Priority 1: Staying on top

All things considered, coach John Ishee couldn't have asked for more out of his Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team.

The Redhawks posted their best record in the program's Division I history as they continued to stamp themselves as the Ohio Valley Conference's premier program.

And considering Southeast had just one senior starter this year, that has a chance to continue next season.

"It was a great year, and I'm very proud of them," Ishee said. "Next year is a new journey, but we'll have high hopes again."

Southeast went 24-8 and won its first outright OVC regular-season title, after sharing the crown last year.

The Redhawks also captured their second straight OVC tournament championship before losing a competitive first-round NCAA tournament game, 74-60 against ninth-ranked Oklahoma.

Southeast has made the only two NCAA Division I tournament appearances in the program's history the last two years.

"It's not something that usually happens every year, and Southeast has been fortunate to make it two years in a row," Ishee said. "It's never easy, but hopefully it's something we can make a habit of."

The Redhawks were picked fifth in the OVC preseason poll after losing four starters from last year, then had to endure potentially crushing turmoil.

Head coach B.J. Smith, who built up the program the previous four years, never was on the sidelines for a game in what was supposed to be his fifth season.

Smith was placed on leave by the university in November -- two days before the first game -- and resigned in December.

Ishee, who came to Southeast in June to be an assistant, was made acting head coach two days before the season opener at Tulsa.

Ishee became the Redhawks' permanent coach on March 5 -- two days after Southeast won the OVC tournament to clinch an NCAA berth -- receiving a three-year contract.

"The players had to go through so much this year," Ishee said. "It's a testament to them that they were able to stick together, overcome everything and have the type of season they did.

"We made so many strides over the course of the season. We got so much better from early in the year, and then we gave a great team like Oklahoma all it could handle. I couldn't have asked more from these young ladies."

Over the past five years, Southeast has the best overall and OVC records of any team in the conference, going 103-49 overall and 67-21 in league play. During that span, the Redhawks have finished first twice, second twice and fourth once.

"Southeast has become the top program in the conference, and it's our goal to keep it that way," Ishee said.

Looking ahead to next season, the Redhawks appear well-equipped to continue their success.

Southeast will have to replace all-OVC center Lachelle Lyles, the nation's leading rebounder with an average of 17 per game. She also averaged 8.4 points a contest.

"You won't replace somebody like Lachelle," Ishee said.

But every other key player this year was either a junior or sophomore. The Redhawks' top four scorers were among that group.

Sophomore guard Sonya Daugherty, after seeing little action last year, emerged as one of the OVC's top scorers.

Daugherty led the Redhawks with an average of 14.2 points per game -- ninth-best in the OVC -- but she averaged 15.7 points in conference play to rank fourth.

And Daugherty saved her best for last. She was MVP of the OVC tournament, then scored a game-high 25 points against Oklahoma.

"Sonya really came on this year," Ishee said.

Other starters were junior forward Missy Whitney (13.2 ppg), sophomore point guard Tarina Nixon (11 ppg) and junior guard Ashley Lovelady (10.1 ppg).

Whitney, the OVC's No. 10 scorer, averaged 7.8 rebounds to rank fifth in the league, while Nixon was the conference's second-best 3-point shooter at 40.9 percent.

"Those four are as good a returning corps as in the conference," Ishee said. "We've got to shore some things up in recruiting, but we've certainly got a very good nucleus."

Among Southeast's other squad members, only reserve center Joiceline Thesing (3.4 ppg) was a senior.

Sophomore forward Rachel Blunt (5 ppg) was Southeast's top reserve, while sophomore guard Szandra Pal (2 ppg) also saw action off the bench.

Three other underclassmen -- sophomore guard Mathilde Dufour (1.8 ppg), sophomore walk-on guard Heather Diebold (1.7 ppg) and freshman guard Mikal Bencomo (0.3 ppg) -- saw limited time.

Ishee said Southeast -- which played this year with 10 scholarship players -- has seven available scholarships, and he will probably fill six.

Southeast has already signed three players for next season.

High school seniors Tori Fite, a point guard from Massillion, Ohio, and Lauren Sharpe, a guard/forward from Tipp City, Ohio, signed during the early period in November.

Already on campus is Kaitlyne Beddie, a 6-1 forward from Australia who enrolled in school for the second semester and practiced with the Redhawks the rest of the year.

Beddie will be a sophomore in eligibility.

"She has a chance to be very good. She's really worked hard since she's been here," Ishee said. "And the two high school players we signed early both had very good senior seasons. They're very good prospects."

Although Ishee cannot comment on other players until they officially sign -- the spring signing period begins April 11 -- Southeast has received a verbal commitment from junior college guard Tierra Johnson.

Johnson, a Poplar Bluff native, averaged nearly 19 points per game this season as a sophomore at Three Rivers Community College.

Ishee, who is attending this week's junior college national tournament in Kansas, said he also hopes to sign a couple of rugged inside players to help offset the loss of Lyles.

"We need a couple of bangers," he said.

But regardless of what Southeast's roster looks like next year, Ishee said the Redhawks' expectations won't change.

"Our goal will be to win the OVC again and get back to the NCAA tournament," Ishee said. "Every year is different, but we'll expect a lot out of our group."