COVINGTON, Ga. — When faced with a 17-point deficit against Jefferson on Jan. 27, the Eastside girls basketball team didn’t seem to panic. In fact, it stayed the course and eventually overcame the Lady Dragons 66-61. 

Taking them over the top was Mehkyla White who connected on a three-pointer down the stretch to give her team the only lead the Lady Eagles needed. 

At that moment, White didn’t celebrate or show any big emotion. She remained cool. But that was nothing new for the senior guard. 

“I’m naturally a laid back person, and that carries over onto the court,” White said. “I am also very calm and focused when the game starts.” 

Displaying such a tranquil spirit has been one of the reasons for Eastside’s hot stretch to end the regular season. 

Eastside finished the year winning six straight games, which included a one-point victory at Flowery Branch, two wins over Social Circle and its biggest win of the season beating Winder-Barrow by 40 points. 

As a result, the Lady Eagles rose up the region rankings from sixth place to fourth heading into the Region 8-AAAAA tournament next week. 

Overall, White is proud of her team’s progression in her final year with Eastside. 

“The season has been great for my team,” White said. “We are working diligently to go to region playoffs and hopefully state.” 

Eastside ended the regular season at 13-10 overall and 6-6 in region play — both records better than last year’s result. 

Seeing the turnaround from last year to this year is one of White’s favorite parts about her senior season. Additionally, White has seen progression in her individual game. 

“I like to compete and make myself better and test my skills,” White said. “My biggest motivation is becoming a better all around player.” 

The senior is the second leading scorer for the Lady Eagles this season with 10 points per game — just 0.8 points behind Jailyn Williams. 

White has been working on developing her skills since she started playing the game 13 years ago. She was first interested when she watched her older brothers play basketball. 

Growing up, White has also admired the play of WNBA star Candace Parker and Stephen Curry of the NBA.  

But before this season even started, White was issued a challenge by her coaches. And it was a challenge that she took to heart. 

“I’ve become more vocal this year,” White said. “This year I was also asked to step up and become a leader by my coaches, and this was a role I took seriously on and off the court.” 

Now, the Lady Eagles’ focus shifts to the region tournament next week at Winder-Barrow High School. With Eastside as the No. 4 seed, it will face Heritage in the first round on Monday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. 

The two teams split their regular season matchups. 

Still, White and the Lady Eagles feel like they have the team to make some noise. 

“I think that everyone has found their roles and where they fit in order to become cohesive,” White said. “It’s going to take everyone being on the same page and being focused on the same goal to [make the state playoffs.]”