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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

Nobody is chicken-counting this early in the CPC race, but the Davie varsity girls basketball team was feeling awfully good when it left Kernersville on Friday night.
The War Eagles, who are seeking their first championship since 2003, are 2-0 in the CPC for just the second time in 29 years. At 5-2 overall, they are off to their best start in 10 years. (The 2014-15 team also started 5-2, 2-0.)
“That was definitely a ‘championship’ game tonight,” coach Lindsey Adams said after key win at East Forsyth.
Davie 59, Reagan 23
In the league opener at home on Dec. 10, Davie played hellacious defense in a 36-point decimation of the Raiders, who shot 19 percent (9 of 46) and committed 30 turnovers.
The War Eagles delivered a quick knockout. They scored on a Gracie Shore-to-Bailey Aderhold fast break. Aderhold drained a pair of 3-pointers, both assisted by Shore. Shore had a steal/layup. Londyn McDowell scored inside. Madison Daugherty drilled Davie’s third 3 of the first quarter as the War Eagles burst to a 17-4 lead.
Avarie Martin went 7 for 7 from the line and scored a season-high 17 points – her sixth game in double figure in as many tries. McDowell matched her season high with 10 points. Aderhold had 10 points, five steals, four rebounds and two assists. Shore filled up the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. Makenzie Gentry contributed eight points. Olivia Smith didn’t score but provided four assists and four rebounds.
Even though Davie crushed Reagan (4-3) after losing 10 of the previous 11 meetings, Adams wasn’t completely satisfied with the performance.
“We are going to have to toughen up because I think Reagan outrebounded us in one quarter,” she said. “I was pretty (upset) about that. I said: ‘If y’all can’t box out Reagan, you sure as heck are not boxing out East Forsyth.’”
An injury put a damper on the win. Vivian Vaughters, the defensive demon, pulled a hamstring less than two minutes into the game and was helped off the court by assistant coach Debbie Evans.
“I think she pulled her hamstring or had a slight tear,” Adams said. “It did not tear completely, but she injured it pretty good. We’re looking at 2-3 weeks of her being out. We don’t want to rush it, it completely tear and then she would be out 6-8 weeks.”
Davie 52, East 46
East Forsyth rolled to a 12-1 lead in the first quarter in Kernersville on Dec. 13, but the War Eagles were unfazed. They righted the ship and pulled off a blockbuster win.
“I think it will come down to us (Davie and East) to be the top team in the conference,” Adams said.
East (3-3) hit 5 of its first 6 shots to build the 12-1 lead. After missing its first four shots, Shore got Davie’s first field goal with a driving layup. When McDowell hit a pair at the line, Davie had its first lead at 18-17. Lexi Mickey’s 2-for-2 foul shots capped the 25-9 run that gave Davie a 26-21 lead late in the first half.
“I did not call a timeout (when it was 12-1) because calling a timeout with a group this young might have gotten in their head,” Adams said. “So I just let them play through it. Then we started chipping away one stop at a time.”
In the fourth quarter, Mya Booth’s fifth triple of the game cut Davie’s lead to 43-40.
“She had not hit a 3 all year up until they played us,” Adams said, shaking her head.
But heroics by Gentry extended Davie’s winning streak to four. She went 2 for 2 from the line to match Davie’s biggest lead at 47-40. With Davie clinging to a 47-44 lead, Gentry drained a pair of free throws with 26 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession, Gentry picked a ball handler’s pocket and dashed the other way for two that put the game out of reach at 51-44.
“MaKenzie has ice in her veins,” Adams said. “She doesn’t care about much; she just wants to win the ballgame. She is just a gamer – whatever it takes to win.
“We had two fouls to give and I looked at MaKenzie and said: ‘Gamble, go for the steal.’”
Shore had a season-high 13 points while hitting 5 of 7 field goals. Martin (13 points, 10 rebounds) posted a double-double. Gentry provided 10 points, seven rebounds and four steals. McDowell had seven points and five boards.
“A lot of good things happened at the right times,” Adams said.
The freshman point guard is getting better every day.
“She’s got so much potential,” Adams said of Shore. “She hasn’t even scratched the surface. She has a high IQ. At the beginning of the season, a lot of her turnovers were coming because she’s so unselfish. Now she’s looking to score and pass and it’s becoming more fluid.”
Davie 59, Reagan 23 – Avarie Martin 17, Londyn McDowell 10, Bailey Aderhold 10, Gracie Shore 8, Makenzie Gentry 8, Madison Daugherty 3, Emmie Burris 2, Lexi Mickey 1.
Davie 52, E. Forsyth 46 – Gracie Shore 13, Avarie Martin 13, Makenzie Gentry 10, Londyn McDowell 7, Emmie Burris 5, Lexi Mickey 3, Bailey Aderhold 1.