Douglas Freeman adjusts after early injuries to girls basketball team

Their dreams were lofty and their hopes sky-high.

Nothing could stop the Douglas Freeman Mavericks in their quest for excellence.

After all, they returned a solid, talented, and experienced nucleus of players from their 2024-25 team that finished 14-8 and combined a joie de vivre with the bold expectation of making a name for themselves in Region 5C and maybe beyond.

Then, fate played the spoiler.

Man, oh, man, did it ever!

In the very first quarter of their opener at Varina, Addie Morton, a 5-10 senior who was on track to break the school scoring record, suffered a right Achilles tendon injury that required surgery and ended her career.

Moments later, while athletic trainers were still ministering to Morton, Jane Miller, a 5-9 sophomore and rising star, sustained a right knee injury that would put her out of action for more than two months.

“We were shellshocked for a while,” said Mavericks’ coach John Larkins. “Everyone’s had to step up and play two levels above what we thought at the start of the year.

“Instead of being a role player, you’re a starter. Instead of getting a couple of minutes here and there, hey, you’re second off the bench, and we need you to score.

“It’s been a steep learning curve. They didn’t get the season we thought we’d have, but they’ve really stepped up and been great to be around.”

Monday night, the Mavericks defeated visiting Mechanicsville 53-34 in the Larry Parpart Pavilion. 

They built an 18-9 first quarter lead fueled by two 3-pointers by 5-7 freshman Reagan Pruden, opened the second with a 9-0 run enroute to a 27-14 halftime advantage, played the Mustangs even in the third, and put the game away with a 21-15 fourth.

After Freeman hit four 3-pointers in the first half, the Mustangs (3-11) adjusted their 1-2-2 zone to a 2-3 to defend the perimeter more efficiently. The Mavericks answered intentionally with quick, crisp passes in an attempt to hit cutters breaking for the basket.

“They weren’t coming out at me very fast, so I was able to get my shots off,” said Pruden, who added a third strike from behind the arc in the second quarter and finished with 14 points. “Then, we started looking more to drive, slow the game down a little bit, and look for layups rather than 3-pointers.”

Kayleigh Perks, a 5-11 senior, has directed Freeman’s offense and spearheaded its defense in Morton’s and Miller’s absence.

Defensively, the Mavericks used a variety of looks, mainly a 1-2-1-1 press that morphed into a 1-2-2 zone, to prevent the Mustangs from getting into an offensive rhythm.

“We were running a zone to keep them from driving to the basket,” Perks said. “We were trying to keep them away from the paint and make them shoot more from outside.

“And when the shot goes up, everyone crashes the basket and boxes out their man.”

The strategy worked.

The Mavericks forced 9-for-26 shooting and 24 turnovers, many of which led directly to offensive opportunities, and outrebounded the Mustangs 36-24.

Down 13 after three quarters, the Mustangs switched to man-to-man in the fourth.

After Carys Kahn’s free throw cut the difference to 32-20, Freeman’s Ashlyn Jordan hit a layup off Perks’s assist, Ryleigh Perks scored from close range and a moment later went 2-for-2 from the line, and Miller, in her first game back, banked in a layup at 5:10 to put Freeman up 40-22.

A 3-pointer and free throw by Constance Woodley (12 points) followed by Kayleigh Bryant’s 3-pointer enabled the Mustangs to close to 41-29 with four minutes remaining, but try as they might, they could get no closer.

“We were focusing on slowing the pace of the game,” said Kayleigh Perks. “We were just passing the ball around until we got shots we were comfortable with.”

Miller entered the game at 1:37 of the first quarter and immediately got a steal in the backcourt. She spotted Pruden on the left wing and dealt the assist that led to her first 3-pointer.

Her first bucket was a 3-ball from the left wing at 2:29 of the third quarter. She finished with 11 points.

“Jane has worked so hard to rehab her knee and get back,” Larkins said. “Tonight, she got back into her groove and felt confident. She looked great.”

Morton, for her part, has turned disappointment into purpose.

Though she still sports a walking boot on her right leg, she dresses out for each practice and game and serves as something of a spiritual leader.

She fist-bumps the opposing team’s starters as they’re introduced. She encourages her teammates non-stop. Despite her challenges, she’s been a shining light both in the locker room and on the bench.

“She’s been phenomenal,” Larkins said. “She’s shown such grit and positivity. It makes your heart proud. We won’t be too bad off in our old age with people like Addie around.”