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By Jay Spivey

For the Clemmons Courier

Much has changed for the West Forsyth girls basketball team since the end of last season, so there was plenty of anticipation on Wednesday when both brackets for the Mary Garber Holiday Tip-Off Classic were announced at Maple Chase Golf and Country Club.

After the Titans finished last season 13-11 overall, Coach Catrina Green resigned over the summer and Johnathan Gainey was hired to replace. According to MaxPreps.com, six players graduated after the season, and Campbell McClain, who is currently a senior at West Forsyth, chose not to play this season.

With all that, Gainey and other 15 coaches in the tournament, named for Garber, who was a pioneer in sports journalism at the Winston-Salem Journal and what was the Twin City Sentinel before the two papers merged and she remained there until her retirement, heard the brackets announced by the Winston-Salem Sportsmen Club for the girls basketball tournament.

West Forsyth was announced as the No. 8 seed in the Bell Davis Pitt Bracket, which is seen as the upper bracket, and will face top-seed North Wilkes, which won the tournament last year. That game is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday at Atkins.

“It’s a tip-off tournament,” Gainey said. “So, they had to go back. I guess people seeded (off) last year. So, I’m OK with it. At the end of the day, if you’re not the No. 1 seed you want to make sure you stay above what you were seeded. So, I guess that’s the goal of the other seven teams that wasn’t picked No. 1. So, we’ve just got to go out and play.”

North Wilkes, which won the Bell Davis Pitt Bracket in the Garber last year after defeating Reynolds in the championship and finished the season 24-6 overall, will be a stiff challenge for West Forsyth. North Wilkes has plenty of talent, including sisters, senior Ralee Bare, a 5-foot-10 point guard, and sophomore Shalyn Bare, a 6-2 center.

“I don’t much about them, but I know they’re good. I know that much.” Gainey said. “I know they have a talented post player. I think it’s one of the Bare sisters. But she’s talented. We’re going to have to rebound, execute and keep our turnovers down to have a chance on beating them.”

Coach Steven Phillips of North Wilkes knows it has a challenge after winning last year’s tournament and being named the top seed.

“We’re honored to, the people thought enough of us to give us that seed,” Phillips said. “It puts a target on your back for us and, but probably no play we’d rather be than the 1-seed. So. hopefully we can live up to our seed in here and have a great tournament.”

North Wilkes is looking forward to its first-round game Saturday against West Forsyth.

“We like this tournament. Great competition. It’s different competition than what we typically see throughout the season,” Phillips said. “It’s just a great way to kick off your season. And we’re really honored to be a part of it.”

Ralee Bare missed last year’s tournament with an injury.

“That young lady’s back and we’re hoping she’s returning to form, you know, sooner than later,” Phillips said. “She looks really good and we’re excited to have her back.”

Each team is guaranteed three games in the tournament no matter it wins or loses on Saturday. The winner of the West Forsyth against North Wilkes game on Saturday will play in the semifinals at 8 p.m. on Monday at Atkins against Saturday’s game at 1:30 between No. 5 East Forsyth versus No. 4 Mount Tabor.

In other first-round games in the Bell Davis Pitt Bracket on Saturday at Atkins, No. 6 East Wilkes will face No. 3 East Surry at noon, and at 4:30, No. 7 Forsyth Country Day will face No. 2 Oak Grove. The winners of those two games will face each other in Monday’s other semifinal at 6:30 at Atkins. The championship of the Bell Davis Pitt Bracket is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Atkins.

“We just want to get better,” Gainey said. “You know, we don’t want to overemphasize the first game. Everybody wants to win the tournament. At the end of the day, we want the team to get better. Of course, you’re going in there to win the tournament, you know, regardless of what seed you are. I think we do have personnel that will be able to compete.”

The losers of Saturday’s West Forsyth versus North Wilkes and East Forsyth versus Mount Tabor will play Tuesday at 6:30 at Atkins, and at 5 p.m. at Atkins on Monday, the losers of the FCD versus Oak Grove game and the East Wilkes versus East Surry will play.

“Hopefully we can shake up the bracket,” Gainey said. “Being the No. 8-seed, a lot of things other people on our side don’t have the expectations, but the team, the coaches and our community, we’re going in there to win it.”

Gainey was named the head coach at West Forsyth in August, so he’s only known the Titans’ girls for just a short time. He has previously coached girls basketball at Winston-Salem Prep and Reynolds, and also coached boys basketball at Glenn. Gainey also coached girls basketball at Providence Grove High School in Climax in Randolph County last season after previously coaching at Glenn.

“Just getting the girls to know the coaching staff, our expectations, standards, and our style of play, how we want to play,” Gainey said. “Just getting them implemented on the things we’re trying to do and what we believe is going to take for us to be successful this upcoming season.”

One of the toughest things for Gainey and the Titans will be to replace seven players from last season, including McClain. As of right now, the Titans have nine players.

“Our depth, we’re going to have to play without fouling, play smart, and play to our strengths,” Gainey said. “…We’ll make it work.”

Despite the losses, the Titans still have two key players back from last season – senior Emma Staples, a 5-7 point guard, and junior Brooklyn King, a 5-11 forward.

“Emma, she’s a senior. She’s the starting point guard from last year,” Gainey said. “Brooklynn was a big part of the success they had last year…They have another year of experience. Both of them have been on varsity.”

In the Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health Bracket, Reagan was named the top seed. Reagan, which finished 11-13 last season, will face No. 8 Winston-Salem Prep at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Glenn.

Winston-Salem Prep didn’t field a team last season.

“I’m a little surprised,” Coach Keith Gunter of Reagan said. “I don’t we’ve played in the Atrium Bracket since my first year here. You play who you’ve go to play, and you go out. I think the girls will be motivated. We’ve just got to go out, if we think we’re a better seed than we got then we have to go out and prove it. So, we’ve got to play who we’ve got to play and take care of it.”

The winner of the Reagan versus Winston-Salem Prep game will play in Monday’s semifinal at 8 p.m. at Glenn against the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 5 Carver and No. 4 Atkins. The losers of that side of the bracket will play against each other Monday at 5 p.m. at Atkins. The championship is scheduled for 4:30 on Wednesday at Atkins.

“I think I look at it as, and I hope the girls look at it, as, ‘Oh, OK, so whoever’s doing the seeding thinks that all those teams are better than us,'” Gunter said. “You know, some of our girls look at and say, ‘OK, that’s who we’ve got to play.’

“Some understand, the two (players) that I brought with me, they understood it and they saw it, and we just kind of smiled.”

Also, on Saturday in the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Bracket at Glenn, No. 6 North Forsyth will face Reynolds at noon, and at 4:30, No. 7 Glenn will face No. 2 Parkland. The winners of those games will play in the semifinal on Monday at 6:30 at Glenn.

The losers will play at 5 p.m. on Monday at Glenn.

Motivation is big factor for Reagan.

“Yep. Not really for the Garber, but for the rest of the season,” Gunter said. “And we’ll see what we get.”