Joe's Take: Forever Best | Prep Girls Hoops

Addie Davis wants to be her best on the basketball court.   All-the-time.   It doesn't matter if she calls on her highest level during a simple game of pick-up, or a summer AAU game, or especially her high school team, she's getting her A game. That fact, of course, means she's never getting outworked, she's never giving less than 100 percent “, she's going and doing her job,” father Sean Davis said.   Her latest display certainly backed all of this up and more.   Even Sean was impressed with the work and workload she successfully handled on the court.   Tasked with being a leader on a St. Marys' team with big dreams and plans, namely returning to the state tournament and finishing what they started last year, Addie slid into the role perfectly alongside sister Zoe.   When given a chance for a night off, she never took it. When asked to faithfully execute head coach Fred King's weave offense even though it wasn't best matching to her skill set, she ran with it.     When watching other girls getting plays drawn up for them more than her, she remained silent and kept working toward the high standard she expected of herself first set by brother Zach on his journey to West Virginia University's football team.   She successfully and happily labored away as the months wore on. [player_tooltip player_id='391467' first='Breanna' last='Price'] kept scoring. Powell kept defending. Davis kept working. Quite simply, no team kept her down or knocked her off her task, no matter the time or place.   “We worked our tails of every game and every practice because it could be gone the very next game,” Addie said.   Williamstown tried to make her life miserable, as did Ritchie County, Wirt County, Parkersburg Catholic, Ravenswood, Tyler Consolidated and Wahama, because, you know, what are Little Kanawha West rivals for if not for giving you a challenge.   Fort Frye and Fairland made progress in that area, as well, kinda.  Charleston Catholic, Wheeling Central, Doddridge County and Gilmer County all tried their best. They all tried hard, because they all knew what kind of player she was and how she could make life hard for them.   Yet, Davis powered through it all. Repeatedly. She gritted her teeth. She pushed through, and she helped the Blue Devils learn more and more about themselves with the sectional tournament approaching.   What did they learn?   Well…   First, everyone learned they could trust her to be there for her team. This fact was particularly important as it looked like the road to the state tournament would go through the gymnasium inside St. Marys High School.   The Blue Devils besting of regional rivals Wheeling Central once and Magnolia twice, likely giving the Blue Devils home court advantage until Charleston if they could keep winning. And, the Blue Devils needed Addie to be the player she was all year long.   But that wasn't where the learning ended. As the postseason moved closer and closer, more and more lessons were revealed.   Chief among them, a group that suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of Wyoming East in the state tournament a year ago, learned how to handle themselves in tight games.   Then, it came time for the sectional draw. As expected, the Blue Devils earned the top spot and awaited the winner of Wheeling Central and Magnolia. They got Wheeling Central, and then went on to overwhelm the Maroon Knights.   Thanks in part to her hard work, they became a better team, and thus earned themselves another trip to the state tournament.   Although, things didn't turn out how the Blue Devils wanted, Petersburg took them out in the first round, Davis made sure the Vikings earned it.   Each and every time down the court. If you thought her performances in the regular season were great, they had nothing on the Davis that showed up in Charleston.   She came with everything included. Dives onto the floor for loose balls, shouts to keep her teammates fired up even when things got bleak, and playing until the very last buzzer were all traits present and accounted for.   In other words, it was Addie being Addie.   Contact Joe Albright at <a href="mailto:josephpalbright3@gmail.com">josephpalbright3@gmail.com</a>.

Addie Davis wants to be her best on the basketball court.