Randolph Hub's All-Randolph County girls basketball team

ASHEBORO — With the new conference realignment taking shape this season, many basketball fans were anxious to see what the outcome would be of spreading out the eight teams from Randolph County into four separate conferences, especially in the girls’ division.

While Southwestern Randolph, Randleman and Uwharrie Charter Academy would fight for the conference championship in the old Piedmont Athletic Conference every season, Providence Grove, Wheatmore, Eastern Randolph and Trinity were left to battle for second-tier status.

With this year’s realignment, no more.

While Randleman and Asheboro found themselves as the only county representative in very difficult conferences, SWR, Eastern Randolph and UCA went to the Four Rivers Conference and WHS, PG and Trinity went to the Central Carolina Conference, giving them an opportunity to compete for a league title. 

And Wheatmore took full advantage. While the FRC teams struggled with powerful Northwood, the Warriors dominated CCC play, finishing undefeated in the league, winning 21 games on the season, winning their first conference championship and winning their first conference tournament championship.

UCA and SWR finished tied for second in the FRC and ER placed fourth, while RHS had to battle some unforeseen circumstances and finished fourth in the highly-competitive new PAC. AHS, now a 6-A division team, had a gigantic step in improvement and finished fourth in the Triad Area Athletic Conference, finishing over .500 (14-13) for the first time since the 2021 season.

There were an abundance of choices for The Randolph Hub All-County team. Plenty of players and plenty of coaches deserve recognition, but after receiving the nominations from coaches, studying stats, looking at sportsmanship and the importance to her team, here is the 11-member The Randolph Hub All-County team.

Player of the year

The player of the year is Southwestern Randolph’s Jordin George.

George, one of the top athletes in the county, did everything for the Cougars throughout her four-year career. This season, she averaged 18.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while adding an average of 3.2 assists, 3.1 steals and solid defense every time she hit the floor. She is a four-time all-conference selection, a three-time All-District selection and was named the Four Rivers Conference player of the year this season. She scored 1,460 points in guiding the Cougars to an 80 percent winning percentage. She was a true three-level scorer.

Coach of the year

The coach of the year is Wheatmore High School’s Pete Kilcullen.

The Warriors finished 21-6, the first time they reached the 20-victory plateau in school history. As mentioned, WHS also captured the CCC regular-season conference and tournament championships, their first in school history. They did it with a nine-player roster with only six of those seeing extensive minutes. That included a freshman and two sophomores.

The Warriors enjoyed a 15-game winning streak and advanced to the third round of the state 3-A tournament. WHS was the only basketball team in Randolph County to earn a first-round bye.

The All-County Team

CALLIE CRAVEN (EASTERN RANDOLPH) — She was a constant for the Wildcats this season as she provided leadership on and off the floor. She averaged 12.8 points, 1.7 blocks and shot 74 percent from the free-throw line. She was someone a very young team could look up to.

NEVAEH STAPLES (UWHARRIE CHARTER ACADEMY) — A finalist for player of the year, she became the school’s all-time leading scorer and surpassed the 1,000-point plateau this season. She was a stat filler as she averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 1.4 steals, while recording six double-doubles this year.

NAIMAH AL-ARIF (UWHARRIE CHARTER ACADEMY) — An incredible ball handler and leader of her team’s offense. This team looked different when she wasn’t on the floor. She averaged 6.6 points, a school-record 5.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 steals and recorded school records with 11 assists against North Stanly and eight steals against Albemarle.

JACQULINE McDANIEL (RANDLEMAN) — The sophomore was asked to do a lot of things this year for the Tigers and she handled most like a veteran. She averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds, while adding 4.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per contest. She was exceptional at seeing the floor and setting up her teammates. She shot 43 percent from 3-point range and 53 percent from the floor.

LAUREL BERNHARDT (PROVIDENCE GROVE) — A very young team could look to her for leadership on and off the floor. A speedy player with the ball, she averaged 14.9 points per game with 2 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. 

MADISON HILL (TRINITY) — The sophomore averaged 16.5 points per game and was counted on every night for contributions in all areas. She was a player who could take the ball inside or pull up for a jumper. She has great versatility and determination.

ADY SCHERER (ASHEBORO) — The Blue Comets started to turn the program around and she was a big part of that. She led the Blue Comets in scoring (12.4) and was just as impressive on the boards, averaging just under seven per game. She had quick bursts to the basket and was a stable force on the team.

MADDIE STRIDER (SW RANDOLPH) — A finalist for player of the year, she led her team in 3-point shooting and was a force each time she took the floor. A four-year varsity performer, she was an incredible free-throw shooter and an impressive defensive player, often guarding the top scorer for the opposition. She was named all-conference three times and All-District three times.

KAELYN WHITEHART (WHEATMORE) — She was named the Central Carolina Conference player of the year after averaging 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.6 steals per game. A finalist for player of the year in the county, she was a key part in the Warriors’ record-setting season, surpassing the 1,000-point plateau this year.

KINSLEY DAVIS (WHEATMORE) — Only a freshman, she was a key performer for the Warriors this season. A strong ball handler with no fear whatsoever, she would drive the length of the floor for offensive opportunities. She averaged 9.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 steals.

Honorable Mention

Adi Johnson (PG), Bailee Mitchell (PG), Nauttica Parrish (SWR), Raegan Beaver (ER), Lanie Hall (RHS), Maliyah Brady (AHS), Laneane Scherer (AHS), Olivia Nance (THS), Ava Nance (THS), Lainey Thomas (UCA), Madeline Mullinnax (WHS), Kadie Green (RHS), Jocelyn McDowell (WHS).