By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — There was a night late in the 2021-22 season when the Mustangs finally put it together, scored a season-high 64 points and upset South Rowan.

“We were running our motion offense the way we wanted to, we were aggressive and we were getting the shots we wanted to get,” East head coach Bri Evans said.

That was just one night in a 21-game season that included 15 losses, but it gave Evans confidence that her team can move forward. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Last season was the former North Iredell and Catawba star’s first as East’s head coach. She learned a lot as rookie in the South Piedmont conference, where the Mustangs usually were at a height disadvantage and an experience disadvantage. She got through it with a smile on her face, and now she’s ready for the program to take a step in the right direction.

“My second season is definitely going to be a lot easier than the first,” Evans said, “because we’re going to be better. We might be pretty good.”

It was hard to stop teams such as Carson and West Rowan in the SPC, but the Mustangs generally played sound defense in 2021-22.

Most of their issues were on the offensive end. East averaged only 42.4 points per game, and in today’s up-tempo world that wasn’t enough.

“We just didn’t score the ball very well,” Evans said. “But girls have worked hard on their shooting. We should score more efficiently.”

Hannah Waddell, a 5-foot-8 junior, provided a lot of East’s firepower with 11.7 points a game. She enjoyed some huge nights — a career-best 30 in a close loss to Lake Norman Charter and 26 in that surprising win against South Rowan. She started strong, hit a lull in midseason, and then finished on a roll with five straight double-figure games.

Waddell is an athlete. She’s been the county’s top female golfer three straight seasons. Basketball and golf are equal priorities for her.

“She’s not just a scorer,” Evans said. “She makes a lot of smart plays, a lot of smart passes.”

Madie Honeycutt and Mac Misenheimer graduated. They were the No. 2 and No. 3 scorers for the Mustangs last season. Those two and Clara Beaver, another 2022 grad, combined for about 19 points per game.

Mary Church, a 5-foot-7 shooting guard who transferred to East from Gray Stone, is expected to make up for at least half of those missing points.

Church averaged almost 11 points per game as a freshman for Gray Stone in a 1A/2A league and had games with 19 and 23 points.

She has dedicated herself to being a basketball player and has made a name for herself against strong AAU competition in the summer and fall. She can score in a variety of ways and she brings some intensity to the court.

“She’s a do-it-all player,” Evans said. “And lots of energy.”

Peyton Whicker returns and could give East a third consistent scorer. She averaged 4.4 points last season, but a surge at the end — 31 points in her last three games — indicates she’s capable of scoring more. She’s an athlete with good wheels. She also makes an impact at East in track and field in volleyball.

“Defense is where she’s strongest and she defends well enough to score off her defense,” Evans said. “She has a great understanding of what we’re trying to do defensively. She can put pressure on the ball.”

Hallie Cox, the volleyball setter, will be helpful even if she’s not scoring a lot.

“She gives us a lot of vocal leadership,” Evans said. “She’s always talking to her teammates. She communicates.”

Senior Lindsey Cook, a strong soccer player, was off to a nice start last season, but was sidelined when she sustained a broken nose in the Christmas Tournament. East missed her in the second half. She’s a versatile athlete who can help the Mustangs in a lot of ways.

East’s senior class also includes Mia Kluttz, a tough driver, and Braniya Boardley, a 5-foot-8 athlete who contributes mostly in the rebounding and steals columns.

East has two Featherstones, Jadyn and Sadie. They are buzz saws.

“They’re hustlers and can handle the ball some,” Evans said. “They’ll be going 100 miles an hour.”

Evans said the Mustangs have several girls who are fearless at taking the ball to the hoop.

“They’re going to make officials make that block or charge call,” Evans said.

East employed some freshmen on the varsity last season. They experienced some growing pains, as expected, but now they’ve got varsity experience and Evans expects a nice jump as sophomore from forward Kori Miller and center Kadynce Collins. Both are already well-known as softball players.

“I think Kadynce might be our biggest surprise,” Evans said. “She gives us some size and she can block shots. Kori is another girl who is very tough on defense.”

East is counting on rebounds from tall sophomore Caroline Snow, who moves up from the jayvees. Sophomore Addie Plott, who played some on the varsity last season, is a hard-nosed defender who gets her share of steals.

Evans said Lily Kluttz has one of the highest basketball IQs on the team. The youngster may be ready to help East right away.

“It’s a new season and we’re not really worried about what other schools might have, we’re just concerned about us,” Evans said. “If we can go out there and dictate the pace, we’ll be OK.”

Evans  is married to former Catawba linebacker Trey Evans, who now coaches at Ledford High in Davidson County.

She has pieced together a big staff. She’ll have four assistants, including a very young one in 2022 grad Honeycutt.

“You can’t get too many sets of eyes on the bench,” Evans said. “They could see something that I don’t see.”

 

EAST ROWAN GIRLS

Coach: Bri Evans (2nd season, 6-15)

2021-22:6-15 overall, 3-11 South Piedmont Conference (7th)

Playoffs: Did not make playoffs

League: 3A SPC (Carson, West and South Rowan, Lake Norman Charter, Central Cabarrus, NW Cabarrus, Concord)

Top returners: Hannah Waddell, Peyton Whicker

Key addition: Gray Stone transfer Mary Church