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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

Reagan put the Davie varsity girls basketball team in a 20-12 hole. Three nights later, Davie was behind 35-25 at Mt. Tabor.
The War Eagles did not flinch either time. They showed resolve and earned two gritty wins to stay in a tie for first place in the CPC.
“The girls are really maturing,” coach Lindsey Adams said. “I think early in the season we would have lost this game (at Tabor) and we would have lost Tuesday’s game at Reagan. Instead of choking under the pressure, they’ve thrived in it.”
Davie 57, Reagan 48
The Raiders mounted leads of 8-3, 15-8 and 20-12. But when it was over, Davie was all smiles, thanks in large part to a 12-0 run to end the first half.
Avarie Martin, Bailey Aderhold and Makenzie Gentry made plays during the game-turning run that gave Davie a 24-20 halftime lead.
Stopping Reagan’s six-game winning streak was a terrific response after a heartbreaking 35-33 loss to East Forsyth four days earlier.
“I talked to the girls a lot about being able to take accountability,” Adams said. “When we were watching film on Monday, I told them I take some accountability for the loss against East because I felt like I was too complacent as a coach to not sub and trust other players and give them opportunities when our starting five isn’t producing. So I told them that wouldn’t happen again. And my subs proved themselves. When we got down and some of our players weren’t producing, I did sub and that is how we came back.”
In the third, Davie drew inspiration from Vivian Vaughters, who scored twice while getting fouled. Two Gracie Shore free throws and a steal/layup by Emmie Burris provided seven-point leads at 42-35 and 46-39.
When Reagan rallied within 46-44, it was a gut-check moment for Davie. The visitors stayed in control when Burris threw an inbound pass to Londyn McDowell, who converted in the paint.
Reagan pulled within 49-46, but Martin made sure it got no closer. She snatched an offensive rebound, was fouled going up and hit both free throws. Moments later, she did the exact same thing to put the Raiders away.
Martin had a monster game with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
“Luckily for her, she was a post player before she was a guard, so I told her to go back inside,” Adams said. “She tried to do that against East Forsyth, but we couldn’t get a call and it just wouldn’t go in. I told her like to keep attacking the boards; they can’t defend you in the paint.”
Vaughters stepped up in a significant way. After coming in with a 3.7 scoring average, she went for 16 points by drilling 8 of 10 free throws. The sophomore’s previous varsity high was 10 on two occasions.
“Vivian was our Team Grundy of the night,” Adams said. “It’s a team award we give. She does a lot of things defensively. She disrupts the other team’s offense. Since she’s come back from her injury, she really hasn’t had a good offensive game. Her offense just hadn’t really been flowing for her, but it finally all fell into place.”
Shore, the freshman point guard, keeps getting better, as her 10 points, eight rebounds and 4-for-4 foul shooting attest.
“She’s small but she has a big heart,” Adams said. “It’s 80 percent just want-to and the will to go get it. She’s not afraid. She weasels her way in there and she’s just a magnet to the ball when it comes off the rim.”
Gentry was big factor with eight points and seven boards. Lexi Mickey (four rebounds) and Burris (three assists) played supporting roles.
“Makenzie’s been big,” Adams said. “Seeing her be able to put together a complete game is nice to see. Lexi did not have a lot of points, but she was huge on the boards. Londyn was big on the boards and took a huge charge. Olivia Smith’s basketball IQ and her length disrupts a lot.”
Notes: Reagan (12-6) showed considerably more resistance than the first meeting, when Davie steamrolled the Raiders 59-23 on Dec. 10. … Davie was outshot but made up for it by killing Reagan on the boards. Davie shot 29 percent to Reagan’s 35, but Davie attempted 21 more shots.
Davie 66, Tabor 56
The Spartans thumped Davie in the 2024 CPC Tournament final. They outlasted Davie 53-50 on Jan. 3, when 6-0 senior Shaymiah Bailey pounded out 22 points. They had turned back Davie five consecutive times.
But the streak ended Friday in Winston-Salem. After trailing by seven at halftime, Davie was almost flawless in the second half as it stayed in a three-way tie for first. The week began with Davie, East and Reagan knotted up at 8-2.
The key to the win was slowing down the 2024 CPC Player of the Year. Bailey, who came in averaging 19 points, was held to 10 as Vaughters displayed impressive defensive chops.
“I knew we’d get them, it was just a matter of when,” Adams said. “But I knew it would feel better doing it with (Bailey) still on the team.
“Vivian did a heck of a job on (Bailey). I mean, the girl averages 20 points and 14 rebounds. Viv did a phenomenal job on her.”
The Spartans hit 4 of their first 5 shots. Later in the first half, they drained four straight field goals. They buried 5 of their first 11 3-point tries. Meanwhile, Davie missed 13 of its first 17 shots. The only reason the halftime deficit wasn’t greater is Davie hit 13 free throws.
“They had never hit 3s like that,” Adams said. “We couldn’t match their 3-point play. We just couldn’t buy a basket.”
It’s impossible to be unimpressed with Shore. She swung the momentum with a nine-point third. After scoring on a pair of drives, she hit two free throws. Then she got a steal and an old-fashioned three-point play. That and-one triggered an 11-0 run. Gentry went nuts during this time. She scored inside. With Davie pressing fullcourt, Gentry stole a pass and finished with a layup. Vaughters turned a steal into a layup. Martin rebounded a Davie miss and stuck it in. Gentry capped the run by intercepting a pass and scoring as she was fouled.
When the dust settled, Davie had a 54-49 lead. What a second half it was for the War Eagles, who shot 54 percent (13-24) in the final two quarters.
“Everybody kept their composure, and that’s really hard to do with 14- and 15-year-olds in a big-game atmosphere,” Adams said. “We’ve seen them mature the past two games. They’re playing with confidence at the end of the game.”
Shore was brilliant, scoring a season-high 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with five assists and five steals. She hit her last six free throws.
“They were playing the pass with Gracie,” Adams said. “They were leaving the middle of the floor open because they kept thinking that she was going to reverse the ball. I said: ‘Don’t reverse it. Attack, attack, attack.’ That’s just what she did. She does so much.”
How about Vaughters? She was a big asset when she was averaging 3.7 points because of her suffocating defense. Now she’s doing major work on both ends, including 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting at Tabor. She also controlled seven rebounds. Martin was efficient from the line (5 of 6) on the way to 13 points.
Davie can beat you in multiple ways. Gentry took over in the fourth to finish with eight points and a jaw-dropping 10 steals.
“Kenzie was on fire,” Adams said. “She showed up big. You’ve got to have a deep bench if you want to go far in a state playoffs. It’s really hard to beat a team when you never know who’s on, and Kenzie’s been a huge spark. At the beginning of the year, I said she’s just going to be an X factor.”
Notes: Tabor fell to 5-14, while Davie improved to 13-6. … The War Eagles managed to win despite getting outscored by 24 points from the 3-point line. While Davie went 0 of 11 from deep, Tabor went 8 of 18. Davie compensated with 23-of-32 foul shooting.
Davie 57, Reagan 48 – Avarie Martin 17, Vivian Vaughters 16, Gracie Shore 10, Makenzie Gentry 8, Bailey Aderhold 3, Londyn McDowell 2, Lexi Mickey 1.
Davie 66, Tabor 56 – Gracie Shore 16, Vivian Vaughters 15, Avarie Martin 13, Makenzie Gentry 8, Emmie Burris 6, Madison Daugherty 4, Bailey Aderhold 3, Londyn McDowell 1.