NorthWood senior Maddy Payne was awarded the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award for excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability. (Photos by Mike Deak)

NAPPANEE – Of all the things NorthWood athletic director Norm Sellers could have been worried about at the IHSAA Girls Basketball State Finals, one thing seemed to override almost everything else.

Instead of running around like Jim Valvano or pointing to the crowd and making a scene after his team won the state title, Black Swish head coach Adam Yoder was looking for Sellers.

Both were thinking about Maddy Payne, their star of stars at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse Saturday night. While the basketball was atop of the menu of importance, they also wanted the cherry on top. As John and Dawn Payne made their way through the tunnel onto the corner of the court, all their worries were put to rest.

Payne had a superstar night on the basketball court, recording 19 points and 10 rebounds along with four steals as NorthWood dispensed its final challenger, No. 1 Salem, 37-29 to capture its second girls basketball state championship. While those statistical footnotes will accompany the banner the school will carry forever, Payne was bestowed one of the top individual honors a female athlete can earn.

Payne was the Class 3-A recipient of the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award. Per the IHSAA, ‘the award is presented annually to a senior participant in each classification who was nominated by her principal and coach and has demonstrated excellence in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability.’

“It means a lot, but I feel like I couldn’t do it without my team,” Payne said Saturday night in the postgame presser. “I love them so much. They make it so easy for me.”

Dawn Payne got to brag on her daughter to over 10,000 fans Saturday night.

That was the M.O. Payne has had basically since she became a regular with the NorthWood varsity. There were plenty of reasons she could have focused on other things. Yoder brought up after the title game that Payne was 12 points short of reaching 1,000 career points. She needed 31, got 19. She could have just said thanks but no thanks before the season even began after committing to Bethel University to play volleyball. She could have fallen into the traps of stardom that happen on big stages in so many programs big and small.

John and Dawn wouldn’t allow it. Maddy wouldn’t allow it. Karlie Fielstra wasn’t going to lose her last game. Norm Sellers wanted the sweep. The student section wanted to prove its support was unwavering. It all came together for NorthWood as a whole and just seemed like it was the perfect ending as the Paynes were presented with the award in front of over 10,000 fans.

“The Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award is more than just a trophy and a nice plaque that Maddy got to bring home yesterday,” Sellers said Sunday at the pep rally held at NorthWood High School. “First question coach Yoder asked me as soon as the game was over was ‘Did Maddy win?’ As we knew at halftime. We knew at halftime. I knew she had won, and then we pulled off this victory. To have this moment for our community, not just the Payne family, but for our community, that’s how important this award was.”

Payne has already been recognized for her positive disposition, earning team awards for mental attitude in 2018 and 2019, likely garnering a third when this season’s awards are released. Off the court, Payne is a member of the National Honor Society, helps with the Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival, NorthWood youth track and the high school Unified Track programs. NorthWood girls cross country and track coach Mark Mikel was the emcee of the pep rally Sunday afternoon, and echoed the joke made Saturday night about Payne’s high jump ability (or lack thereof). Payne laughed it off on both occasions.

“Look at the numbers, look at what she accomplished in volleyball, look at what she accomplished in basketball,” noted Yoder. “Now the girl is going to go out and high jump in the spring…”

Payne cut him off.

“Don’t look at those numbers!”

That’s just who Maddy Payne is. And forever attached to her basketball state championship résumé will be the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award.