Wheatmore girls succeeding despite injury to point guard

ASHEBORO — When a starting high school basketball player gets injured, there are a couple of ways a team can go. The first is to feel sorry for themselves, realize the predicament they face and use that injury as an excuse for not succeeding.

Or it can do what the Wheatmore High School girls varsity basketball team has done this year after losing starting point guard Jocelyn McDowell just five games into the season. They can regroup, accept new roles, step up their game and succeed. 

Oh, how they have succeeded.

The Warriors were a perfect 3-0 in Central Carolina Conference action heading into Tuesday night’s game with Providence Grove. Despite losing McDowell for 10 games, WHS has posted an impressive 11-5 record, including a 7-3 record in the games McDowell missed. 

The sophomore point guard returned and played sparingly in a win over East Davidson on Jan. 9 before returning full-time Jan. 16 in a win over West Davidson.

“It’s been a process because we only played four games out of our 16 with a full roster of nine players,” said WHS coach Pete Kilcullen, who is in his 12th year and second stint at the helm. “When Jocelyn McDowell went down in our fourth game (with a foot injury), we struggled. We were moving people around, playing them in different positions and it took a while for us to understand the new roles. Players who never started before were starting, including Alexis Holifield, who had never played basketball before.”

The injury to McDowell meant shooting guard Kaelyn Whitehart moved to point guard. 

“Kaelyn has stepped up as a senior,” Kilcullen said of his two-year player who spent time at Trinity and Wesleyan high schools before Wheatmore. “She really worked hard on her shooting, her three-point shot. Her driving to the basket, her ability has grown from last year. Now she’s stepping up and knocking down her free throws. Her skill development. She’s a gym rat.”

She proved that in the off-season. The WHS girls were having trouble getting players to show up for summer workouts. So Whitehart worked out with the varsity boys during the summer.

“The boys were really encouraging,” said Whitehart, a Concord University signee who is averaging 19.4 points per game with nine games of at least 20 points and a season-high 32-point effort. “They treated me like one of their teammates. I think it helped me a lot. It gave me an opportunity to be in the gym.”

The experience against the boys has certainly helped as she returned for her senior season. Then when she had to move from the shooting guard to the point after the injury to McDowell, all that time in the gym paid off.

“I think we were all frustrated at first, that was a big loss,” Whitehart said of the injury to McDowell. “We all had it in our heads we had to step up a little. It gave other people the opportunity and they showed they can do a lot more than they thought they could.”

Whitehart wasn’t the only player who made adjustments after the injury to McDowell. All eight players have played a significant role as the Warriors battle for the CCC regular-season championship.

“Just the growth in the first 16 games we’ve played,” Kilcullen said of what he’s been pleased with the most thus far. “When we went into the season, we were seriously concerned about depth, not only because of the numbers but the basketball experience. 

“The kids have grown immensely in the past five weeks since she’s been out. Now I can look down the bench with confidence. We were able to fill in the gaps there were questions about. The injury was devastating and we were seriously concerned, but it helped build chemistry.”

Now with McDowell back and the Warriors at full strength, the team is benefitting from the additional minutes every player has seen on the floor.

“What really surprised me was how well we worked together,” said Whitehart. “This year is a lot different. We’re all together and we’re having fun.”

The Warriors own league wins over Thomasville, West Davidson and East Davidson. They defeated Trinity during the SportsTone.net Christmas Invitational and still have two regular-season games with the Bulldogs and two with Providence Grove, counting Tuesday’s affair. 

“It’s not the gauntlet in our conference used to be with High Point Andrews, Randleman and then Southwestern (Randolph) joining,” Kilcullen said. “I knew Providence Grove would be right there with everyone else. 

“Overall from top to bottom, maybe minus Thomasville (0-15), there is no night off. We have a golden opportunity in front of us if we can continue to develop.”