The career of an athlete can be filled with many memorable moments. While some may be big team moments, like getting the big win, others could be small personal achievements that are important to the athlete. Kayence Pettit says that a moment during her first year of high school basketball is her top moment. 

“My highlight moment happened during my freshman year,” she recalled. “It was my first varsity game and I was able to play big minutes. We played against Moore and the game went into double overtime and we ended up winning! That was definitely something to remember forever.”

Kaydence is a sophomore at Southmoore High School. Along with playing basketball, she is also a member of the track team. Outside of athletics, she is also involved in the Black Student Association.

It has taken a lot of work from Pettit to become the athlete that she is today. She also says that having a great support system has also been key.

“Failure and motivation have helped me the most,” she said. “I’ve been injured multiple times and would be very down on myself, but I would always have someone to bring me back up and to help me keep pushing. My family motivates me the most. Knowing that they want me to succeed pushes me every day. The biggest role model in my life is my dad. He’s taught me everything I know and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”

Whenever she dawns the Sabercat uniform, Kaydence knows that she is playing for more than just herself and that is not something that she takes lightly.

“Knowing that I’m representing my school and community just means when I play, I have to go ten times harder. It reminds me of who I’m doing it for.”

Another group of people that have played a big role in Pettit’s career is her teammates. She has enjoyed playing and working alongside them and working as a team to improve. 

“The teammate I like to compete with the most in practice is Brianah Wren,” Pettit said. “She doesn’t go easy on me when scrimmaging in practice which helps me get better.”