Girls and boys varsity basketball teams wrap up the 2022 season
The Lady Warriors ended their season on Tuesday, February 15. Seniors, Dayuna Colvin and Mohassen Thomas continue their basketball careers at Butler University in Kansas and Huntingdon College in Alabama respectiely, following graduation this spring. Remaining juniors, sophomores and freshmen plan on returning and playing with the Warriors in the upcoming season. “The girls played hard and you could tell that the team was really close and really there for each other. I think that’s what makes up a team, and if you really have that sisterhood. I think that’s exactly what the girls team had,” sophomore varsity cheerleader Kayla Pierrepaul said.
February 24, 2022
The NC Warrior boys varsity basketball team (8-17) faced the Marietta Blue Devils (9-19) for the first playoff game on February 15 at Hillgrove high school. The Warriors went against Marietta after seeing them for the first region game of the season on January 11. NC dropped the previous meeting 58-53 but attempted to redeem themselves with this matchup.
Marietta took the lead early in the first quarter, scoring five points against NC. Senior forward Alex Acosta scored the Warriors’ first points of the night with a scoop layup. The Warriors could not keep up with Marietta’s pace, as the first quarter quickly slipped away, finishing with Marietta in the lead 11-6. The Warriors tried gaining a lead but lingered six points under Marietta ushering into half-time with a score of 24-18.
The Warriors managed to score 12 points against the Blue Devils but fell short by five points in the third quarter, ending 35-30. The fourth quarter started with NC coming close to tying up the game, but Marietta rolled out 19 points, preventing the Warriors from coming back. NC scored 11 points but could not win against the Blue Devils. The final score for the boys’ last game of the 2022 season ended 54-41.
Seniors JaVaughn Hardy, Mike Cooksey and Alex Acosta finish their NC season with their family, friends and coaches cheering them on.
“We had a lot of ups and downs, in the beginning of the season we lost three or four games in a row, but we came together as a team and won some games. We had some success and we had some failures but at the end of the day we are still a team and still a family, so we had fun,” Cooksey said.
The girls’ varsity basketball team (11-14) also headed to Hillgrove high school on February 15 to take on Marietta (11-16) in the first playoff game of the region tournament. The girls previously faced defeat against Marietta on January 11 in the first regional match for the season.
The first quarter began with the Lady Warriors winning the tip-off, but the Blue Devils stole the ball back and scored the first two points in under a minute. The Blue Devils scored another four points, gaining a 6-0 advantage against the Warriors. NC’s first points of the night came from sophomore combo guard Taylor Albritton, with a three-point shot. Marietta stayed in the lead for the remainder of the first quarter, with an ending score of 11-7. NC started making their way back scoring nine points in the second quarter. Marietta also scored nine points, staying ahead of the Warriors into half-time with a score of 20-16.
The Warriors played aggressively in the third quarter with Albritton scoring another three-pointer, gaining the Warrior’s a lead of 28-25 at the end of the third quarter. NC tried holding the lead in the last quarter, but Marietta managed to close the game with a win of 41-38 against NC.
“For next year, our goal is to get to state and prove a lot of people wrong. I’m very excited for the new girls that are coming next year and can’t wait for next season,” Albritton said.
The Lady Warrior’s season ended and seniors Dayuna Colvin, Caitlin Thomas, Shirley Perez and Mahassen Thomas stepped off the court for the last time with NC. Returning players reflect on the season and use this year as motivation for the next season. The team wishes to go to state and remains positive about the upcoming season.
