The 15th-seeded Chapel Hill High School’s women’s basketball team ended it season with a 23-8 record after making it to the fourth round of the state playoffs for the first time in 10 years.
The Tigers started the season with a ten-game win streak, the longest maintained since 2015, when the team won the 3A State Title. The team finished 4th in the DAC-VII conference with a 9-5 in-conference record.
Junior power forward Laynie Smith led the team with an average of 23.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, earning her all-conference honors. Smith led the team in every stat line and led the conference in both field goals and blocks.
“I wasn’t sure if I would even play this year, but I’m so glad I did,” Smith said. “Playing for Chapel Hill has been so fun, the team environment is great, and the coaches are always enthusiastic and pushing everyone to be the best they can be.”
The team overcame a mid-season rough patch, dropping three games in a row to Hillside, Southern Alamance and Jordan High School.
“The losing streak was actually really good for us because it helped us come together as a team and work through a few aspects of our game,” senior captain Anna Newman said. “We had a really hard fought win over Western Alamance that helped us to get back on track and put in the things we had worked on. Our momentum from that game carried us to a five game win streak.”
The streak landed the Tigers a 15-seed ranking and a 20-7 record heading into the playoffs.
“Our team did a really good job at the end of the regular season in coming together as a team and spreading the ball,” Newman said.
Following a 51-36 defeat of Jack-Britt High School in the first round on February 21, the Tigers faced Hoggard High School, the second seed in the 4A East division. The team rallied to a 47-41 upset of the Vikings led by Smith and freshman Eva Smith and sophomore Ashton Beale.
“It felt amazing to see a reward that we have worked so hard for all season and to be a lower seed,” Beale said. “Everyone thought past us, but then we went out and showed them who Chapel Hill really is.”
Prior to the fourth-round game at Panther Creek High School, Newman was presented with a nomination for the Tatum Atkinson Scholar Athlete of the Week and a chance to earn a $3,000 scholarship for her work on and off the court.
The Tigers’ Cinderella-run came to an end at the hands of Panther Creek after a 74-32 loss. However, the team’s top four point scorers—Laynie Smith, junior Jadzia Burnette, Eva Smith and Beale—plan to return for the 2023-2024 season.
