Championship Matchup

7th Grade

Lakeside (26) vs Little Mill (31)

2025-26 Girls Basketball

7th Grade Championship Review

Quarterfinals & Semifinals

Full Steam Ahead

The 2025–26 7th grade girls basketball season belonged to Little Mill. The Mustangs capped a perfect 13–0 campaign on Wednesday night with a championship trophy — but the title game looked nothing like the dominance they showed all season.

For the first time all year, Little Mill trailed at multiple checkpoints. After leading at the end of every quarter during the regular season, the Mustangs found themselves down seven at halftime and still facing a five-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter of the championship game.

Their playoff run leading up to that moment had looked much more familiar.

In the first round against North Forsyth, Little Mill did what it had done all season — start fast and never let up. The Mustangs built a 15-point halftime lead, then completely shut the door in the second half. They allowed just three points in the third quarter and none in the fourth, cruising to what became their eighth win of the season by 30 points or more.

The semifinals brought a matchup with Hendricks, a team that had quietly given Little Mill one of its tougher games during the regular season despite a 45–29 final score. In that earlier meeting, the Mustangs jumped ahead by 14 before the Hawks played them evenly the rest of the way.

The second meeting was tighter from the start. For the first time in weeks, Little Mill was pushed deep into the first half, taking only a five-point lead into the break. But the Mustangs made their move after halftime, dominating the third and fourth quarters to pull away and punch their ticket to the finals.

Championship

Perfection

Little Mill (13–0) and Lakeside first met back on December 4, when both teams entered the game undefeated. It was still early in the season, so it wasn’t yet clear who the top team in the league would be. By the end of that night, there was little doubt.

Little Mill delivered a dominant 29-point victory that sent shockwaves through the league and quickly established the Mustangs as the team to beat.

Lakeside (11–2) responded the way strong teams do. The Lions regrouped and went on to win their next eight games, steadily building momentum. When the rematch with Little Mill arrived, Lakeside came in confident, battle-tested, and determined to prove the first meeting didn’t define them.

Both teams struggled to find offense in the opening frame. Little Mill had balanced contributions, with four different players scoring, though only three baskets fell from the field. Lakeside also had three players get on the board, but the Lions managed just one made field goal in the quarter. A pair of free throws helped keep the score close despite the slow start.

As dominant as Little Mill had been all season, routinely building comfortable halftime leads, Wednesday night’s second quarter was a shock to just about everyone in the gym.

Lakeside seized control behind Eva Stevenson, who scored five points in the period. With contributions from four different players, the Lions surged ahead and carried a seven-point lead into halftime.

Little Mill, meanwhile, struggled to find its rhythm. Madi Shirley accounted for the Mustangs’ only scoring in the quarter with four points. It marked the first time all season that Little Mill trailed at the end of a quarter — a stunning turn in the championship game.

The third quarter resembled the first, with both teams battling to find any offensive rhythm. Lakeside didn’t make a field goal, but the Lions stayed afloat by going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Little Mill couldn’t fully capitalize, managing just two field goals and a free throw in the period. The Mustangs trimmed the deficit by only two points, with Madi Shirley again leading the effort and scoring four more to keep her team within reach heading into the final quarter.

Little Mill’s undefeated season was suddenly in serious jeopardy, and it looked as if Lakeside might get its long-awaited revenge. But champions have a way of rising in the biggest moments.

Slowly and steadily, the Mustangs chipped away at the deficit. Anna Droegemueller, one of Little Mill’s early-season standouts, took over in the final quarter. She poured in nine points, knocking down two clutch 3-pointers and calmly sinking three free throws to swing the momentum. Waverly Rickman also delivered in key moments, adding two baskets that helped Little Mill finally push in front.

Lakeside, after playing with poise and control for three quarters, couldn’t find the offense it needed down the stretch. As the Lions’ shots stopped falling, the Mustangs completed the comeback, preserving their perfect season and bringing Lakeside’s impressive run to a tough end.

After her dominant fourth quarter, Anna Droegemueller finished with a team-high 13 points to lead the Mustangs. Madi Shirley added 10, carrying much of the scoring load through the first three quarters to keep Little Mill within striking distance.

Lakeside did not have a player reach double figures. Kagan Morris and Eva Stevenson led the Lions with eight points each in the hard-fought loss.

Final Thoughts

Tested at the End, Perfect in the End 

When the final horn sounded, the scoreboard confirmed what the season had been building toward since opening night: a perfect 13–0 record and a championship trophy for Little Mill.

In a year filled with talented teams across the county, the Mustangs set the standard from the first tip to the final buzzer. Their resilience in the biggest moment only added to their legacy, cementing this group as one of the most memorable and accomplished 7th grade teams the league has seen.

Championship Matchup

8th Grade

Hendricks (50) vs South Forsyth (45)

2025-26 Girls Basketball

8th Grade Championship Review

Quarterfinals & Semifinals

Looks a lot Like Last Year

From opening day of the 2025–26 season to the start of postseason play, the defending champions from Hendricks looked like a near carbon copy of last year’s title team. While this season featured a few more close calls, the overall theme remained the same — Hendricks overwhelmed opponents and stacked up blowout wins week after week.

Their biggest test came in early January when Hendricks and South Forsyth met in a battle of undefeated teams, mirroring last season’s highly anticipated showdown. And just like the year before, the outcome felt familiar. South Forsyth handed Hendricks a 12-point loss, serving as the lone blemish on an otherwise dominant regular season.

In their opening playoff game, Hendricks squared off against Liberty, and the Patriots proved once again they weren’t going to go away quietly. Just like in their regular season meeting, Liberty kept things close through the first half, with the Hawks unable to fully pull away and holding only a seven-point lead at the break.

Then, the Hawks completely flipped the game after halftime, unleashing a dominant stretch that buried Liberty for good. Over the third and fourth quarters, Hendricks outscored the Patriots by an astonishing 34–1, turning a competitive battle into a runaway victory and punching their ticket to the next round in emphatic fashion.

Stat lines are still pending from the semifinal matchup between Hendricks and North Forsyth, but the result left no doubt. The Hawks delivered another commanding performance, pulling away for a 45–26 victory to secure their spot in the championship game and another shot at South Forsyth.

Championship

Back-to-Back

As mentioned before, this season mirrored last year’s 7th grade campaign in almost every way for these two programs. South Forsyth entered the championship at a perfect 12–0, while Hendricks came in at 11–1 with their only loss of the season coming against the Eagles.

Both teams put together outstanding seasons filled with dominant performances, making this a true clash of championship-caliber squads with the title hanging in the balance.

Their regular season meeting turned into a defensive battle from start to finish. Hendricks was held to a season-low 28 points, while South Forsyth’s 40 points marked their fourth-lowest offensive output of the year. Every possession mattered.

Hendricks stayed within striking distance the entire game but could never find the scoring run they needed to swing momentum. The margins in each quarter were slim, yet South Forsyth managed to edge out Hendricks in all four periods, a steady performance that ultimately secured them the No. 1 spot in the standings.

South Forsyth came out strong in the championship game, building a six-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Piper Mack set the tone early with seven points, while Brooklyn Scott added six, accounting for all of the Eagles’ scoring in the period.

Hendricks had more balance with three different players getting on the board, but no one scored more than three points as the Hawks worked to find their rhythm against South Forsyth’s early surge.

South Forsyth stretched the lead to 11 by halftime with another strong offensive quarter. Once again, Piper Mack and Brooklyn Scott powered the Eagles, combining for 13 of the team’s 15 points in the period and continuing to control the tempo.

Hendricks showed more life on the offensive end, highlighted by Evelyn Bancroft, who led the Hawks in the quarter with six points as they tried to keep the deficit within reach heading into the break.

Coming out of the break, it was all Hawks. Hendricks erupted for the highest-scoring quarter of the game, outscoring South Forsyth by 12 points in a stunning momentum shift. The Hawks stuffed the stat sheet during their game-changing run, knocking down four two-point baskets, two three-pointers, and adding three free throws in a relentless offensive surge.

Despite being outplayed for most of the quarter, South Forsyth’s hot start earlier in the game kept them within striking distance. The Eagles managed just two baskets in the period, yet the deficit was only one point heading into the final quarter.

Just like last year — yet another reminder of how closely these two seasons mirrored one another — Hendricks rose to the moment when the pressure was at its highest.

The Hawks found ways to score down the stretch, knocking in five field goals in the final quarter, but it was their work at the free-throw line that ultimately sealed the game. Hendricks went to the stripe with confidence, converting six free throws in the period. Annie Hershey led the way, calmly sinking five of those clutch points from the charity stripe.

Piper Mack and Brooklyn Scott battled to keep South Forsyth within reach, but the Eagles’ star duo couldn’t quite match Hendricks’ late-game execution. When the final buzzer sounded, the Hawks had completed their run — securing back-to-back championships with the same core group in both 7th and 8th grade.

Hendricks’ balanced attack was on full display in the high-scoring finale, with three players reaching double digits. Annie Hershey led the way with 15 points, Hunter Goss added 14, and Ella Chester chipped in 10 to help secure the victory.

South Forsyth’s Piper Mack put on an incredible individual performance, pouring in a game-high 25 points, while Brooklyn Scott added 17. Despite their efforts, no other Eagles scored more than two points, leaving Mack and Scott to carry the offensive load against a relentless Hendricks squad.

Final Thoughts

Soaring to Another Title 

With back-to-back championships in 7th and 8th grade, this Hendricks group didn’t just win — they made history.

Over the past two seasons, the Hawks suffered only two losses, and in a remarkable show of resilience and growth, they avenged both defeats in the championship games, proving they had learned from every challenge along the way.

Last year’s title was the school’s first championship in any sport since opening in 2021, and this team doubled that total, firmly establishing Hendricks as a rising powerhouse.

Balanced, resilient, and clutch when it mattered most, the Hawks’ legacy extends beyond banners and trophies — they’ve set the standard for future Hawks and shown what’s possible when talent, teamwork, and determination come together.