The Payne Hurts So Sweetly
NAPPANEE – In October, Maddy Payne fulfilled a dream. Locking in a college choice as well as getting the opportunity to play the sport she loves, Payne was riding high.
The future Bethel Pilot was on a roll, signing to continue her volleyball career all while leading NorthWood to its deepest volleyball tournament run in school history. In so many cases, once the ride ends in your sport of choice, the rest becomes an afterthought.
Not for Payne, who has had a monster senior season of basketball for the Panthers. And now she has another accolade to add to her honor roll. Payne is our selection for the 2019-20 Ink Free News Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
There was plenty of expectation, anticipation, worry and excitement for this year’s NorthWood girls basketball program. Much of the momentum came from volleyball, where Payne, Kate Rulli, Alea Minnich and Kendal Miller were coming off a historic season for the Red Slam. Payne was an All-State volleyballer, and more than just a few wondered how the fall excitement would translate to NorthWood’s most notable girls sports program.
Payne soon put the doubters to rest, scoring 44 points and pulling down 14 rebounds in the team’s first three games against South Bend Riley, Penn and Mishawaka. Payne would serve as either the beast or the decoy in NorthWood’s ‘twin towers’ lineup with Rulli in the post. The two six-footers often traded taking the star role depending on what team wanted to shut down the other one.
“She loves playing alongside Kate,” said NorthWood head coach Adam Yoder. “Kate’s development as a player has been outstanding, it made us a better basketball team, and it made Maddy a better player, too. Those two have been outstanding teammates and players for the Black Swish these past four years, and they both do it with so much unselfishness and class.”
Echoed Payne, “I love Kate, she’s so awesome. She’s a special player, too. We have a special connection. We’re both unselfish in the idea that if one has the hot hand, we’ll play to that. If the other needs some help, the other will do it. And we have a great team as a whole that we can recognize that and work off each other and pick each other up.”
While teams would tend to focus on Payne in some regard, the four-year starter still managed double figures in scoring in 20 of 27 games through the sectional. Tippecanoe Valley head coach Chris Kindig openly admitted to worrying about Payne, and she still torched the Vikings for 22 points and 11 rebounds in the opening round of the sectional. Payne also pounded Lakeland for 22 points in the sectional championship at Lakeland, helping the team to its first sectional title since 2014.
Payne and the Panthers also wrapped up its first perfect Northern Lakes Conference regular season since 2015, going 7-0 while setting the program record for wins in the regular season with 20. The team now has 26 wins and a date in the semi-state this weekend, the win total a new all-time team record and the semi-state berth the first since 2005.
Remarked Goshen head coach Shaun Hill of Payne after NorthWood beat his team to win the NLC, “She’s a load to guard. You worry about her, or they just send it to Rulli and she’ll beat you. But you have to worry about Payne because she can score from anywhere. She’s a lot to deal with.”
Where Payne was able to get some separation in earning the Player of the Year award was her ability to adapt to team’s game planning against her. And at the end of the night, she could have 22 points and eight rebounds in an obvious star of the game role. Or she could have three points and four rebounds, but draw defensive attention that opened up Rulli, or sharpshooters like Karlie Fielstra, Alea Minnich or Kendal Miller.
So much of Payne’s game doesn’t show on a stat sheet.
“Maddy has grown so much as a player each year,” said Yoder. “Every year, she’s added new skills and become more savvy about what needs to happen and how she can make it happen. This year, she has that ‘it’ factor when it comes to understanding her team and the game situation at the same time.
“As a player, that’s what I am most proud of with her. She’s so willing to do whatever is asked of her to win for the team and sometimes that’s meant being the focal point and sometimes it hasn’t. It’s been an absolute pleasure to be her coach”
One other aspect of Payne’s overall body of work that doesn’t appear on the stat sheet is her work away from the game lights. Payne, who is carrying close to a 3.9 GPA as NorthWood heads into the end of the trimester, is also showing character that will carry her far beyond any award.
“I look to my future a lot,” offered Payne, who noted several dual credit college courses among her class load. “I know this is my last season at NorthWood. It’s all I have. It’s crazy to think it’s coming to an end here, and so I know that I have to give it all I have if we want to accomplish the goals we set. I better give all that I have all the time, or I am going to leave here feeling like I didn’t finish what I should have.”
Spoken like a true champion.