By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

MOUNT ULLA — Last March, West Rowan girls basketball coach Ashley Poole only got to peacefully savor the program’s first state championship for about 10 minutes.

At the postgame press conference in Raleigh, Poole already was being asked for her thoughts about a potential repeat because the Falcons would return six of their top players. Poole handled those questions gracefully, took a little time off, and then started work in earnest on doing it all over again.

And the Falcons did it run it back. They didn’t go 31-0 as they did in 2022-23, but they went 31-1, with a team that was even more dominant statistically than the one that came before it.

Poole also is a repeater as Rowan County Coach of the Year. She shared the award with Salisbury state champion coach Lakai Brice last season. This time Poole splits the award with Darra Walker, who led North Rowan to a program-record 25 wins.

“We had a lot going for us, but a team this good, it doesn’t just happen, there’s a lot of work involved,” said Poole, who also was Rowan County Coach of the Year in 2015-16. “First and foremost, we had a fantastic group of girls that worked hard in practice and could execute a game plan. They were smart, they played together and we could play at different speeds.”

Poole said their was some pressure on her at West where state championships usually have come in multiples. Mike Gurley’s basketball teams won back-to-back in 2001-02 and 2002-03. West softball won state titles under two different head coaches, but with mostly the same team members in 2002 and 2003. The late coach Scott Young’s football teams won three in a row in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

The only West team state champion that did not repeat was the 1996-97 basketball state champs, and that team experienced a head-coaching change, heavy graduation losses and a move up in classification from 2A to 3A.

“Everyone said we needed to win two in a row to keep the school’s streak going,” Poole said. “So there was some pressure, and it certainly was never easy for us. Winning a state championship is never going to be easy. I don’t think our girls get enough credit for what they’ve accomplished.”

State championships require being really good and having the ball bounce your way as well. For example, Rowan County is almost always great at baseball, but when you look at the record book, only four Rowan teams have won NCHSAA state championships.

So the Falc0ns’ girls basketball run — 67-1 the last two seasons with stacks of banners and plaques for Christmas tournament titles, South Piedmont Conference regular-season and tournament titles, regional titles and 3A state titles — is not something that should ever be taken lightly. It’s one of the best runs in county history by any school in any team sport.

“The game we lost this season (to 4A power Lake Norman), some people were upset about us scheduling that one, but that’s OK,” Poole said. “It was a good game for us. Lake Norman helped prepare us for the playoffs more than any other game we played.”

The Falcons breezed through the conference. None of their 16 SPC games was closer than 25 points, and West’s first two playoff games also were against familiar SPC opponents.

But as the playoffs unfolded, there were serious battles, starting with a good and physical Ashe County team in Round 3. West got past a fourth-round grinder against East Lincoln, 55-42, to get to the Final Four, which featured a new format this season.

West played the regional final against a strong-shooting A.C. Reynolds team and the championship game against athletic Terry Sanford in Winston-Salem’s Joel Coliseum.

“We had a quick turnaround from a Friday game with East Lincoln to the Reynolds game on a Tuesday afternoon, but I liked this setup,” Poole said. “I’m a UNC grad, so I try to take the girls to a UNC game every year, and this year we went to watch the Tar Heels play Wake Forest at Joel Coliseum, just so our girls could see what the arena was like and to get a feel for it. I remember when we went to play at N.C. State last season, they were looking around at Reynolds Coliseum, and it was like, ‘Oh, my gosh!’ Our experience from the previous year did help us this year. We’d been there and we’d done it, and that helped us overcome adversity like foul trouble. Foul trouble hadn’t been much of an issue during the regular season.”

West had a lot of fan support even on Tuesday afternoon. West had early dismissal that day, so students could make the trip to cheer for  the basketball team. That’s the sort of community backing the Falcons have, and it makes a difference. There also was a celebration at the school when the team returned home as repeat champions.

Even with those tough scraps in the playoffs, the Falcons, who topped 100 points twice, even with running clocks, scored a school-record 77.3 points per game, about 4 more points per game then they did the previous season. West allowed 33.2 per game, so the Falcons won by 44 on an average night at the office.

West won championships without a huge scorer. Five girls averaged between 10.2 and 16.3 points per game. Those five — seniors Lauren Arnold, Emma Clarke, De’Mya Phifer and Mya Edwards and sophomore Tiara Thompson — were named All-South Piedmont Conference and also will be on the All-Rowan County team. That’s rare balance.

Mars Hill recruit Arnold has won back-to-back MVP awards in state championship games. She also had a double-double in the Carolinas Classic All-Star Game. Clarke is a Tennessee softball signee. Thompson, a point guard who plays older than her age, has a big future. Phifer and Edwards will have opportunities to play college basketball. They impressed coaches at a recent “unsigned seniors” showcase.

Senior Makaylah Tenor shouldn’t be overlooked. She accepted her role and made big shots all season. She scored 25 points in the SPC Tournament championship game. Lydia Wilson turned in some clutch minutes during the playoffs and may be a star next season. Aubrey Martin had double-figure games. Katie Hoffner, Kennedy Clawson and Jaden Carter contributed.

“It took all of them, including the reserves who pushed the starters in practice,” Poole said. “They all helped us.”

Poole played for the Salisbury Hornets back in the day when she was Ashley Boulware. In her senior season of 1994-95, a Donna Carr-led Salisbury team went 23-5 and won championships. Championships are still part of Poole’s DNA.

She puts in the work and when hard work intersects with good talent and good health — West’s top five scorers played in all 32 games this season — great things can happen.

“We had a bullseye on our backs from the first game and we got everyone’s best shot,” Poole said. “But we did what we set out to do. I’ve coached these girls since middle school, and this was a very special team.”