This year’s Davie High girls basketball team had a very successful but challenging season. Finishing third in the 4A Central Piedmont Conference and with an overall record of 16-12, our varsity players were determined and hardworking. But with five out of eight eligible players being freshmen and no returning leading scorer among them or a true point guard, it was a learning experience for the players and the coaches.
For the freshmen, transitioning to a completely new environment, playing with new teammates, and discovering what high school basketball is like compared to middle school was a shock to the system. On the other hand, the veteran players were trying to help teach them the ropes and find a way to grow as a team and a family. “We had to get them used to playing that tough competition,” says senior Peyton Spaugh. “It’s way different than middle school because it’s faster, tougher, and you just have to be able to deal with it emotionally and physically.”
The team had its ups and downs, but working together and getting the team excited and motivated pushed them to do their best. Starting the season strong, the Lady War Eagles earned three straight wins. Their first opponent was the Lexington Yellow Jackets, who they defeated with a score of 46-38. A win against the North Davidson Black Knights followed this. The Davie High girls traveled to play against the Yellow Jackets for a second time, winning with a score of 69-27. When the Lady War Eagles returned home to play the North Davidson Black Knights for the second time, they suffered their first defeat, losing 58-53. The Lady War Eagles would go on to lose the next two games as well. This proved to be a tough stretch for the team.
Sophomore Bailey Aderhold says, “We didn’t really play as a team. Those games felt like we were all kind of split off on different islands during that.” Coming back from that they had to get used to the tough competition and work on listening to each other. Senior Peyton Spaugh talks more about how they had to work together and how, as the season progressed, they got better at all of that. “We all definitely got better throughout the season. I mean, it’s a maturity level that they have to get used to and learn how to work together.”
Despite these early difficulties, the team managed to bounce back and ended the season with the most wins for women’s basketball in the past eight years of the program. Included among these are several notable conference victories. The Lady War Eagles twice defeated their “across the river” rivals, the West Forsyth Titans, with a final score of 53-47 at the January 23rd home game and 49-42 at the away match on February 6th. Additionally, the women’s team made it to the finals of the CPC 4A tournament (the first time since the 2002–2003 season) with initial victories over Parkland and Reynolds, propelling them to the final round before ultimately finishing second to Mt. Tabor.
With this season in the rearview, the players are looking ahead to what next year will bring. As for the seniors on the team, moving on to college is the next step for many, though not all see basketball in their future. When asked, Spaugh talks about how she does not really see herself playing in college and just doing club basketball. “I want to be able to still have fun because I feel like basketball in high school took up a lot of time, and I want to be able to experience stuff in college.” Basketball is a big part of all of these girls’ lives, and it takes time to learn and grow as a player but also as a student. It is a huge commitment and a lifestyle.
Spaugh also comments on her teammate, fellow senior Malayka Rankin, on her performance and dedication. “She’s definitely been our highest-scoring threat this year and averages the most rebounds. She has a lot of motivation to play, works out all the time, trains all the time, and I think that has helped her a lot to develop over the past couple years.” The whole team works hard and the scrimmages, plus the practices, have been pushing our girls to be their best.
“Don’t let things get to you. Like it’s only one play, one game. You have so many more to come, so just keep pushing through.” said Aderhold.
The start was rough in the summer, with the girls learning each other and the coaches. Their first scrimmages and practices were not going to plan, but they came together to work it out. “I feel like it kind of just brought our spirits down. Coach Adams and Coach Evans had this week where they pushed us really hard so we knew what our limits were and how we could push those limits.” Spaugh says, “We wanted to strive to be better, and they knew that we could do better than how we had been playing.”
In a statement posted on the women’s basketball Instagram page, Coach Lindsey Adams said that the one word that best describes this team this season is “resilient.” She noted that “it didn’t matter what adversity struck; this group found a way to fight and overcome it.”
Thanks to their determination and dedication to the game, they pulled together and have reason to be proud of their accomplishments.
