ALL-AREA: Rosewood's Mercer selected Girls Player-of-the-Year

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 18, 2016 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

"We all played our hearts out. She said she loved me. We fell short, but there was nothing else we could do. It's been a great journey."

Joining Mercer on the All-Area first team are Coastal Carolina signee Naheria Hamilton; Indiana-Fort Wayne-Purdue signee Zaria Atkins; Goldsboro senior Tyona Moses and Spring Creek senior Amber Buchan.

Mercer planned out her trek after her eighth-grade year.

Every goal she scribbled onto a sheet of paper seemed lofty for someone who had just entered her teenage years.

But this pig-tailed, energetic kid became a gym rat. Constant ball-handling drills honed her skills. Missed shots from every point on the court frustrated Mercer. Each clang off the iron pushed her harder. Soon the shots started to fall with ease as she constantly used the collar of her T-shirt to wipe the sweat dripping from her face -- when she took a rare break.

Ice bags wrapped around her knees and ankles, sometimes her shoulder, served as treatment for body aches and pains she experienced as she pursued to perfect a passion that burned deep within her soul.

"I had goals," Mercer said.

Team MVP.

All-conference and all-state honors.

A 2,000-point scorer.

A state champion.

The 5-foot-9 shooting forward accomplished three. She tallied 2,561 career points -- 12th-best all-time in North Carolina history. Mercer earned all-Carolina 1-A Conference accolades on four occasions. Most recently she received Associated Press All-State recognition for the third consecutive year.

Rosewood won 90 games with Mercer in uniform, seized three Carolina regular-season championships, finished east runner-up in 2014 and 2015, and advanced to the elite eight this past season.

"My role has been to give her every opportunity to showcase her skills," third-year RHS head coach Rick Grantham said. "She had no boundaries with us. She could do basically whatever she wanted. But I will stake my life on this. She's the best teammate I ever coached."

A teammate with an unselfish demeanor.

Points, rebounds, assists and steals didn't matter to Mercer each time she stepped onto the court. Her goal, instead, involved making her teammates better and building their self confidence.

This season was a perfect example.

"I never put myself in front of anyone else," Mercer said. "We were a young team this year. You have to understand your teammate, what helps them feel better to go back out and try it again ... just wanted to make to sure everybody felt comfortable.

"I just made sure that one, we won and (second) that everybody got a chance to shine."

And the Eagles surprised a few folks.

Despite key losses to graduation, Rosewood compiled 25 wins and fought through considerable adversity at nearly every turn. Macy Tyndall missed the remainder of the year with concussion-like symptoms. Nekia Williams also sustained a concussion.

Payton Lane had appendicitis.

The losses depleted the Eagles' depth on the bench. But plenty of scoring arsenal remained on the court with Mercer, Jala Holloman, Alyssa Garrison and Hannah Daniels. The quartet found ways to attack the basket and knock down points.

Opposing teams played either a box-and-one or triangle-and-two with the focus squarely on Mercer. Garrison took over on the perimeter. Hannah Daniels, along with Tayzlie Tripple, crashed the boards inside. Holloman pestered defenses with her ability to either drive and dish off the ball, or continue to the basket.

"We were able to prove everybody wrong, which was cool because we were kind of underestimated and then we just came out of nowhere," Mercer said. "It was like a 'hey these kids have still got it' kind of thing."

They had skill.

They had great work ethic.

Their personalities meshed.

They helped each other.

They each accepted their respective role.

Not surprisingly, the team reaped the rewards from displaying those traits throughout the season. And they've undoubtedly set high expectations for future Rosewood teams.

"There's no school I would rather represent that Rosewood," Mercer said. "I love everything about it ... the team, the coaches and the community. I think we have some of the best supporters around. They've stuck by our side for the past three years and have really been amazing."

Mercer was no exception.