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By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

The Davie varsity girls basketball team had a disappointing showing in a three-point loss to Mt. Tabor, but the War Eagles recaptured their swagger last week and stayed in a tie for first place in the CPC.
Against West Forsyth and Parkland, they looked like a bunch of Caitlin Clarks, only better.
The entire game at West Forsyth on Jan. 8 was a Davie highlight reel. Five days after the Tabor loss, Davie was breathing fire and playing to its full potential, resulting in an 86-28 beatdown.
“The Tabor game showed us how far we have to come to be close as a team,” coach Lindsey Adams said. “I think a lot of the Tabor game and the games before, our talent just helped us win those. The team chemistry still was not where I wanted it, especially on the defensive end.
“The kids are buying into the culture that I have set for five years now, the culture that the girls before helped set for this Davie team. I tell them all the time that energy and effort is contagious, and most of the time that starts on the defensive end.”
Davie’s firepower was on full display, leading 30-6 after the first quarter, 46-15 at halftime, 65-19 after the third and finishing with the most points in at least 31 years. From 1994-95 through the 14 games in 2024-25, a span of 727 games, the War Eagles had never scored 86 in a game. If they had ever put up that many points, it happened between 1956-57 and 1993-94.
Davie went up by 40 and started the running clock with 5:17 left in the third.
“Instead of worrying about what we’re going to do on the next offensive possession, we said worry about getting a stop and focus on one stop at a time,” Adams said. We were not thinking about anything other than defense.
“Even if I go to a 2-3 zone to show mercy to the other team, you can’t just not play defense and not get a rebound. Teams have not shown Davie mercy in the past when we were bad, so you still have to compete and you have to stand up for what happened to the old Davie teams.”
Contributions came from up and down the roster. Avarie Martin had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Londyn McDowell had a career-high 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Gracie Shore, who not for the first time flirted with a triple-double, had 12 points, eight steals and seven assists. Madison Daugherty had 11 points and seven rebounds. Vivian Vaughters hit 5 of 6 shot attempts for 10 points. Olivia Smith had nine points, four rebounds and three assists. And Emmie Burris had six points, nine rebounds and four assists as Davie shot a sterling 56 percent (37 of 66), including 69 percent inside the arc.
The Titans, by contrast, went 10 of 44 for 22 percent and tumbled to 8-4 overall.
Smith, a freshman who scored a season high, made some strides as Davie defeated West for the third time in a row.
“Olivia will shoot the lights out in practice, and we see the offensive side,” Adams said. “The last two days, we’ve seen her put more intensity on the defensive side – playing stronger, playing bigger. Everybody did their job so she could get more minutes in the game. I think that will open up more things for her going into the second half of conference.”
Davie 78, Parkland 58
One night later on the road, the War Eagles turned in another vicious effort. The first quarter ended with the visitors ahead 37-6, and they shot – deep breath here – 87 percent in the first eight minutes, hitting 14 of 16 field goals and 6 of 8 3-point tries.
While Davie was on pace for 148 points, the Mustangs (4-6) were clanging 15 of 16 shots.
The elite offensive performance included 17 points, six rebounds and five assists from Martin and 14 points and four 3-pointers from Daugherty. Bailey Aderhold had 14 points and six rebounds. Shore collected nine points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. Burris had eight points and five assists. McDowell had seven points. Vaughters had five points and eight rebounds.
What a turnaround it’s been for Daugherty, a sophomore guard who averaged 2.1 points in the first 10 games. She’s had nine, 14, 11 and 14 in the last four, and last week she went 7 of 12 from 3-point range.
Notes: Aderhold, Burris and Shore all went 4-4 from the line against Parkland. … The War Eagles (9-5 overall) have a four-game winning streak against the Mustangs. … Davie entered the week in a three-way tie for first at 4-1. East Forsyth and Reagan are also 4-1. Tabor is next at 3-2. … Martin (14.1 ppg) and Shore (8.1) are Nos. 1-2 in scoring. Makenzie Gentry, who missed both games last week, is third at 7.5. Burris is at 7.3, Aderhold 6.7, McDowell 6 and Daugherty 4.9.
Davie 86, W. Forsyth 28 – Avarie Martin 15, Londyn McDowell 14, Gracie Shore 12, Madison Daugherty 11, Vivian Vaughters 10, Olivia Smith 9, Emmie Burris 6, Bailey Aderhold 5, Lexi Mickey 4.
Davie 78, Parkland 58 – Avarie Martin 17, Madison Daugherty 14, Bailey Aderhold 14, Gracie Shore 9, Emmie Burris 8, Londyn McDowell 7, Vivian Vaughters 5, Olivia Smith 4.