How Vance High’s girls took 60 steps to reach Saturday’s NC 4A state final

Vance High girls basketball coach Donnell Rhyne described his team climbing a mountain when he met with the media Tuesday for the N.C. High School Athletic Association boys and girls state championship games.

But he didn’t mean a mountain to overcome metaphorically after Vance’s 12 years without a winning season when he took over the program.

He meant “Cougar Mountain” – the 60-step climb from the school’s faculty parking lot to the football stadium.

“Off-season workouts were a big change of culture,” said Rhyne, a behavior medication staff member on campus that took over four seasons ago. “Those 60 steps go straight up. All the girls had to climb it. A lot of girls stopped coming to practice, but the idea was the girls that kept coming wanted to be great.”

Three years later, Vance (26-5) has posted its third straight 20-win season and is scheduled to play Southeast Raleigh (27-1) for the state championship Saturday at 5:05 p.m. at the Smith Center on North Carolina’s campus in Chapel Hill.

Rhyne also credited the work of Pamela Farewell, whom he invited to instruct the girls on leadership skills.

“She has helped me get a lot of other things out of the girls,” Rhyne said.

The Cougars provide a contrast to Southeast Raleigh’s ability to run with their size. Vance is led by senior Kyana Morgan, a 6-footer committed to Radford University of the Big South Conference, but they refer to the Moreland sisters as their Twin Towers. Amhyia, a junior, stands 6-1 and Trinity, a sophomore, 6-2.

In Vance’s 72-42 regional final win over Mallard Creek, Amhiya scored 18 points, Trinity 11 and Morgan 12.

Southeast Raleigh, which is seeking its first state title after finishing runner-up the past three years, is led by 6-2 Anya Poole, who is committed to North Carolina, and guard Jamia Hazell, who is bound for James Madison.

Newton-Conover girls back in finals, against familiar foe

The last – and only -- time that Newton Conover won a state girls basketball title was the 1992 season’s 2A championship with Sylvia White as the coach. White has the Red Devils back in the final, but it’s not really a 28-year drought.

White moved on in her coaching and education careers before returning as Newton-Conover’s coach two years ago. In more ways than one she’s picked up where she left off.

It was Farmville Central that Newton-Conover beat in the 1992 final, and Farmville Central (25-3) is again the state final foe. The 2A East Region champs meet the 2A West Region winning Red Devils (28-2) at 12:05 p.m. Saturday at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

White has built her team around 6-3 center Chyna Cornwell, who has a scholarship to play at Rutgers for women’s college basketball coaching legend Vivian Stringer.

In the regional final, Cornwell scored 26 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to post her 60th straight double-double. The span covers every game this season and last. But despite Cornwell’s imposing play, White credits the teamwork that in the regional final included Grace Loftin’s 20 points and Jahlea Peters’ 11.

“We set two goals at the beginning of the season – to become a team and to get better every day,” White said. “This team has done that. I talked to the kids and parents at start of the year, saying there is as much talent here as at any 2A school in the state. We just had to play as a team.”

Following a legend at Freedom is working pretty well

They say you don’t want to be the coach who follows a legend. You want to be the guy that replaces the coach that failed to live up to expectations while following a legend.

Clint Zimmerman nevertheless eagerly accepted the challenge when he was promoted from assistant coach to succeed legendary Freedom head coach Casey Rogers. In Zimmerman’s first season, he has guided the Morganton school to its fifth straight 20-win season and its first 3A West Region title since the 2014 3A state championship season.

Freedom (29-1) faces 3A East winner Westover (30-0) at 7:35 p.m. Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum on the N.C. State campus.

“The pressure was relieved by the support I’ve had,” Zimmerman said. “We’ve basically kept the coaching staff together. The coaching staff at Freedom is as good as anywhere. (The assistants) care about the program. Sometimes the best thing for me to do is step back and let them all do their work. They’re all so good at their roles.”

Zimmerman also benefited from maturity with 10 seniors, including one that has accepted an appointment to the Naval Academy, a premier institution for developing future leaders. Navy recruited Jayden Birchfield as a 6-3, 205-pound quarterback.

Birchfield scored 15 points in the regional win. The Patriots used balance to beat Hunter Huss with James Freeman scoring 19, Bradley Davis 14 and Que Garner 10.

THE GAMES GO ON, FOR NOW

NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker said at the press conference the governing body discussed COVID-19, known the corona virus, before deciding to proceed with Saturday’s eight championship games at NC State and UNC.

However, officials have altered the traditional sportsmanship handshake line following the contest. They’ve told coaches to instruct their athletes to “bump elbows” rather than shake hands or exchange high-fives.

Late Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools suspend travel, which could affect Saturday’s games. CMS said it would wait for direction from the NCHSAA, which is certainly concerned about the spread of the virus.

“It is ever present on our minds,” Tucker said. “It would be simple to say we can’t have these championships – we’ll cancel them. We’ve got be diligent and take whatever means necessary to keep safe our young people we’ve been entrusted with, but we’re going to play ball on Saturday. In my heart of hearts, I know everyone will work with the latest information we have.”