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The Lady Warriors' eighth-grade team capped off a perfect season with a win over Pickens County in the Mountain Athletic Conference title game last week in Jasper. (Photo/WCMS Athletics)
For a group of White County Middle School girls, the last two years have been nothing short of perfection on the basketball court.
The White County Middle School eighth-grade girl's team wrapped up an unbeaten season last Friday in Jasper, winning the Mountain Athletic Conference championship. The Lady Warriors smacked Pickens County 54-35 in the title game, putting the finishing touches on a 19-0 run this winter.
The league title was the second straight for the majority of the players on the team, as the Lady Warriors claimed the seventh-grade title last winter, finishing unbeaten as well at 16-0.
Members of the team are Maggie Anglin, Madi Black, Paisley Cathey, Makenna Clark, Kiannah Dorsey, Sara Jarrard, Amelia Kennedy, Emma Lightsey, Jada Palumbo, Jenna Pratt, Emily Rhoads, Kylie Watkins, and Mya Yeh.
“It's been a fun two years,” said WCMS head coach Jodie Watkins, who coaches the team along with her husband, Kyle. “This is a special group of girls. They are athletic, they compete. They work hard, and continue to improve and get better. I'm really proud of all they've accomplished.”
According to Watkins, 11 of the players have been in the WCMS program for the past two years, and many of them have been playing together on the travel circuit since fifth and sixth grade. Watkins said the extensive playing schedule has played a crucial role in the players' development.
“It's so important for the to be able to play together,” Watkins said. “They play like a unit now. The trust each other and they are smart. Honestly, they've played so much together, it looks natural on the court now.”
Like every other school around the state, this season was much different because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I think because of the pandemic, some programs got a little stagnant because of not being able to do as much in the summer and fall,” Watkins said. “But these girls showed up and were much improved from last year. We had several girls step up and get better, which gave us more depth and made us a better team overall. They came into the season hungry. They didn't just want to win games, they wanted to put people away early.”
That's exactly what the team did all season, including the league tournament.
In the semifinals, the Lady Warriors jumped out to a 40-16 first half lead on the way to a 60-31 win over Union County.
Yeh paced the early effort with 13 points in the opening half, including hitting a 3-pointer. Kylie Watkins scored eight points in the first half, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Yeh finished the game with a team-high 15 points, while Watkins added 11 points. Lightsey had eight points, Cathey finished with seven, and Palumbo had six. Dorsey scored five points, and Pratt and Jarrard each scored four points.
In the championship game against Pickens County, the Lady Warriors used the same recipe for success, running out to a 15-7 in the first quarter lead on the way to a 54-35 win.
Lightsey hit a pair of 3-pointers in the opening quarter to ignite the early run, with Yeh, Cathey, Watkins, and Palumbo all adding a basket.
The Lady Warriors all but sealed the deal in the second quarter with a 15-4 outburst.
Yeh had seven points, including a 3-pointer, in the spurt, while Pratt, Lightsey, Watkins, and Palumbo all chipped in with a basket.
Yeh finished with 13 points, while Lightsey and Watkins each scored 10 points. Cathey had eight points, Palumbo scored six, Pratt had four, and Clark scored three.
With the White County High School girl's team making a run at a region title this season, the varsity program is obviously in good shape, and Watkins believes this group of middle school players can help keep the keep the program on a high level over the next four years.
“These girls have goals,” Watkins said. “They want to play at the high school level, some of the them want to play in college. They come to practice every day, ready to work, and that won't change when they get to high school. In high school, you want to win a region championship, get to the state tournament, and maybe, win a state championship. That's a goal they have, and if they are willing to keep working, get better individually and as a team, they might be able to make it happen.”
7th grade tourney
The season came to an end for the WCMS seventh-grade during the opening round of play at the MAC tournament in Jasper, as the Lady Warriors, the No. 6 seed, dropped a decision to Fannin County.
Members of the seventh-grade team are Elle Abernathy, Matelyn Allison, Sophia Butcher, Anna Kate DeFoor, Madison Evans, Madelyn Hall, Summer Hardy, Asia Moss, Tyla Nix, Olyvia Owens, Caroline Tatum, Jordan Warthen, and Cooper Weaver.