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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

The season opener for the Davie girls basketball team wasn’t a dud – it scored 57 points and sliced a 17-point deficit to four – but it wasn’t a success, either.
The War Eagles were drooling as their first game approached, but a 66-57 loss at Alexander Central on Nov. 22 was a hit to their vibes.
Although it was a letdown in the wake of a hyped preseason, it was the kind of opponent Davie needed to face. Alexander Central is a program that’s had juice for years, illustrated by their 23-5, 20-8 and 22-7 records the past three years.
“I think we battled adversity a lot,” coach Lindsey Adams said. “To be down by 17 with a young team and still be able to fight back gives us hope that this team can be something special.”
The difference: The Cougars outscored Davie 33-15 from the 3-point line. They went on a 5-for-7 tear from deep to carve out a 27-10 lead.
“It wasn’t the offense I was disappointed in,” Adams said. “We put up 57 points even though we did not look the greatest on offense. But we had miscommunications on defense. When I point out the shooters, that means they can shoot three or four feet behind the (3-point) line. You cannot help off shooters or they’re going to get their shots off.”
Give Davie credit for fighting back. Madison Daugherty and Bailey Aderhold banged 3s, Makenzie Gentry drove for two and Vivian Vaughters scored inside during a 13-2 run that pulled Davie within 29-23.
When Avarie Martin and Emmie Burris scored six points, the War Eagles were down 39-35 in the third quarter.
Alas, Central went on another 3-point barrage. It made 4 of 5 triples to push the margin to 51-37. Down the stretch, eight was as close as Davie could get at 51-43 and 54-46.
“A shooter means you have to be out there and push her off the line,” Adams said. “It was just a learning moment for them that I think they had to go through.”
Burris paced Davie with 13 points to go with four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Martin and Aderhold had 12 and nine points, respectively. Freshman Gracie Shore had five points and four assists. Vaughters had six points, five rebounds and went 4-4 from the foul line.
Notes: Central has defeated Davie four straight times, but the gap is closing. The previous three meetings: 69-37, 56-20 and 55-44 last year. … Davie shot just 29 percent from the floor but hung around by hitting 20 of 28 free throws. … Central, which shot 38 percent overall, went 11 of 27 from long range.
AC 66, Davie 57 – Emmie Burris 13, Avarie Martin 12, Bailey Aderhold 9, Makenzie Gentry 7, Vivian Vaughters 6, Gracie Shore 5, Madison Daugherty 3, Londyn McDowell 2.