Mikayla Peterson has given Dresden girls a spark throughout season with transfer

DRESDEN - Over the summer, the Dresden girls basketball team added a piece to an already quality team when Mikayla Peterson transferred from Clarksburg.

As the season has progressed, so has Peterson as she has become a key component in the Lady Lions' starting lineup.

When leading scorer Mary Grace Davis struggled with sickness on Friday, it was Peterson who stepped up with a 20-point game as Dresden knocked off county rival Gleason 52-41 to earn the No. 2 seed in District 13-A.

"We knew when she moved in here that she was going to be a good player for us," Dresden coach Jonathan West said. "She has gone through a role adjustment for us, even from the start of the summer. She was playing off of the ball for us, but when Tristan Trevathan got hurt, who played a lot of point for us, Mikayla has been the one to handle the ball a lot for us. She has played well in the games that we have played well in down the stretch."

Peterson knew that moving to a new school would result in some transitioning and changes in the way she played.

"I have always been a point guard, so that is what I wanted to do here," Peterson said. "I think I started to fit in better toward the end of summer camps as I got used to it because it was different from what I was used to."

On Friday, she knew her role was to step up her scoring to make up for the sick Davis.

"I feel like I had to do something," Peterson said.

More than just transitioning to a new school, Peterson had to evolve from being the top scorer on Clarksburg's team to one piece in Dresden's depth of offense.

"I didn't really know her when she moved here, and I never even talked to her the first day of practice," West said. "But she is so tough and willing to do whatever it takes to win. She had a headache tonight, and I asked her if she wanted to come out, 'No I am good.' Our girls have taken her in, and it has been a smooth transition."

And Peterson has done some growing as an individual player during this season also.

"I think her understanding of situations has gotten better," West said. "And I think overall, her defense has improved. Her understanding of what we do is better and her buying in. We don't have to hide her. At the beginning of the season, we had to hide her as she learned."

With one week remaining in the regular season, Peterson wants to try and get Dresden back to the same spot as last year – the Class A quarterfinals.

"I want to go to state," Peterson said. "Win district, win region and get to state. Everyone has to keep getting better. We are working hard every day."

Reach Michael Odom at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.