Freedom’s Caldwell signs with Mars Hill for basketball

One of the most prolific scorers in the history of Burke County high school basketball has made her college plans official.

Freedom senior Peyton Caldwell signed her letter of intent on Wednesday to play for Mars Hill University, meaning the 5-foot-8 guard will continue her hoops career approximately 70 miles away from where she has starred over the past four years.

Third on the Lady Patriots’ all-time scoring list behind Ali Ford (2,502 points) and Ariyana Williams (2,002), Caldwell finished with 1,807 points in her prep career. She also ranks fourth all-time among the county’s girls basketball players, with only Ford, Williams, and fellow senior Braelyn Stilwell of East Burke (2,301) having scored more points than her.

Caldwell’s play as a senior was particularly noteworthy, as she posted career highs in points (county-high 24.2), rebounds (6.2), and assists per game (2.7) while equaling her career-best steals per game average from her junior season (2.4). Her shooting percentages — 45% from the field, 35% from 3-point range, and 78% at the free-throw line — were all career highs as well.

Not only that, but Caldwell — who was named to the All-District 10 first team for the second straight year, to the All-Northwestern 3A/4A Conference team for the third consecutive year, and to The Paper’s all-county first team for the second year in a row in addition to landing on HighSchoolOT.com’s all-state third team — surpassed the 30-point mark in seven of her final eight games, highlighted by a career-best 41-point performance in a 69-62 home win over Ashbrook in the first round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3A state playoffs. Thanks to her efforts, Freedom won a playoff game for the 19th season in a row.

“I think what was amazing was how she was able to shoulder so much of our offense for such an extended period of time,” Freedom coach Amber Reddick said of Caldwell, who was the Lady Pats’ leading scorer in all 27 games this past winter and who will play in the North Carolina Coaches Association’s 50th annual East-West All-Star Game in July after already playing in the WNC All-Star Game in March. “I mean, by the time her senior year rolled around, it wasn’t like she was a secret anymore. Everybody knew about her and everybody was trying to figure out ways to stop her … and so for her to continue to sustain what she was able to do for us for years but especially for her senior year, I think it was nothing short of amazing.”

“I grew a lot from my freshman year, improving on a lot of stuff,” added Caldwell, who chose Mars Hill due to a variety of factors, including the coaching staff, the “welcoming” nature of the players she met during her visit, and the campus itself. She is also excited about playing close to home.

“I think it’ll be a great fit for her,” said Reddick, who has known the Lions’ head coach, Emry Tsitouris, for several years. “She’s (Tsitouris) really doing a lot for that program right now, and I think her style of play and her personality is a great fit for Peyton. … And Peyton’s really close with her family, it’s not so far away that they can’t see her play all the time, so I think it’s gonna be wonderful.”

Caldwell plans to major in physical therapy or a similar field, and she has been dreaming about playing basketball at the college level for many years. She began participating in the sport in third grade.

Having her family’s support has been huge for Caldwell over the years, and she has enjoyed “playing the game with my team, practicing with them, and all of the team bonding experiences” during her time at Freedom.

Reddick pointed out that Caldwell thrives on competition and is never “afraid to take big shots and make big plays.”

“She’s never shied away from that,” said Reddick, “and we’ve really from her sophomore year on asked her to step up and do that. But the other thing that stands out to me is how humble of a teammate she is, and I think that’s why all the girls on the team adore her. There was never any jealousy or things like that because she’s a very humble, lead-by-example person, and that makes her fun to be around. There’s just no ego to her.”

Mars Hill posted a 17-12 overall record during the 2024-25 season, Tsitouris’ third at the helm. The Lions also finished 14-10 in NCAA Division II South Atlantic Conference play.