High school athletics just ended the first of two weeklong NCHSAA-mandated dead periods scheduled for July, but June was a busy month for local basketball teams.
Both the Freedom boys and girls programs attended college team camps, as did the Freedom boys, and both Freedom teams plus the EB and Patton girls also hosted either individual scrimmage events or team camps.
Coming off a first-ever trip to the state championship game, the EB girls toured the state. Head coach Crystal Bartlett said the Lady Cavaliers attended college camps at Appalachian State, High Point, and Mars Hill in addition to the NC LIVE team camp near Winston-Salem.
EB also participated in several high school scrimmages, including hosting one which Draughn also attended.
The Lady Cavs will bring back leading scorers Braelyn Stilwell, the conference and county player of the year, and Kara Brinkley, who’s receiving major recruiting attention this offseason.
But next year’s other starters will be new.
“We have played a lot of games this summer and that experience is huge for all our newcomers. With the loss of three starters, our team is learning how to play together and learning our offense and defensive schemes,” Bartlett said. “At times due to injuries we have been short on players, but those that are playing are giving great effort through long minutes of play. We have faced a lot of tough competition and have competed well. Within all aspects of the team, we are learning to play together and understanding that competing hard and having fun is our top priority.
“Our younger players have done well, and if they continue to improve, we will have more depth than in the past. … The players are all in on team first and supporting each other.”
Coach Amber Reddick’s Freedom girls have been racking up miles this summer as well. The Lady Patriots first attended Davidson College team camp on June 10.
“The camp was run by (Davidson) head coach Gayle Fulks and her staff and players,” Reddick said. “They put our players through a college-style workout. I think it is good for players to get other experiences and hear other voices and coaches, so we were excited to take them to a camp that was outside the box from most team camps where you only play games.”
Freedom then also attended NC LIVE camp on June 13-14.
“That is the only time college coaches can be out recruiting in June, so it's great exposure for our team,” noted Reddick. “Plus, spending the night in a hotel and going out to eat is always a fun bonding experience for the team. We played Southeast Alamance, Rockingham County, South Mecklenburg, and North Mecklenburg. We were competitive in all our games against very competitive squads.”
FHS then finished its summer workouts by hosting a three-team scrimmage against Foard and East Rutherford on June 26. Reddick says she has “been very happy with how far we have come as a team this summer,” as the Lady Patriots seek to replace the loss of their first starter in two years (Sydnie Demiter).
Among FHS' key returners is rising senior guard Peyton Caldwell, who averaged 22.5 points per game in a sensational junior campaign.
“(The home scrimmage event) was definitely the most gelled we have played yet,” she said. “Peyton continues to be a solid force for us all-around. She scored inside and out, but I have been very happy with how far she has come defensively this summer as well. She led the team in charges drawn this summer and had one game where she drew three.
“Haven Gladden shot the ball well for us this summer. Ava Cooke and Kaitlyn Hagmann are stepping into much bigger roles for us on the team, as are Cynica Caldwell and Alayhia Bates. We have also seen a lot of improvement in Simone Wright. We are also very excited to get JJ Johnson back in the fall after rehabbing a torn ACL.”
The Freedom boys hosted East Rutherford in a scrimmage and visited T.C. Roberson for a scrimmage, and head coach Clint Zimmerman said JV coach Chip Lewis took a younger group of Patriot players to Catawba College’s team camp.
The Patriots are coming off a season in which they lost leading scorer Amore Connelly early in the season and starter Kayden Lytle late in the season, both for non-injury related reasons, but still won their state playoff opener.
“We've had a productive summer to this point,” Zimmerman said. “We went four days a week on the court and in the weight room and played a couple games. We saw a lot of individual growth and worked towards developing what we hope will be our identity. Our guys have been very dedicated and worked really hard on their bodies and our team chemistry.”
Under new coach Dax Bostian, the Patton boys scrimmaged East Burke and Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy in addition to attending team camp at Maiden.
"We didn't play quite as much as in the past (summers)," said Bostian, an assistant coach the last few years who is a former PHS standout player.
"We graduated nine seniors, so with a bunch of younger guys, you want to get them in the weight room, get them adjusted to high school basketball and not throw too much out there at them. Our goal for the summer was to get our guys acclimated to what we do offensively and defensively."
Bostian said the team's physicality was impressive, noting that communication needs some work still.
"But you don't win in the summer, you just set the foundation, and I liked where we finished up (in June)," he added. "I was very impressed with the guys' physicality and how hard they played, and we got better every day in those aspects. That kind of thing is hard to coach if a player doesn't have it. ... There's a lot to learn, but when you start with showing no fear and coming in scrapping and fighting like our guys were, that's what I enjoyed."
The EB boys elected on no team camps this summer, head coach Jerome Ramsey said.
“We decided to goal it back a little and just work on individual skill. Trying to get up a lot of shots,” he said.
The Cavaliers did face Patton and South Caldwell in scrimmages.
“Those went well,” Ramsey added. “We didn't have everyone, but I'm proud of the effort of the guys who were there. They played really tough. We're gonna be a brand new team. I'm really excited about what this team can do if we keep listening and playing together.”
The Patton girls hosted Draughn plus McDowell, Newton-Conover, Hibriten, Bunker Hill, Erwin, South Caldwell, Burns, Maiden, North Buncombe, Hickory, Mitchell, and Mountain Heritage in a two-day, 34-scrimmage event using both the PHS main and auxiliary gyms during the last week of June.
“Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for our annual summer jamboree,” Lady Panthers coach Autumn Helms posted on the team’s official Facebook page. “A special shout-out to the coaches and teams for being a part of the event. Thank you to our athletic training staff for covering our event. A big thanks to (our boys) basketball team for their assistance with the score clocks and to the booster club for managing the concession stand. Your support and hard work made this year’s jamboree a fantastic success.”
Draughn's girls coach, Liz Taylor, said the scrimmages at EB and Patton "have been good opportunities to see where our strengths are and also where we need to grow."
Practices for the 2024-25 prep hoops season get underway across the state on Oct. 30, with the first contest date set for no earlier than Nov. 15.
Paul Schenkel can be reached at 828-445-8595 or paul@thepaper.media.
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