The NC varsity Lady Warriors’ basketball team (2-1) faced the Denmark Danes (2-1) for their third game of the season Thursday, November 17. In mighty spirits from their previous close win against the Etowah Eagles November 15 with a score of 49-48, the team oozed confidence and determination to prolong their winning streak. In immense success, the Warriors beat the Danes with a score of 47-18.

Starting the first quarter off strong, the Warriors upped their defense. The first minutes of the quarter included several missed points from the Danes as the Warriors collaborated to block their shots. Junior power-forward and captain Kaiya Sibley-Clark (34) performed an effective lay-up to score the first points of the game. With the team energized and moving quickly through their plays, Clark scores another shot shortly after. With the intent of fixing their score, the Danes called a timeout with roughly four minutes left of the first quarter. Returning from the timeout, senior power forward and captain Chisom Eziomume (44) immediately scored a point for the Warriors after a fast-paced play between the team. Shortly after a missed shot from the Danes, junior point and shooting guard Taylor Albritton (33) rebounded and scored a shot. In an exhilarating play, Clark scored the last shot of the quarter (16-0). 

“Our greatest strengths this year will have to be our ability of the players to work together to pass the ball within the court and shoot,” assistant coach Jarae Savage said.

As the second quarter began, the Danes returned with agility. Almost immediately, Denmark’s Naomi Manoj (2) performed a quick shot that stunned the Warriors. Immediately becoming focused after the Danes scored their first points, sophomore point and shooting guard Zoe Williams (3) successfully scored a perfect shot. The Danes continued to try to score but ultimately failed. Moments after, junior point and shooting guard Erinne Giles (30) executed her first shot of the game as the crowd in the stands roared. Clark scored her fourth and fifth shots of the night before the Warriors called a full timeout.

Following the timeout, the Danes’ players joined forces to score two points. The Danes continued to try to score additional shots near the end of the quarter but fell short against the Warriors. Albritton made a shot in the final seconds and ended the first half 28-11.

After halftime, the Warriors fully distanced themselves from the Danes with the score. Eziomume made the first point of the second half, Albritton scored two shots back-to-back and Clark scored once again for the team.

 The Danes began to move their score up within the fourth quarter by scoring multiple free throws. In the last 10 seconds of the game, freshman point guard Logan Kirkland (20) scored the game’s final point. While Denmark accumulated a fair amount of points in a short amount of time, NC ended 29 points ahead with a final score of 47-18.

“I feel like the team’s biggest strength this season would be our chemistry. We’ve grown so much together as a team over the past seasons. I believe everyone has trust [in] one another and that no one on the team is really selfish. So, when one person succeeds we all succeed and become an even better team than we were before. [As] for myself, I am very particular when it comes to my work. I always like to hear criticism from my team and coaches and I like to work on it so that I grow as not only a player but as a person,” Clark said.