-
The Patriots' Amber Watkins goes around Hart County's Jaz Shealer at Oglethorpe County High School's girls basketball game on Monday, December 19, 2023. The Lady Patriots defeated Hart County 60-54. (McCain Bracewell/The Oglethorpe Echo)
The Oglethorpe County girls basketball team has started strong.
After 10 games, the Patriots are 9-1, a better start than the previous three seasons. The only loss was to Hart County, which the team beat just three games later.
The success has been led by five experienced upperclassmen, who have all started since their freshman year: seniors Denim Goddard, Abby Jones, Amber Watkins and Aariana Bell, alongside junior Kenzie Henderson.
“When I took this basketball position, those were the four I started with, and they all started as freshmen,” head coach Brianna Dickens said. “So when people say they’re seniors now, I’m like ‘no they’re not.’ It’s been really cool to watch them grow over the past four years.”
The starting players said they take pride in everyone playing well and at a high level, which comes from their longtime relationships on the court.
Bell admitted that sometimes the players butt heads, but she also said they keep each other accountable, a sentiment others echoed.
“It’s actually a really good feeling to know I grew up with them, and I’m going to actually finish it up with them,” Watkins said. “It just helps on the court also because we have so much chemistry that we can easily play together.”
These players have also seen individual success. In the team’s only loss, Goddard hit the 1,000-point mark. Watkins is also drawing near her 1,000-point milestone, a moment Goddard plans on celebrating just like she did with her own accomplishment.
“I would be excited,” Goddard said. “I'd be very proud. I'll be very supportive of it.”
However, the season is still long for players focused on advancing past the early rounds of the playoffs. The team has three games in three days, starting with a match up against Portland High School on Dec. 28.
Goddard has some advice for that.
“Take one game at a time, take one practice at a time, take one day at a time mentally, physically and emotionally,” Goddard said. “Just be yourself. Play hard, practice hard. You can’t just take one day off and expect to be playing like LeBron James. You got to put in the work, whether in school or not.”