Don’t sleep on the Dawson Springs Panthers this season.
No, Dawson Springs won’t be picked at the top of the 2nd Region. And it will probably be overlooked on the preseason 7th District lists.
But with four starters returning — including three double-figure scorers — the Panthers should be able to hold their own against most teams on the 2023-24 schedule.
Junior guard Rex Blue was just two rebounds short of averaging a double-double last season, checking in at 13.5 points and 9.9 boards a contest. (He had 308 rebounds in 31 games.)
Meanwhile, junior guard Montgomery Johnston scored a team-best 16.2 points a night while grabbing 4.5 boards.
Sophomore Jaydon Plunkette is back as well after getting 13 points and 7.3 rebounds a game.
Casey Fain, a 6-foot-3 senior, netted 4.8 points and 4.4 rebounds a contest last year. He led the team in field goal percentage at 54.9 percent.
Deacon Dever, a 6-2 sophomore, figures to join those four in the starting unit this season.
Also look for sophomore Nate Walls and freshman Easton Bourland to make a mark in the Panther lineup this season.
“The whole team is getting better,” said head coach Mickey Blue, whose son Rex is one of the starting guards. “Team work ethic has improved.
“Our main focus is just trying to get better every day. No predictions on wins. Just get better every day.”
Dawson, which went 11-20 last season, shot 31 percent from 3-point range. Plunkette made 35.2 percent of his shots from behind the arc while Blue hit at a 34.1 percent clip.
Blue says Hopkins County Central and Madisonville-North Hopkins are still the top teams in the district.
“We all are chasing Lyon County for the region.”
The Panthers will tip off the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 28, at Christian Fellowship School in Marshall County.
