When the Northampton County women’s varsity basketball team visits Littleton on Friday for the conclusion of its regular-season home-and-home series against Tar Roanoke 1A rival Northwest Collegiate and Technical Academy, much more than the outcome of a game could be decided.
For starters, a NoCo win would give it a clear path toward capturing the TRAC league title, complete with room to stumble over the final month of play.
An unblemished record to date, after all, has its privileges.
Beyond that, however, there’s the race to determine the league’s Player of the Year, which seems to be a two-party duel at this point between Northampton center Michaela Hodge and Northwest guard Camaya Adkins, each of whom establishes, then maintains, the pace for their team.
So, without further fuss, here’s our capsulized breakdown of the matchup:
When last these two met — just over a week ago, the result of a rescheduled date — Northampton took control of a see-saw affair in the third quarter, embarking on a 14-7 run that foreshadowed a 49-37 triumph.
And wouldn’t you know it, Hodge played a starring role in the outcome, going for 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine blocks — part of a group effort that saw the Jags collect a total of 72 rebounds.
Yes, 72 — an average of 2.25 per minute played.
That’s an eye-popping sum, sure, and one totaled primarily on the offensive end, where Hodge and Co. collected 56% of their missed shots, giving the Vikings few opportunities to clear and kick-start their offense with dynamo guard Adkins.
Alas, if NCTA is to have a puncher’s chance on Friday, it will need to send players in waves to the paint, if only to make second chances more of a test for the opportunistic Jags.
Whatever you can do, I can do …?
Through 10 games, Hodge has simply leveled all in her path, as evidenced by her place in Tar Roanoke 1A scoring (14.4 points per game, third), rebounding (11.4 per game, first) and blocks (4.4 per game, also first) — proof, really, that being a presence for one’s team doesn’t limit purposefulness.
In short, there’s just no way a TRAC Player of the Year list — at this point, anyway — doesn’t include No. 32.
It’s an argument that can also be made for Adkins, a sure-fire bucket-getter whose 24.7 points per game leads the league in scoring.
On eight occasions this season, the junior has eclipsed the 20-point mark; on three occasions, the 30-point mark; and on Dec. 13, the elusive 40-point mark during a 58-12 win over Wilson Prep.
What’s more, No. 1 — in total lockstep with second-year head coach Carl Lee — has the program on the verge of the its best campaign since 2015, when 13 wins and a second-round N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A postseason appearance established the school’s most recent gold standard.
As of this writing, the basketball landscape in the Roanoke Valley looks much more like it did before the arrival of COVID-19, with crowds flocking to gyms for twice-weekly contests involving our nine schools.
It’s a turnaround that should also serve as a reminder not to delay in making your ticket purchase for Friday’s drama, as the answers to important questions — like who’s who in a couple of Tar Roanoke 1A races — won’t wait to be answered.
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