By Brian Pitts
Davie Enterprise Record
When the Ellis girls basketball team held a nine-point lead early in the third quarter last week at North Davie, coach Trish King of North was probably having flashbacks.
North lost the first meeting 36-30 and North was 0-9 in the series.
But just when it seemed like history was bound to repeat itself, the Wildcats dug deep and rallied for an overtime win. It was a classic middle-school battle that ended with North winning 38-36.
“Wow. What a game,” King said. “It was the most exciting game we have played.”
The Wildcats’ 2-6 start has been long forgotten. They’ve won three straight. At 5-6, they’ve accomplished the most wins in five years. To put the turnaround into perspective, they had five wins total over the previous three years.
“Going into the game, we talked a lot about confidence, playing together and believing in ourselves,” King said. “Our theme for the game was ‘we believe,’ and the girls did a tremendous job of encouraging one another.”
Ashlyn Hampton, North’s extraordinary seventh-grade center, delivered an amazing game - 17 points, 14 rebounds and 11 blocks. Yes, a triple-double.
“What an incredible showing by a young player,” King said. “She is definitely going to turn some heads for ...