The number one girls basketball team in 5A is being led by two childhood friends. Two starters on the girls basketball team, seniors Jaden Newfarmer and Bailey Wilborn, have been playing ball together since they were little and have continued to improve together today.
Newfarmer, a four-year starter, says they’ve both kept improving throughout their time together.
“Growing up with Bailey has been so fun. We have been playing together since we were in elementary school so watching her grow her game from being super little so now going D1 is super amazing. She pushes me to be the best player I can be, I try to push and make her a better player also so to see that dynamic grow between us is super cool. Our bond shows on the court. You can simply see it, we are always looking for each other, we trust each other simply” Newfarmer said.
Wilborn, the newest member of the ‘1000 point club’ (players to score 1000 points in their high school career), says the path to where they are has been incredible.
“It’s been a super fun ride and I’m so lucky to be able to have such an amazing team-mate and friend like Jaden to go along the journey with me,” Wilborn said.
Bailey’s 1000+ points over her high school career has been throughout four years starting on varsity to go with 13.6 PPG throughout her career.
“It was a cool thing, but we are all super focused on finishing the season strong and doing the best we can at state. The individual accomplishments are cool, but it doesn’t matter if we can’t finish the season out strong,” Wilborn said.
While Wilborn has been a main source of points over the years, Newfarmer has fallen into the role of the facilitator on the team, averaging 6.8 APG to go with her 6.0 PPG.
“It’s kinda my thing. I see the court very well, in my opinion, and scoring, yes, I can do that, but I know I’m better as a passer. Watching my teammates score off of a really hard pass makes it awesome,” Newfarmer said.
Two-time state champion Coach Jefferson has coached the duo since they were freshmen. She has enjoyed coaching and watching them grow as players.
“It has been awesome being able to see Bailey and Jaden all these four years. It has been a pleasure to have the opportunity to coach them and watch them develop as players and eventually see them sign to play at the next level,” Jefferson said.
The girls team is currently undefeated and looks to make another state tournament run. Last year, they finished in the final four but the tournament was not completed due to the pandemic.