring things out and growing into a more complete basketball team. Patience will be key, especially in the early going, but I think it will pay off for our team by the end of the season.”

OHS opens Dec. 1 at McLean County.

Schedule

12/1 at McLean County 6:30 p.m.

12/5 Apollo 5:30 p.m.

12/6 Union County 2 p.m.

12/12 at Daviess County 5:30 p.m.

12/13 Edmonson County 3 p.m.

12/18 at Grayson County 7:30 p.m.

12/20 vs. Muhlenberg County (Southwire Classic, SportsCenter), 4:50 p.m.

12/22 Warren Central 7:30 p.m.

1/6 Hopkinsville 6 p.m.

1/9 Owensboro Catholic 5:30 p.m.

1/12 at Warren Central, 7:30 p.m.

1/16 Daviess County 5:30 p.m.

1/17 Meade County 7 p.m.

1/20 McLean County 7 p.m.

1/27 Ohio County 7 p.m.

1/30 at Apollo 5:30 p.m.

2/3 at Bowling Green 7:30 p.m.

2/6 at Owensboro Catholic 6 p.m.

2/9 at Breckinridge County 7:30 p.m.

2/12 at Ohio County 7 p.m.

2/17 Grayson County 7:30 p.m.

2/20 at Union County 7:30 p.m.