Tecara Ashe

Weldon guard Tecara Ashe, shown here rising for a layup against Tar Roanoke 1A foe Southeast Halifax on Jan. 18, enjoyed a stellar basketball career in Navy Blue — only to see it cut one game short in April, when officials at the N.C. High School Athletic Association were forced to cancel the remainder of spring sports.

 Justin Hayes | The Daily Herald

To be blunt, former Weldon guard Tecara Ashe put together the type of varsity basketball career many players aspire to enjoy, but lack the capability to actualize.

Total points scored — 1,116.

Rebounds — 349.

Assists and steals — 360 and 282, respectively.

But perhaps most importantly, Ashe helped book victories — as in 91, against just eight losses over a four-year span.

Wow.

If you pitched the numbers to a writer’s room, or any production house capable of turning her hoops story into a film, they would pass.

Too one-sided, they’d say.

Not enough tension.

And without warring factions — well, you get the idea.

Only, Ashe persisted as a singular force, crafting her own feature scripts, driven by a dependability uncommon between the lines.

Skills and such

In every sense, Ashe was a player’s player, meaning that opposing coaches and hoopers across the Valley — male or female, public school or private — were forced, really, to recognize her skill set as one that had a place on every team.

Every. Single. Team.

Because there’s always room for a lead guard who gets to her spots on the floor, possesses a solid mid-range game and finds others when access to the bucket is closed off, walled off or otherwise outlawed.

Defensively, No. 2 was just as solid, operating out of matchups and into passing lanes, as evidenced by her average of 4.3 steals per game as a senior — a figure which ranked 18th in all of 1A basketball.

A gamer for the sake of all-time, Ashe also dished, finishing her career on County Road with a dependable 1.20 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Murphy’s Law…?

In April, when officials at the N.C. High School Athletic Association were forced to forever cancel Weldon’s state championship clash against West Regional champ Murphy — a greater-good decision, no matter one’s political leaning — fans of the women’s game were denied a chance to see Ashe test her ability against a team that hadn’t lost a game in nearly a year.

As matchups go, it was a certain classic.

What’s more, the Bulldogs were a great defensive outfit, allowing just 39.7 points per game on the season — a brand of stinginess which could have, given her versatility, made Ashe the star of said show.

Alas, we’ll never know the outcome, but can be sure of one thing — it will likely be some time before another Weldon guard finishes a career on par, or in step, with the one registered by Tecara Ashe.

For those who saw her play, it was very much a real thing.