East Clarendon girls having strong season in first year under Adams-Ludd
Senior Hayden White setting the pace for Lady Wolverines
Turbeville – There was a lot of anticipation from players and coaches alike when Demetress Adams-Ludd was named the new head coach for the East Clarendon High School girls basketball team. On the other hand, there was uncertainty as well
“The kids were very enthusiastic, but they were also very nervous because their skills weren't where they wanted them to be,” said Adams-Ludd, the former University of South Carolina standout who inherited a team that was 4-14 a year ago. “We were coming in and putting an emphasis on their skills, but we were also building as a team, building confidence.”
And the confidence has been there since Day 1 for the Lady Wolverines. They are 15-4 on the season and 4-1 in Region 5-Class A.
“It's been a big surprise coming in from last year and winning just a couple of games,” said senior Hayden White, the team leader. “It's a different mentality this year. We want to come in and win. When we practice we want to be better every single day.
“They (the coaching staff) gave us the confidence and told us to believe in ourselves. They gave us a lot of leeway when we play games. They worked with us over the summer to improve our skills.”
Adams-Ludd had been out of coaching for a few years after stepping down as the girls head coach at Lakewood following the 2917-18 season. She said other opportunities to coach had been offered to her before, but the EC job seemed like the right fit.
Adams-Ludd was an All-State performer at Lee Central in Bishopville when the Lady Stallions were dominatigin AA under head coach Dorothy Fortune. She said Turbeville and Clarendon County gives her the feeling she grew up with in Lee County.
“It’s a small-town small school,” said Adams-Ludd, who took the job after much prayer. “I played under a great coach in Coach Fortune, who developed the program into one of the best in the country. I'm not saying that's my aspiration per se here, but it's like home to me here. That’s why I wanted to come here.”
Upgrading the skills of the players was the top priority for Adams-Ludd upon taking the job. She said the East Clarendon players have steadily developed their skills.
“I think it's difficult as a coach to come in with an offense and defense if you don't have players who are good enough to perform in them,” she said. “Our kids are showing whatever offense or defense we put in, our players can execute it because they have the skills to do it.
“They’re learning about being good teammates, good leaders. They’re seeing the game better than they did in the past, building their basketball IQ.”
White is averaging 17 points a contest. She said she is definitely a different player this season.
“I've gotten a lot more comfortable with the ball in my hands this year,” she said. “know I've got to score in order to help my team win ball games. My defense is where all my scoring comes from.”
Adams-Ludd calls White a “foundational building block.
“Hayden White has been super consistent for us,” Adams-Ludd said. “She's a wonderful kid both on and off the court. She is a good teammate. She is selfless, which is tremendous. She has wonderful character and she is a hard worker.
“I think sometimes her scoring outshines the things she does defensively. She isn't afraid to defend the other team's best player. She averages 4-5 rebounds. She'll turn down a shot for her teammates to get a shot.”
Freshman Cherish Cochran is averaging 11.0 points, while junior Jasmine Lloyd is averaging 8.9 points. Kiersten Woods, a 6-foot-tall eighth-grader, is averaging 6.8 points.
Other members of the rotation are junior Icelyn Sheriod (3.5 ppg), sophomore Addison Fleming (2.6), sophomore Courtney McFadden (2.2) and junior Haley Robinson (2.3).
East Clarendon knocked off Johnsonville 64-38 on Senior Night on Tuesday. White and Whitney McElveen were honored and had memorable moments. White finished with 21 points, while McElveen had one point. However, that point came after the game clock had expired and she had missed the first of two free throws. When the ball dropped through the net, it set off a loud cheer from the crowd in the packed gymnasium.
Cochran finished with 11 points while Woods and Lloyd both had eight. Sophomore Cayli Harcrow, Robinson and McFadden had five apiece.
The Lady Wolverines won their first four region contests before falling to Carvers Bay on Wednesday on the road by a count of 55-36. That leaves them in second place behind 5-0 Carvers Bay.
East Clarendon closes out with a road game against Hemingway on February 6 and home games against Carvers Bay on February 8 and Scott’s Branch on February 9.
White said she and her teammates need to maintain their focus the rest of the way.
“I want to leave everything on the court,” she said. “I don't want to have any regrets. I don't want to leave my senior year knowing I didn't play my best.
“I think we'll do good if we play our ball game. We've got to stay focused every single game and not wander off and get lost in our thoughts.”
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