Women's Varsity Basketball (Photo by Lj Bass)

By Gabrielle Harris

Our Lady Knights took their final steps on their home court Tuesday night, February 7, 2012. Varsity women’s basketball team have come a long way and have improved significantly over the years. With the help of their coaches, varsity’s seniors were able to become the leaders and basketball players they are today. “The ladies have definitely improved a lot since last year and there’s been a lot of upside to the program,” said Byrd. He believes that senior leadership is critical in order to lead a team. All of his seniors stepped up to the plate in order to lead their team in the right direction. Byrd is proud of his Lady Knights for the many games they have won.

Seniors Khadedra “DeeDee” Taylor and “Tee Tee” Jackson were important aspects of the team. As well as shooting guard Kristen Madden and Nicolette Neal. “It’s a huge game tonight because we have an opportunity to win third in conference which is the highest our girls have ever finished at Knightdale” , said Byrd. Byrd is glad for the seniors that are moving on and graduating this year. “It’d be nice to have them again for another year because they are great girls, but of course they have to move on, because time waits for no one” , said Byrd.

Our Lady Knights were able to have many successful games with the assistance of their senior captains Ajee Smith, and Brittany Westmoreland. “We’re lucky to have the best set of coaches in conference” , said Brittany. All four of the coaches have played college basketball and overseas. “It’s a glimpse of what it’s like to succeed beyond high school basketball. They’ve taught us how to succeed on and off of the court as good team members and people”, added Brittany. Leading the Lady Knights is a lot of responsibility, but with the help and encouragement from each other, our seniors were able to get the job done.

Although Ajee Smith came to Knightdale her junior year, she felt very welcomed by the team. “It’s a lot of responsibility to lead a team, but it feels good to be able to lead a great group of women” , said Ajee. “Since the first basketball workouts, all of the coaches and players welcomed me and made me feel as though I was part of their family. Although I was not able to spend all four years on Knightdale’s women’s basketball team, I’ve learned valuable information from my coaches and teammates that will lead me to success for the rest of my life.” Leading a team also came with difficulties, but our Knights found a way to pull through.

“We’ve all had our ups and downs, but after taking five steps backwards we’ve found a way to come together to take ten steps forward.” Senior night was a special night to recognize our valuable players. The many memories that were made won’t be forgotten as our seniors graduate and continue on in hopes of reaching their goals. It was a privilege to have them on our Varsity Women’s basketball team, and they will never be replaced or forgotten.