Reflecting on history: Epps looks back on Donettes’ memorable season

A less-than-happy ending shouldn’t take away from the history the Doniphan Donettes basketball team made this season.

The Donettes entered the season as underdogs after losing a few key seniors, so their mindset this season was to prove all doubters wrong. Some would agree that the Donettes proved a lot more than expected. Head coach Adam Epps took a few key seniors with a young core and became the talk of the town.

Though distraught from their recent loss, Epps can still see all the positivity the Donettes brought to the community.

“This year was so much fun, and we just had a blast,” Epps said. “These girls answered the call to perform each night, and I know everyone enjoyed watching them as much as I did. We never put too much into the streak, so we just found ways to win most nights. I’m really proud of them. It was the perfect mix of experienced kids with young talent. Not many people thought this would work, but our leaders did a great job leading the way.”

Epps said he couldn’t thank the Doniphan community enough for supporting the girls every step of the way.

After finishing the regular season without a single loss, the Donettes went toe-to-toe with another top 10-ranked team in Class 4, the Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs. The Donettes and Lady Bulldogs put on another stellar performance, but only one could be crowned district champions.

Similar to their matchup in the regular season, the game came down to the final seconds, and unfortunately, the Donettes ended on the wrong side this time with a 59-57 loss. Epps said the Donettes came out ready to play, and at one point, he thought the game would go in their favor. However, in the end, their season was cut short.

“We played hard, but we just came up short,” Epps said. “It was just a nonstop back-and-forth game. It was truly a great game, similar to our first game earlier this year. I thought we had a strong chance at the end because we had it. We got the steal and took our shot, but it just didn’t go our way. Notre Dame is a great team, and they did a great job containing Kenzie. These were two heavyweight teams going at it, and they managed to come out on top this time.”

The Donettes finished the season with a 25-1 record and received votes as the No.1 team in the state in Class 4. Senior Kenzie Redus led the Donettes with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Epps said having Redus and Peyton Lowery as the team leaders set the tone early, which was the main reason they kept the energy rolling for most of the season.

“I feel like the whole team just followed these two around, and they just led by example,” Epps said. “Kenzie is a self-made player. She didn’t play varsity very much in the beginning, but I think she needed to grow into her game. We worked with her sometimes, and she never wanted to disappoint you. She’s a kid who shows up daily and has been consistent all year, but really for the past two years. I know she’s crushed, but in my opinion, she’s one of the best in the state.”

Epps said Lowery was the player who kept everyone together and handled her role as one of the leaders to perfection.

“Lowery has proved people wrong since she’s been here,” Epps said. “She’s earned every ounce of play time this year. She was always in the right place at the right time. Lowery is a solid on defense, one of our best post-passers and she came up big for us in this year’s OFC championship game. She’s a great leader and very competitive — all the things a coach could ask for.”

With the sting of not moving on to the state tournament, Epps said he hasn’t thought too much about next season. He’s excited to know that most of his core team will return, and there is belief that the Donettes will return to the big show.

“I haven’t really thought about next season quite yet,” Epps said. “We have a good core of talented freshmen, and we got our point guard, the heart of the team, Madilyn Redus returning. Sarah Owen will have a bigger role next season, but I know she’ll adjust fine. I think we can get back, but it’s easier said than done. This class has some very good teams, so it will be challenging, but we’ll be up for it.”