Lady Blue Devils welcome rival player to team

Senior Paris Dickerson runs back down to the defensive end of the court to protect the net from district rival Armstrong.

by Paige Garrison

When senior Paris Dickerson transferred to Varina after playing varsity basketball at rival school Highland Springs, the Blue Devils welcomed her with open arms.

After three seasons playing guard as a Springer, Paris transferred to Varina because she wanted a change.

She said she was not at all upset about leaving her school for a new one. Instead, she was excited to join a new team and happy with how they quickly welcomed her.

“At Highland Springs, there is a lot of drama and a lot of favoritism, and over here (Varina) everyone is treated equally. Over here you can say what you feel, but over there if you say what you feel, you may not play,” Paris said.

Junior forward Chrineicia Tedder said she recognized Paris from past games against Highland Springs and enjoys having her as a teammate.

“I was excited because she was one of the best defensive players on that team. She caused us some trouble last year,” Chrineicia said.

Paris’s mother Latise Murray has attended every game to cheer the team on. She said Paris spends a lot of time with the team outside of practice.

“During basketball season, you’re with your team more than half the week. They turn into your family,” Paris said.

Even though Paris and the team have worked hard, they lost their first game to Highland Springs 64-39.

“Three of our good players fouled out. Nobody came ready to play, and we didn’t play like I know we could play at all,” Paris said.

Head Coach Becky Snow put the loss into perspective.

“We have a strong record right now at 8-3, but we know we can continue to get much better each day and as the season moves on. We use our three losses as motivation to get better and remember that we beat ourselves three times and refuse to let it happen again,” Coach Snow said.

The Blue Devils will face the Springers at home on February 27.

“It’s not going to be the same game as it was the first time. We don’t want to get beat on our floor. We’ve won all games played at Varina this year,” Paris said. “We have to overcome what goes through our minds to beat them.”