Camden girls making positive strides in Jeffcoat’s second season
By David Shelton
Senior Writer
Camden – Slowly, but surely, the Camden High girl’s basketball program is making a comeback and playing the way second-year coach Natalie Jeffcoat had hoped they would.
Camden managed just two wins, none in region play, in Jeffcoat’s first season. Year two has produced better results as Camden enters the final three games of the regular season with an 8-7 record overall and a 2-5 mark in region 7-AAA. Small steps for sure but progress, says the coach.
“We have improved a good bit and I think being a year older and having a little more time with me is showing up some,” said Jeffcoat, who was an all-state point guard at Camden during the 1991-92 season and played collegiately at South Carolina. “We’re not where we want to be but we are taking some good steps to becoming a better basketball program. I know it takes time.”
Camden enters the final stretch of games with a chance to make the lower state AAA playoffs. A sweep of the final three games would do the trick and two wins would give the Lady Bulldogs a shot, but needing help. The final three games are against Lakewood, Darlington and Marlboro County. Camden lost to Lakewood by three and beat Darlington, while losing to Marlboro County, in the first region matchups.
The team is playing without starting senior center Chelsea Reynolds, who injured a knee about three weeks ago. At the time, Reynolds was averaging 9.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
“She was really the only size we had inside and she was having a good year,” said Jeffcoat. “It’s a tough loss and we hate it for her.”
Junior point guard Jazzmine Devlin is doing a good job as the floor leader. Devlin recently dished out 11 assists in a win over Hartsville and is averaging 6.3 assists per game. She also averages 7.4 points and 4.1 steals.
Seniors Portia Griffin and Chloe Poole are starters as well, each contributing about four points per game.
Junior Dree Dubose is the starting two guard and averages 3.6 steals per game.
Sophomore Quasha Jefferson has taken up the post play in Reynolds’ absence and is averaging 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on the season.
Rounding out the team this season are senior Jatavia Cooke, junior Diamond Robinson, sophomore Ticnicko Lee, and freshmen Brooke Dixon and Audria Brooks.
