New coach off to good start

Harlem's girls basketball team has picked up two wins in the first two weeks of the season. The squad has also picked up a new coach.

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Amy Slagle, who was hired in the physical education department at Harlem High School this year, got the head coaching title as part of her job description.

"The P.E. position was connected to the job, and the only way I was going to get the job was to coach," she said. "I was OK with that."

Slagle said she does have experience coaching basketball but not at the varsity level. After a 2-2 start to the season, the team seems to be on the right track.

Harlem's losses came from Greenbrier and Hephzibah. Those two schools are traditionally two of the top girls basketball teams in the area. Neither squad has lost this year.

Harlem's two wins came at the expense of Evans High School. Harlem beat Evans in the first round of the Columbia County Tip Off Tournament to start the season. Harlem did it again on Friday, 47-25.

Slagle said it's a step in the right direction.

"We have three goals that we came up with as a team," she said. "The first goal is to beat our record from last year. Last year's was 9-15. The second goal was to make it to state. The third would be that we need to set the pace every game."

Harlem controlled the game's tempo and everything else against Evans by jumping out to a 13-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Bulldogs held Evans to just 1-of-13 shooting from the field during that stretch. Senior Taylor Jones was the only Lady Knights player to score in the first half.Harlem's offense took over in the second half. Ebony and Nicole Wells scored 17 and 11 points respectively from their positions under the basket. The two sisters have proven to be the top post players in the county.

Harlem's girls will next face Oglethorpe at home on Friday before facing Lakeside and Evans next week.