In her Nana’s image

Editor’s Note: The following story appeared in the March 8, 2026, edition of Wayne Week ahead of what would end up being a Goldsboro High School victory in the NCHSAA Regional Final. We thought, as the Lady Cougars prepare to play in Friday’s state title game, that we would share it here. It has not been edited to reflect that GHS won the Regional Final.

A teenage girl steps out of a locker room and crosses the Norvell T. Lee Gymnasium hardwoods.

The game she had just competed in has been over for a while and most of the crowd has dissipated, but a small group of people remains.

They are cheering.

But Aziyah Boyer is looking for one person in particular — the woman wearing a smile that is radiating pride.

And when, at last, she locks eyes with her grandmother, Gladys Best McClary, they step toward one another and embrace.

Gladys whispers something into her granddaughter’s ear.

And for those who understand the history that has just unfolded, that moment felt weighted with decades of tradition, hope, and the passing of a torch from one generation to the next.

For Gladys, that hug was more than a congratulatory gesture extended by a family matriarch.

It was a symbol of a legacy — one that began when she wore the Goldsboro High School jersey and now lives on through Aziyah.

It marked another chapter in the McClary family’s GHS story.

And for Aziyah, it was the culmination of a career that saw her become one of the greatest Lady Cougars of all time.

So, she took in the moment — knowing that while GHS’ championship run is not yet over, she had played, for the final time, inside the same gym her grandmother had competed in long before she was born.

“It meant a lot to me,” Aziyah said. “It’s crazy that was my last time playing here in the Cougar Den.”

And despite the fact that she scored 21 points that evening — and that she is, without question, GHS’ most important player — she, like her grandmother, remained humble.

“I’m very appreciative of everything my teammates and I have accomplished in this gym,” Aziyah said.

Gladys knows what the pursuit of a title takes out of a student-athlete.

Back in 1980, she was a member of the Lady Cougars’ last state championship team.

But she also knows what it means to believe you can win it all.

And her hope is that Aziyah and her teammates have used the 1980 team’s success to dare to dream.

“What I love about it is that when I see banners here, or anywhere, it kind of gives hope to the kids here now,” Gladys said.

She understands, having worn the blue and gold herself, the honor and responsibility her granddaughter now shoulders every time she steps on the court.

“It’s truly a blessing for me as a grandmother to be able to see what Aziyah is doing, and even more so because of the fact that she’s wearing my number,” Gladys said. “My number was 42, and she wanted that number in middle school, and she said, ‘Nana, what was your number?’ and I told her. To see her running out with it on did something for me.”

So, when Aziyah hugged her after that playoff win against James Kenan Monday night, it was also

a celebration of family perseverance and pride — and of a teenager living up to, despite the pressure, the promise to carry on the McClary name.

Aziyah put on a clinic Monday.

Throughout the game, she drove into the paint and attacked the rim despite multiple defenders guarding her.

And in situations where most players might have had their shot blocked, Aziyah powered through and scored.

Those familiar with the young woman’s basketball career over the past four years would not be surprised by her tenacity.

But what they could never know is how each moment Aziyah shines on the court brings Gladys back to her own days wearing No. 42.

“She’s living up to the reputation of wearing that number, the way that she plays down low,” Gladys said. “But I think she is a much better shooter than I am. From the elbow, free-throw area, she has a better soft touch than I had, but she reminds me of myself in many ways.”

That is another difference between Aziyah and her teammates.

For most, when they look into the stands, they see family members watching their loved one play basketball.

But for Aziyah and Gladys, every contest is inspiring both the past and the present to reach higher together.

“It means a whole lot. When I got here, Goldsboro didn’t have the best program, and now we’re one of the best in the state in 3A,” Aziyah said. “It means a whole lot to me to have been a part of the growth and part of this program becoming as big as it is now.”

Aziyah admits it has not always been easy being the grandchild of someone who both won a state championship at GHS and is now a woman who is a fixture in the community.

Most would understand if that weight felt like an overwhelming one to carry.

But Aziyah sees it as a badge of honor that her game reminds people of her grandmother’s.

And it motivates her every time she laces up her sneakers.

“I know my grandmother was very effective in the paint and that’s how I strive to be every night,” she said.

A few minutes after a teenage girl stepped out of a locker room and crossed the Norvell T. Lee Gymnasium hardwoods, she talked about how she felt about her team’s victory — one that put them two wins away from joining Gladys and the 1980 squad as state champions.

“I wouldn’t describe it as pressure. I would describe it as motivation,” Aziyah said. “Seeing and knowing that was my grandmother makes me want to go out there and get one ten times more.”

And if she does, she will become the third member of her family to earn a ring, as her cousin, Jaden, won a wrestling state title last year.

But the family legacy is about more than championships.

Aziyah’s mother, Brenda McClary, starred for the Cougars on the basketball court as well.

And her uncle, Ronnie McClary Jr., left his mark on the GHS football field before becoming a Hall-of-Famer at Elizabeth City State University.

So, the young woman will remain hungry until the job is done.

And when her team competes Friday evening for a Regional Championship, she will do her best to compete the way in which she was raised — to honor, and make proud, those who came before her.

“I’m very locked in, and I’m doing it all for (Gladys) and my grandfather,” Aziyah said. “My family is amazing and I thank God for them every day.”

But whatever the outcome, Gladys says she has already added a proud chapter to her family’s legacy at Goldsboro High School — one built on love, hard work, and the unbreakable bond between women who love the game.

And that legacy, and the legacy of No. 42, is one that will echo through the Norvell T. Lee Gymnasium for generations to come.