Donettes look to silence doubters

No team can avoid losing key seniors, but it’s important to have upcoming players prepared to step in and fill the gaps.

So far this year, the Doniphan Donettes have connected all the pieces to keep their winning program steaming ahead and proving to doubters that there’s no decline in sight and they’re as sharp as ever.

The Donettes step into the second half of the season with an undefeated 10-0 record. Senior Kenzie Redus said the Donettes’ primary focus is to win at all costs, no matter the obstacle. She’s proud of her teammates and their commitment to playing great basketball each time they step onto the court, proving to any non-believers that they would struggle this season.

“There’s definitely been a lot of people who doubted us,” Redus said. “Many people want to see us lose, but it’s expected whenever you’re on top. It definitely puts a big target on us, but we just use that as motivation. We play with a chip on our shoulder and know that we just have to come out here and work as hard as we can every day.

“We just play together really well. We just have some good leaders from all around, spreading out everybody doing different things and helping lead this team. I’m just really proud of my teammates, and that’s how we’ve been able to do it so far with our current record.”

The Donettes are back-to-back district champs and recently won the 2023 Lady Royals Christmas Classic championship for the third consecutive year.

Fellow teammate and senior Peyton Lowery said winning the LRCC tournament was a big statement for the Donettes. She said it was a good test for themselves that they would be okay.

“It’s a big accomplishment for us because coming into the season, a lot of people didn’t believe in us after losing some really good seniors last year,” Lowery said. “I’m just really proud of this team because we showed up, and we relied a lot on the freshmen. I think they did their roles beyond that, and this team is going to be something special. Winning this tournament is just a head start for us, and we will continue to grow and get better for the rest of the season.”

Head coach Adam Epps said the team’s motivation to win has been in their program for a while, so it’s nothing new to them. He’s extremely proud of the Donettes’ accomplishments in the first half of the season, but he’s looking forward to watching the team grow as they set their sights on the district tournament.

“I’m looking forward to having a complete roster because we’ve had some issues with sickness, but I’m happy with what we’ve done so far,” Epps said. “We got some young ones who have stepped in to pick up the slack, and they have down great. When it comes to finding motivation, it’s always been our goal to win. We know we have a target on our forehead with being ranked as the number one team. We’re excited to have some good tests coming our way, and we know it’s not always going to be easy, but we’re ready for it.”

The Donettes will get their first test of the new year on Thursday as they host Liberty (Mountain View).