Middle School "A" Girls Basketball

MS A Girls vs. Franklin

The MS A girls team traveled to Franklin Academy giving the talented opponent their first loss of the season. The team powered through with great defense allowing only 6 points in the second half against an undefeated conference team. Kate Benson and Kackie Koon each had 5 steals to help round out the defense and scored 13 points (Benson) and 2 points (Koon) to add to the offensive end. Miyah Wright had 11 rebounds with help from Kate Weston who had 5 and Anna Hauser who had 9 rebounds and 6 points. Their win ended with a score of 29-14. 

MS A Boys vs. Franklin

On Tuesday, January 11^th, the middle school A boys traveled to Franklin Academy and despite coming out rather flat on the front end of the game they stayed tough enough to keep things interesting. The team struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities and didn’t put enough pressure on the team to clinch a win. The team kept scrapping but lost to a good opponent 38-34 keeping things tight down the stretch until Franklin ultimately pulled away. Coach Coley said “this is the kind of game where we did some good things but just not quite enough to win. We’ll move on to the next game as we should.”

MS B Girls vs. NRCA

The MS B girls had a great win at home against NRCA on Tuesday, January 11^th. They put in amazing defensive effort. So much so that they held the great opponent scoreless in the first half 12-0. It was a team effort from then on and finishing with a decisive 14-6 win. Coach Jason Redmond commented on their effort. “I’m really proud of them for all the work they put in. It was a fun game to watch.”

MS B Boys vs. NRCA 

St David Warriors hosted NRCA for a conference showdown. The MS B boys started slowly but kept the game in reach in the half. Down by 9 at the half, the Warriors switched up to a man to man pressure defense and crawled back into game. Warriors even took the lead in the 4th on a big 3 pointer my Thomas Becker to make it 38-36 with just under 5 mins to play. The opponent size in the paint became a factor down the stretch, scoring on 4 consecutive put backs. The Warriors committed 3 unforced turnovers in the final minutes and NRCA closed it out on free throws. The boys lost 40-48. Coach Keji Dickerson added that he was “proud of their effort and energy throughout the game”. 

MS A Girls vs. Trinity

The MS A girls jumping into their competitive roles right off the bat against Trinity Academy. So many of the girls contributed from all ends that helped take the team to an impressive 34-13 win. Offense was led by captain Kate Benson with 11 points followed by Miyah Wright with 7 points and Julia Painter with 6 points. Kate Weston yet again brought the defense pressure to the other side and had 9 rebounds to go with her 4 points. Defense was what won with game because even beyond the great rebounds were forced turnovers. Benson had 8 steals and Paint added 6. A job well done by all! 

MS A Boys vs. Trinity 

The MS A boys traveled to Trinity Academy on Thursday, January 13^th and took control of the game right away. The team played hard and together and came out focused after a loss earlier in the week. They ran a selfless offense with balanced scoring. Wesley Hilldale lead the team with 11 points George Coleman and Parker Henson chipped in 9 and Oren Cline had 8. “The team played together and were hungry for a win. I’m happy for them, “ Coach Coley said. The defeated Trinity 47-29. 

MS A GIRLS vs. SOUTHWAKE SABRES

Middle School A Girls played the Southwake Sabres opening up the week of games on Monday, December 13^th. The ladies continued playing hard and learning against top competition as the team they played today is 12-0.  They are the same team who returned all the players from last year's single loss team so in this strong opponent the ultimate 35-26 loss was a win for the Warriors. Kate Benson contributed 12 points and 10 crucial rebounds and Anna Houser gave the team 10 points and 10 rebounds. Margaret Ellerbe also played well contributing points on offense and playing tough defense.  Avery Black, Jordan Holmes, Lula Segraves and Julia Painter played big minutes helping us battle. “While young, we are really, really good, and I know as we continue learning we will be very special when it matters this season in conference play”, coach Eastmann said. “This was a great opponent to help continue to prepare us.”

MS A BOYS vs. SOUTHWAKE SABRES

The MS A boys played the very tough opponent in the Southwake Sabres on Monday, December 13^th and fought out the battle on the court with a very talented team putting the pressure on them constantly. This game was won on the defensive side of the court. The return of Oren to the line-up gave the team a major boost and all the boys from the team pushed to get the 38-29 victory over the Sabres. 

MS B GIRLS vs. NRCA

MS B Girls took on NRCA Monday, December 13^th, and came away with an important win. Tied 3-3 at halftime the team had put in a lot of defensive work early on to keep the Knights from scoring and put a few points up on the board. In the third quarter, thanks to the continued efforts of the team’s stellar defense, they built an 8-point lead with Finley Spivey leading the way with 5 points. They closed the game out with a 13-9 victory over the opponent. 

MS B BOYS vs. NRCA                

St David’s Middle Boys B team traveled to NRCA on Monday, December 13^th  for a battle of top teams in the conference. Warriors started out slowly but managed to keep it close until the 4th quarter. NRCA went on a run late in the 4th to close out the game and hand the Warriors a tough loss with a final score of 47-33. Jonah Godwin lead all scorers for the Warriors with 10 points and Carson Riddick added 9 points. 

MS B GIRLS vs. CARY ACADEMY 

The B girls traveled to Cary Academy on Tuesday, December 14 where they were faced with a challenging opponent. The scoring happened early in the game and the Warrior fought hard with scrappy defense and a lot of effort on pursuits. The team put a lot of pressure in full court press situations to close out the half and by the end of the fourth quarter their efforts had held a tie to force overtime. In their 3 minute overtime the Chargers scored a bucket to put them up 18-16 and time ran out before the Warriors could pull ahead. 

MS B BOYS vs. CARY ACADEMY 

Following an exciting finish in the MS B girls game against Cary Academy, MS B boys took the court after them on Tuesday, December 14^th. The opponent got an early jump on the scoreboard and put up a few buckets before the Warriors got on the scoreboard. Some scrappy defense and aggressive drives in the paint gave the Chargers a challenge. Ultimately it was not enough for the Warriors to survive what was a big offensive push from the opponent and they were defeated with a final score of 25-41. 

MS A GIRLS vs. THALES

MS A girls finished up the week against Thales with a great win. The team put together efforts from all ends and so many girls contributed fully. Kackie Koon was a game changer leading the team in rebounding to go with her 8 points. She played exceptional. Margaret Ellerbe was quick with the release tonight putting up great shots to go with confident defense.  Miyah Wright chipped in 7 points and 10 rebounds. Coach Eastmann described more of the game saying that “what we saw from the backcourt dynamic duo was just great as Kate Benson led our ladies in scoring with another double double (10 points, 10 rebounds) while her other half, Anna Hauser, played the entire game covering an amazing 8th grader who plays on a national elite AAU team and averages 20 points a game. Anna LOCKED HER DOWN on defense allowing NO POINTS in the 1st half for this young lady.” The team finished the victory with a 29-21 score. 

MS A BOYS vs. THALES 

MS A Boys wrapped up their week of games playing Thales where they fought hard to keep up all throughout the game. Our Warriors were outmatched and fought well against the bigger team. “Tonight's game was close through most of the game. We  were 3 to 4 plays away from the score being in our favor. I was proud of the attitude to fight through this game,” said Coach Coley. Standout players were Wesley Hillsdale leading the team in scoring with 20 points and Oren Cline had who put up 8 points. The Warriors fell to Thales 48-60.

MS B GIRLS vs. WAKE CHRISTIAN

The Middle School B girls started off the week of sports competitions at Wake Christian on Tuesday, December 7^th. Even though this game ended in a loss the team fought harder than they have yet so far this season. They played with incredible intensity and kept competing down to the last moment. They were unable to overcome the pressure put on them from the Bulldogs and with a 7-point deficit at half-time couldn’t quite chip away at the lead the opponent had. “I’m really proud of the team’s effort”, said coach Jason Redmond. The final score ended up a 16-23 loss. 

MS B BOYS vs. WAKE CHRISTIAN 

St. David’s Warriors Boys B team played Wake Christian on December 7^th and took home an important win on the road putting in a lot of hard work on the court. Their pressure in defense helped them to keep control of the tone of the game and post a 36-16 win over the Bulldogs. From start to finish, they got balanced scoring from Patrick Clegg (9 points), Carson Riddick (8 points), Thomas Becker (9 points) and James Fisher (8 points). “Fisher, off the bench, has been particularly impressive off the bench these last 2 games for the Warriors”, coach Keji Dickerson said. 

MS A GIRLS vs. GRACE CHRISTIAN 

The team took on Grace Christian on Tuesday, December 7^th at home. It was a really talented opponent who pushed our Warriors crew at each turn and they continued to respond under pressure – with the support of a great stand of fans – until they ultimately fell 26-31 to the Eagles.  “We worked our tails off tonight, and it was a true heavyweight fight as I believe those are the two best teams in the conference who played.  We are young and learning with every game. We will learn, keep getting better and have a ton of fun learning to play this game” said coach Eastmann. An amazing job was done by Kate Benson who led our offense with 17 points despite being double teamed the entire game and had 7 steals. Miyah Wright had her best game of the season playing big inside with a great amount of help from Kate Weston on the glass and Lula Segraves who was everywhere on defense.  Julia Painter also contributed big with rebounding and steals.

MS A BOYS vs. GRACE CHRISTIAN 

The A boys team played a worthy opponent on Tuesday, December 7^th at home against Grace Christian. The group started off slowly and going in to the half down by 9 points after Oren Cline got hurt and George Coleman in foul trouble on the bench for most of the first half. They needed to amp things up. Playing spirited defense they were able to turn it around and pull off an exciting win holding off the Eagles at the last moment. Coleman who put up 12 points and Wesley Hilldale, who put up an impressive 27 points helped the team in the second half especially to pull them ahead for the win. “We believed we were always in the game and knew we had to work harder to get back in the game. We understood the assignment in the second half and executed,” said Coach Jonathan Coley. They won the game by a narrow 2 points 49-51. 

MS B BOYS vs. ST. TIMOTHY’S 

The MS B boys team took on St. Timothy’s on Thursday, December 9^th and came away with a really important victory from a close rival. Only 1.6 miles separate these two rivals and their face-off was the first since 2019. At first, the Warriors struggled to find baskets but they persisting in taking shots at the right moments later in the game. Early on they stayed in the game with their signature pressure defense against St. Timothy’s. They relied on this defense to pull away in the second half, leading to a 39-26 win. The Warriors were lead by Carson Riddick who posted 11 points, Thomas Becker who added 7 points and Jonah Godwin who came off the bench adding 8 points. 

MS B GIRLS vs. ST. TIMOTHY’s 

The MS B girls played their rival on Thursday, December 9^th at home. What a great game for these ladies it was! They started off strong playing aggressive defense and selfless offense, passing the ball really well to find the open player. With an early lead and great defense it was hard for the opponent to creep back into the game and the Warriors ended with a 23-7 victory. “The girls played outstanding defense”, said coach Redmond, “and were not afraid to take the ball to the basket. It was a great win.”

MS A BOYS vs. DURHAM ACADEMY 

The A Boys traveled to Durham on Thursday, December 9^th to take on Durham Academy. After an exciting and dramatic win earlier in the week the team struggled to build up enough energy to really compete against a strong opponent. Durham Academy started off strong posting points early and the Warriors never had enough execution to claw their way back in to contend. They lost 35-29 and will get back to the drawing board as soon as possible. 

MS A GIRLS vs. NRCA

The MS A girls played North Raleigh Christian Academy on Friday, December 10^th in front of a really great, Christmas themed supportive crowd! It was a wonderful night for the ladies as their intensity helped the Warriors to their victory over the Knights in decisive fashion, 32-15. After starting out the game down 6-0 they turned up their defense which led to an offensive 32-9 explosion. “So many ladies contributed tonight, but what I am most proud of is the play of the ladies who had their best games helping the team secure this win,” Coach Eastmann said. “Kackie Koon had best game of the season, led the team in rebounds to go with her 4 points, Miyah Wright had her best scoring game with 8 points, Lula Segraves continued to contribute with 7 steals to tie for the lead in the game. Avery Black had her first basket of the year on a nice rebound put back and Jordan Holmes made her best appearance of the season with big minutes when the team needed it.  “Our dominate backcourt tandem of Kate Benson and Anna Hauser did what they always do which is set the table at both ends.  It is always great to see all the girls play at some point in the game and contribute as they did tonight,” he added. 

MS A BOYS vs. NRCA

Wrapping up their full week of games with NRCA the boys traveled to the Knights and seemed immediately rattled by the size and skill of their opponent. They weren’t able to put up many points against their big opponent and are looking to put this loss, which ended with a score of 16-53, behind them. “I’m glad this happened early in the season so we can retool for this week and the rest of the season”, coach Coley said. “We are looking ahead now.” 

MS A GIRLS

The MS A Girls basketball team played an away game at Ridgecrest Baptist Church against the Carolina Mustangs on December 2nd. They came away with an emphatic 37-9 victory on the heels of great defense and a total team effort with all players on the court at some point during the game. Leading scorers Kate Benson with 10 points and Anna Hauser with 11 points lead the team offensively. Miyah Wright had 11 rebounds to go with her 3 steals and blocked a shot set the tone defensively. 

MS B BOYS

The MS B Boys basketball team played Magellan on Friday, December 3rd at home and bounced back after a previous loss to get a convincing win over their opponent with a final score of 35-25. The Warriors lead by 22 with 4 minutes left in the game but Magellan went on an 8-0 run to close the gap and make things interesting and exciting. The Warriors responded by putting the pressure on them in defense which made the difference throughout the game. They go good offensive production from Patrick Clegg who scored 10 points and Thomas Becker who scored 8 points. 

MS B GIRLS

The MS B Girls Basketball team played Magellan on Friday, December 3rd at home and put up a great fight that ended in a close loss. They were up 2 at halftime after some scrappy defense and brave shots going in from our girls. But in the third quarter, Magellan made a strong run to grab a 6-point lead. Despite a great effort to fight back the Lady Warriors couldn't quite close the gap before the time ran out and they lost by 3 with a final score of 13-16. "I'm really proud of the way the girls fought", said Coach Redmond, "they played great!" 

MS A Girls vs. The O’Neal School (L)

MS A Girls basketball opened the winter sports season for the Warriors playing The O’Neal School on Tuesday, November 16^th at home. A very good previous conference champion opponent with many returning starters, the game was a grinder. The game left coaches and fans encouraged by the girls’ effort and relentlessness despite the 10-36 loss. Offensively led by Anna Hauser with 14 rebounds and 4 points the team kept up their competitive spirits with the help of defense energy of Avery Black, Julia Painter and Lula Seagraves. “The way our ladies played tonight was not truly represented by the score and I am excited for them as we learn to play this game and play with chemistry,” Coach Eastmann added. 

MS A Boys vs. The O’Neal School (W)

The MS A boys crew opened the winter sports season alongside the MS A girls team on November 16^thagainst The O’Neal School with an exciting win. Their immediate defensive energy and execution certainly led to the W and the team put forth great effort to start the season. Sixth grader Henry Morisey led all scorers with 11 points and Wesley Hilldale and Leighton Little each had 8 points on the board. Coach Coley added that the team was “scrappy on defense which lead to quick buckets on offense.”

MS A Girls vs. New Life Camp (W)

MS A girls saw their second game of the week against New life Camp on Friday November 19^th. They came away with an impressive win and a tone-setting game to close the first week of their season. Coach Eastmann recapped the game well by reporting back that the team was spot on and had great energy. He said, “leading us tonight with a calm but aggressive tone on both ends of the floor was our captain, Kate Benson, who scored 16 points to go along with her 8 steals.  The steals were most impressive as our defense tonight looked more like it should with other players jumping in on the robbery like Lula Segrave who created havoc all over the floor on defense, Anna Hauser with her always quick hands and great play by Margaret Ellerbe.  We also did a much better job on the "glass" getting rebounds with Miyah Wright and Kackie Koon dominating on both ends of the floor for rebounds. Proud of all of our ladies as they are growing before our eyes. Just an absolutely great night to turn the ship in a more positive direction that we can build on for the season.”

MS A Boys vs. New Life (W)

The MS A Boys saw more action in their second game of the season and week against New Life Camp on Friday, November 19^th. The team played very well in the first half and gelled niced together on the team in both offense and defense. Wesley Hilldale came out hot scoring 11 points in the first quarter and setting the tone nicely ending the game as a leading scoring with 15 points. Leighton little chipped in 12 points while Nico Janas and Oren Cline each had 10 points. Coach Coley added that “even scoring was all around and the defense was stout and active causing many steals and turnovers. Great game all around.” 

MS B Girls vs. Cary Christian (L) 

MS B Girls basketball opened their season playing Cary Christian on Friday November 19th. The girls took an incredible step forward in their first competition after putting in just a week of practice. The work in the practice had the girls looking really great but fell to an experienced opponent 10-28. The energy for the team was palpable on the court and it was evident that they started the season strong with effort and enthusiasm. The girls were down by double digits at halftime but played very aggressive in the second half. “I’m proud of the girls for their efforts and saw so much growth from all those practices we had”, says Coach Redmond. 

MS B Boys vs. Cary Christian (L)

The MS B Boys team played their first competition of the season on Friday, November 19^th against Cary Christian. They started off slow but kept the game in reach in the first half. After making a strong 3^rd quarter run, the Warriors went cold with shooting and the Knights pulled away making key free throws and lay ups with 4 mins remaining in the 4^th quarter. “This is a fairly new team with 6^th graders so my job is to teach them how to win. That’s my job as a coach. We will get better as the season progresses, and I’m excited to see how they grow as a team. I was proud of their work.” Coach Keji Dickerson said.