Coach: young Lady Red Hawks are mentally tough

The Nemo Vista Lady Red Hawks had another outstanding season in 2017, finishing 28-10 after falling to Bay 49-41 in the first round of the Class A state tournament. Nemo Vista had won back-to-back state titles in 2015 and 2016 before last season. Junior Morgan Smith is the lone returning starter. She is one of several who is listed as one of the best outside players on the team, along with junior Baylee Westcott and sophomore Kassidy Barnes. “They are all capable of attacking the basket while able to knock down the 3,” said coach Kyle Payne, who is 138-43 in five years at Nemo Vista. Payne listed one player as his best inside player, sophomore Hanna Bryant. This year’s Lady Warhawks team is young, with no seniors on the squad. “We are a very young team this year,” Payne said. “We lost a ton of experience from last year. We will be learning every night on the floor to get better to see how far we can go come postseason play. We have only one returning starter or player that received any quality playing time last year.” As of now, Nemo Vista has only eight players on the roster. Others include sophomores Kate Davies, Kaylee Harrington, Macy Andrews and Victoria Lehmann. Payne said his team is tough mentally. “The girls come and work hard every day, even though we are short on numbers this year and have been hit with several preseason injuries,” he said. The biggest obstacle the Lady Red Hawks face is youth. “Game time will be critical so we can go back and watch film and correct our mistakes in practice as the year goes.” Payne said his team has a tough schedule this year, saying games against Wonderview, Mount Vernon-Enola, Quitman and Valley Springs will be big. “All of these teams made at least the semifinals last year in the state tournament, and many return most, if not all, players,” Payne said. “These will be tough games for us but great competition to learn from.” The Lady Red Hawks will play Valley Springs on Nov. 3, Wonderview on Nov. 10 and Jan. 12, Mount Vernon-Enola on Dec. 1 and Jan. 16, and Quitman on Dec. 15 and Jan. 30.