When Savvanah Frye started playing basketball with her new teammates at Greenwood Christian two summers ago, she thought to herself, wow, these girls are really nice.
Perhaps too nice, at times, for Frye’s liking.
"I always say that I have to be the mean one for me, Izzy (Reed) and Alexis (Mead)," Frye said. "I’m all about being nice when I have to be, but on the basketball court, I don’t have to be nice to anybody. I can play my game and make sure that we win, and as long as we do that and we’re obviously showing good sportsmanship, I think that it’s fine to be competitive."
It may not be a coincidence that the Cougars won their first sectional title upon Frye’s arrival last season and followed that up by rolling to another one last week. GCA coach Alan Weems says that Frye brings a needed edge to the Class A No. 8 Cougars, who will head to Southwestern on Saturday looking to win the first regional title — in any sport — in school history.
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After spending her freshman year at Greenwood, where she played sparingly on the varsity, Frye made the choice to transfer over to GCA, citing the more religious atmosphere at the school, and knew once she hit the court with the Cougars that summer that she’d found the right fit.
"We just clicked instantly," Frye said. "It was like we’d been playing together since sixth grade.
"My team now is so close. We do everything together. I can’t imagine being on a different team."
Frye made an immediate all-around impact with her new team last season, averaging 12.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.9 steals on the way to that first sectional crown.
She’s putting up a similar stat line (12.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.7 steals) this winter. Those numbers speak to the junior’s willingness to do whatever the Cougars need from her on any given night.
"Our main goal is to win," Frye said. "Whether that’s making sure that I drive, or making sure Izzy gets the ball or making sure Alexis gets the open shot, we want to win."
So far, GCA has been doing plenty of that. At 21-5, this year’s team has already established a school record for victories, and the Cougars’ current 11-game win streak matches the longest in the program’s 17-year history.
Frye, though, makes it clear that what she and her teammates have already accomplished won’t be enough to satisfy them.
"Since last year was my first year, I was always like, ‘Ladies, we’re getting the sectional,’" she said. "This year, I haven’t stopped talking about state.
"I feel like this is definitely the year to do it if we’re going to do it, and I think when we work together as a team and we all do our jobs that it’s pretty hard to beat us."
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Class A Southwestern Regional
Saturday
North Central (Farmersburg) (18-7) vs. Bethesda Christian (18-6), 10 a.m.
Greenwood Christian (21-5) vs. Jac-Cen-Del (21-4), noon
Championship, 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $8 per session, $10 for full day
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Class A Southwestern Regional
Players to watch: Bethesda Christian — Maddie Fulks, Lena James, Rachel Shafer; Greenwood Christian — Ellie Bigelow, Savvanah Frye, Alexis Mead, Izzy Reed; Jac-Cen-Del — Regan Carroll, Anna Hubbard, Paige Ledford, Annabelle Williams; North Central (Farmersburg) — Jocelyn Cox, Averi Davidson, Brinley Stone, Courtney Williams
Sagarin ratings: Greenwood Christian 71.27 (fifth in Class A, 109th in Indiana), Jac-Cen-Del 67.19 (ninth/144th), Bethesda Christian 63.07 (17th/171st), North Central 59.36 (22nd/193rd)
Head to head: Bethesda Christian won at GCA, 58-46, on Dec. 21
What to expect: Though GCA is considered the favorite on John Harrell’s website as well as in the Sagarin ratings, Saturday will be anything but a walk in the park for the Cougars. Jac-Cen-Del has a big front line, led by the 6-foot Ledford, that could make life tough inside for GCA, and there’s also a potential championship game rematch with Bethesda, which came to Greenwood a couple of months ago and won behind its go-to duo of Fulks and Shafer. That said, the Cougars have enough firepower to survive those challenges and break through for the school’s first-ever regional title.
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