Southwestern Randolph’s Gracie Hodgin creates a defensive presence against Randleman’s Chenleigh Robinson during a holiday tournament game last month. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record)
Randleman’s girls’ basketball team isn’t much interested in losing the grip it has held on the Piedmont Athletic Conference the past several years.
“We’ll see if there’s a changing of the guard,” first-year coach Scott Tyson said.
But the Tigers will have work to do to hold ownership of the league championship for a fourth consecutive year.
Southwestern Randolph has been a contender in the past and this might be the season that the Cougars take the next step.
“At different times, we thought we were close,” Southwestern Randolph coach Seth Baxter said.
Southwestern Randolph has made it halfway through its 12-game PAC schedule without a blemish. The Cougars entered this week with a 15-0 overall record.
Randleman, Providence Grove and Uwharrie Charter Academy all held 3-2 records in conference play when the week began.
UCA coach Austin Davis said earlier in the season that it would be interesting to see who could challenge Southwestern Randolph and Randleman for top honors in the league. He said he was hoping that his team would be in contention, so the Eagles will look to improve on the double-digit losses it suffered to those two teams when the rematches come next month.
Providence Grove handed Randleman one of its two conference losses. The other league defeat for the Tigers came against Southwestern Randolph.
The Cougars are expecting to encounter strong competition on the second time through the league schedule.
“We know everybody is going to give us their best shot,” Baxter said.
Randleman took some lumps early in the season as the Tigers faced stiff non-conference competition. Tyson said the goal is for those experiences to pay off during the latter part of the season.
Southwestern Randolph also topped Randleman in the championship game of a holiday tournament in Asheboro. That 12-point margin was less than the 17-point result in the first meeting.
For Randleman, it was encouraging that after losing a non-league game to Lexington that the Tigers won a rematch. That’s the type of improvement that Tyson said he can envision for his team.
“Energy, that’s the key,” Tyson said. “Just coming out with that energy.”
With new players and a new coach – the third in three seasons for the Randleman team – there were bound to be a learning curve for the Tigers, Tyson said.
He said he’s looking at the team’s quest to put together all the pieces as something positive.
“It’s more fun that way,” he said.
The Southwestern/Randleman rematch comes Jan. 31 at Randleman.
