Girls’ basketball heat check

Last week I gave you the ‘full-court press’ heat check of local boys’ basketball action, and now it’s the girls’ teams’ turn. There have been statement wins, blowout losses, and more, so I’m here to break everything down and give you my thoughts on the action so far and what’s to come.

Clinton

After starting 0-2 at the hands of East Bladen and East Duplin, the Lady Horses have mounted up and won five straight — four of which have been massive victories. They handed Hobbton, South Lenoir (the first time), Princeton, and South Lenoir (the second time) final scores of 66-6, 65-11, 63-16, and 56-14, respectively. Their closest win was last Friday versus James Kenan, by a final score of 55-52.

Rubi Davila, Phoenix Everett, and Ciara Stuart lead the pack for Clinton, as they each average over 10 points a contest. Davila has earned her points while shooting 56 percent from the field; Everett is shooting 48 percent. Stuart is 35 percent from the field. Collectively, the Lady Horses are out-pacing their opponents 387-212 thus far.

Harrells

The Lady Crusaders are off to a rocky start thus far, owning a 1-9 record at this point. Their lone win came on Nov. 18 in a 25-22 victory over Living Water Christian. They’re currently being outscored 504-178 along the way.

While statistics aren’t readily available, I have seen them in action. I watched their home game against Cape Fear Academy last week, so I have firsthand analytics of everything I saw.

Ball control and press-break are two things that have stopped the Lady Crusaders a lot. When the Hurricanes put the full-court press on them last week, they were stuck scrambling. This caused a lot of turnovers and unforced errors, as the defense was all-but-dizzying for Harrells.

But, I think they can correct course and turn things around — especially after a long break for the holidays.

Hobbton

The Lady Wildcats are also a team that has seen some early-season struggles — their season opener was a 66-6 loss to Clinton. They’ve also lost, 55-22, to Midway and 60-14 to Princeton. However, they did beat Jones Senior, 48-44, on Dec. 6, and they currently are holding onto a 1-3 record.

They have a rematch with Jones on the schedule for Jan. 10, plus they still play Rosewood twice — a team that they could and should easily beat. There are at least three more winnable games for Hobbton. I’m not saying they can’t win any of the others they play — because they certainly can — but these are the ones that jump out as sure-fire wins if the Lady ‘Cats play to their full potential.

Lakewood

Lakewood has come out of the gate swinging thus far. Their season, along with the boys’ team, was delayed because of the football team making such a deep run in the playoffs.

This apparently didn’t faze them much, and they’re enjoying a flawless 2-0 record, beating Midway and Red Springs in their first two. Freshman Areona McKoy is making waves with her 21.5 point-per-game average on 48 percent field goal percentage for the Lady Leopards, and teammate Jahmai Rich is doing her share with 7.5 rebounds per contest. McKoy also has eight steals a game, which is surely helping on both ends of the court.

I’ll call my shot early here and say that Lakewood wins the Carolina 1A. Yes, I’m aware of Neuse Charter’s record. I’ll still take the Lady Leopards at the end of the season.

Midway

In opposing fashion to how Clinton started its season, Midway won their first four and have dropped three straight since. One of their wins was a nail-biter against Princeton on Dec. 3, which they won by just a point, 43-42. That could have interrupted their winning streak to open the season had it went the other way.

The Lady Raiders’ game seems to run through the front court, which warms my heart as a washed-up wannabe power forward. Just like I have a soft spot for linemen in football, I also have one for the front court in basketball. Peyton Herring plays the power forward and center positions and averages 11.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Kyleigh Stonerock, who plays the power forward and small forward positions, grabs 9.5 rebounds a game as well.

They could put up a serious fight in the SAC-6 this season. Watch out for the Lady Raiders of Midway.

Mintz

The 3-0 Lady Lions are on a roll right now, and they don’t seem to be looking back. Their opening game against Columbus Christian was an absolute throttling, ending with a final score of 50-4. A close call with Mullins Marion on Dec. 5 scared them a little bit, as they narrowly escaped with a 48-47 victory.

Their schedule is light this season, but don’t let that fool you — they are a good squad of basketball players ready to hang with the best of them. Just two seniors are on the team this year, and the rest is filled out with a mix of freshmen, sophomores, and even eighth graders.

Union

The Lady Spartans found themselves in the win column earlier this season, when they beat Jones Senior, 50-28, on Dec. 5. They showed promise and fight along the way under head coach Mark Oates, who is also at the helm of the football team.

Junior Zadariyah Faison is the leading producer for Union, as she’s grabbing 17.4 points per game on 38 percent from the field. She also leads the Lady Spartans with 73 percent from the free throw line and 35 percent from beyond the arc. Teammate Ahleeyah Richardson is doing her part with 46 percent field goal shooting and 6.8 rebounds a game.

Union could give many teams trouble throughout the season this year, especially as the season progresses. Look for the Lady Spartans to play spoiler at the most inopportune time.