There hasn’t been much drama in the Freedom girls basketball team’s lengthy streak of NCHSAA first-round state playoff wins.
And this year’s No. 8 seed Lady Patriots seemed destined for another lopsided victory when they surged to a 15-point lead over visiting No. 25 Ashbrook midway through the third period on Tuesday night.
But Freedom had to fight major foul trouble to survive for a 69-62 triumph in which the Lady Green Wave cut the margin to one point in the final minute.
It marked the 19th consecutive season (and 16th straight at the 3A classification) under coach Amber Reddick in which the Lady Patriots have advanced past the first round. The streak is now older than any player on the FHS team.
“I think it’s a credit to the coaching staff and the preparation that goes into each game every night,” Reddick said, “but also the players, the prep work they put in, going over scouting reports, coming in early and staying late. You just have to credit that kind of dedication and the tradition that really is the backbone of this program.”
“We’re just keeping the tradition going and playing hard,” added Freedom senior leading scorer Peyton Caldwell, who poured in a new career-high 41 points to go with 11 rebounds.
With starter Ava Cooke fouling out with more than 7 minutes left, Caldwell picked up her fourth foul less than a minute later with Freedom ahead 54-44.
Ashbrook outscored Freedom 5-0 until Caldwell returned after a short stay on the bench.
“It was a nervous moment for us, and credit to the rest of the team,” Reddick said. “We survived those few minutes without her and did some good things, got some big stops when we needed them. I was proud of them. But it felt good to get Peyton back on the floor the way she was playing for sure.”
Freedom (15-11) never trailed in the contest, pushing a five-point lead after one to quarter to nine points by halftime and leading by as much as 14. A Caldwell basket made it 42-27 with 5:15 left in the third period, Freedom’s largest lead all night, and it was still 52-39 late in the third on Caldwell’s only 3 of the game, which was the team’s fifth and final one.
After Ashbrook came roaring back at 54-49, Caldwell re-entered and made three consecutive Freedom field goals, then drained 7 of 8 free throws to put the game away as she scored 13 straight FHS points down the stretch.
She shared a hug, laugh, and apparent sense of relief with fellow senior guard Haven Gladden at midcourt as Alayhia Bates was making the free throws to represent the final margin with 9 seconds remaining.
Prior to the game, Freedom only had three single-digit wins in the streak: in 2008 against Northwest Guilford, in 2012 against Foard, and last season at North Davidson, when Caldwell scored a then career-high 38 points. She had just scored 40 points against South Caldwell on Feb. 4, and her total Tuesday night was two points off the program record.
“I knew when I got back in the game, I had to be smart,” Caldwell said. “I was confident in my teammates that they would keep getting me the ball and we were going to be OK. I knew I had to keep driving because they were pressing up (on defense).”
Gladden added eight points, five rebounds, and six assists, Kaitlyn Hagmann posted seven points and five rebounds, Cooke had six points and six rebounds, and Cynica Caldwell scored five points.
Ashbrook drained six second-half 3-pointers in its rally to stay close. Freshman Jakyra Sadler scored 20 points to lead three players in double figures for the Lady Green Wave, who were playing Freedom for the first time since the 2016 West Regional final.
Freedom next hosts No. 24 seed Greensboro Dudley (15-9) at 6 p.m. on Friday in the second round.
Lady Cavs storm to opening-round win
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East Burke’s Journi McDowell pulls up for a jumper during a CVAC
2A tournament contest in Icard last week. The Lady Cavaliers
stormed their way into the second round with a 40-point win on
Tuesday night.
JJAMES LYNCH JR. / THE PAPER
Braelyn Stilwell and Kara Brinkley each finished with 20-plus points as the second-seeded East Burke girls (27-1) rolled past No. 31 seed West Davidson by a 69-29 score in the opening round of the 2A state playoffs on Tuesday in Icard.
The victory was the 48th consecutive home win for the Lady Cavaliers dating back to February 2022, and they are guaranteed to remain at home through the fourth round as long as they keep winning. EB hosts 15th-seeded Randleman (16-10) in the second round on Friday at 7 p.m.
“We’ve got the best support system around, I think. Our crowd is always big,” EB coach Crystal Bartlett said. “I mean, on a Tuesday night and with our boys traveling, to have our side full means a lot. Our girls play well off that energy too, and we look forward to it and can hopefully get bigger crowds as we go.”
Tuesday’s game was never in doubt, as EB led 29-4 after the first quarter and 46-9 at the half before stretching its lead to more than 40 points in the third period, which brought a running clock into effect for the rest of the contest. The score was 64-17 through three quarters before the Lady Dragons outscored the Lady Cavs 12-5 in the final frame.
Stilwell led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and she also knocked down her only free throw attempt. The senior point guard also paced the Lady Cavs in steals (10), rebounds (eight), and assists (seven).
Brinkley added 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting, and she was a perfect 7-of-7 from inside the arc. The junior wing also had five rebounds, three steals, and a block.
Addie Brittain (four steals), Macy McNeil, and Journi McDowell each chipped in seven points for the Lady Cavs, who made 19 of the 24 2-point shots they attempted, totaled 19 assists on 28 made field goals, and finished with 22 steals. Meanwhile, Kendall McFalls (three points), Addison Sisk (two points, five rebounds), and Arie Williamson (two points) did the rest of the scoring for EB.
“I thought we did a good job on defense starting off, limiting them to what they could do and then getting some easy layups off our press,” said Bartlett. “Not having (junior guard) Anna (Coble), one of our starters, is going to hurt us sometimes, but we’re lucky that we’ve got a good, rounded team. Journi was sick yesterday, wasn’t at practice, so that’s why she didn’t start, but I thought she came in and even with her being sick she’s still giving us everything she has.
“The girls did a good job on defense containing them, making them shoot it from the outside, and boxed out pretty well. The biggest thing we’ve got to do is just keep playing hard and keep working on some things, fine-tuning some things that we still need to make sure we’re good on as far as execution on defense and offense. But other than that, their effort’s there and I’m proud of them.”
West Davidson’s leading scorer was Taylor Prince with seven points, while Wyatt Cooper, Kyler Nelson, and Meghan Leonard each tallied six.
Patriot boys ousted by familiar foe
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Freedom’s Daivyon Feaster-Hicks (24) goes up strong for a
rebound during Tuesday’s home first-round playoff game against
Northwest Cabarrus.
JAMES LYNCH JR. photos / THE PAPER
The No. 7 seed Freedom boys never led Tuesday night in the first round of the 3A state playoffs as they lost to No. 26 Northwest Cabarrus at home by a 72-54 score.
Last week’s conference tournament champion Patriots (20-7) trailed 12-3 early and never got closer than five points behind the rest of the way. Freedom trailed as much as 39-19 with 4:50 left in the third quarter but got things back to single digits when Amore Connelly’s four-point play made it 43-34.
With FHS pressing fullcourt in an effort to come back, Connelly’s steal and dunk trimmed it to 54-46. Later out of a timeout, Kaden Davis’ drive and three-point play got Freedom within 58-49, but it would get no closer as Northwest Cabarrus ended FHS’ season in Morganton for a second time in three seasons.
Freedom was denied a fourth consecutive season with a first-round win and hasn’t advanced past round two since 2020.
Connelly scored 26 points and added 12 rebounds and five steals. Sophomore guard King Johnson was the only other FHS player in double figures with 12 points, and Kobe Johnson (five rebounds) and Daivyon Feaster-Hicks (seven rebounds, two blocks) both scored four.
Anderson Lee netted a game-high 27 points for Northwest Cabarrus.
East Burke boys falter in 2nd half
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East Burke’s Jay Dixon shoots from long range during a recent
home game. The No. 25 seed Cavaliers played Monroe tough in an
eight-point, season-ending loss on Tuesday.
JAMES LYNCH JR. / THE PAPER
The 25th-seeded East Burke boys (11-15) led at the end of each of the first two quarters before No. 8 seed Monroe rallied past the visiting Cavaliers for a 54-46 victory in the opening round of the 2A state playoffs on Tuesday.
EB jumped out to an 11-4 advantage after the first quarter and was up 20-19 at halftime before being outscored 18-16 in the third period and 17-10 in the fourth. Nevertheless, the Cavs got 11 points and four assists from Owen Hartmann to go with nine points, six rebounds, and three blocks from Barger Shook.
Jay Dixon added eight points for EB, which also received seven points, five boards, and two steals from Dautry Ragle. On the other side, the Redhawks were led by Bryson Simpkins’ 21-point, seven-rebound effort.
Tuesday’s contest represented the Cavs’ first playoff game since 2020, while their last postseason victory was an 87-68 home win over T.W. Andrews in the opening round in 2016.
Draughn girls fall at Queen’s Grant
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Draughn’s Mati Kincaid goes up for a shot during a home game
earlier this season. The Lady Wildcats qualified for the playoffs
for a fourth straight year and improved their win total by four
this season but fell in round one at Queen’s Grant on Tuesday.
JAMES LYNCH JR. / THE PAPER
After winning nine games a year ago, the Draughn girls (13-13) improved their win total by four this winter. However, the 24th-seeded Lady Wildcats ultimately completed the season with a 78-53 loss at the hands of ninth-seeded Queen’s Grant in the first round of the 1A state playoffs on Tuesday in Matthews.
The Lady Stallions put three players in double figures, led by 40 points from freshman Za’Miya Bynum. They also got 18 points apiece from Misa Garris and Casey Smith.
As for Draughn, which has no seniors on its roster, its leading scorer was Jacey Davis with 16 points. Furthermore, the Lady Wildcats received 10 points from Kenley Berry, nine from Taylor Holder, eight from Mati Kincaid, and six from Makenzie Powell.
Draughn trailed 31-13 after the first quarter and 50-25 at halftime before winning the third quarter by a 15-12 margin and being outscored 16-13 in the final period.
