Aziyah Boyer Carrying Family Legacy as Goldsboro Returns to State Championship

For Aziyah Boyer, stepping onto the basketball court at Goldsboro High means more than just playing the game. It means continuing a family legacy that stretches back more than four decades.

Boyer is helping lead the Cougars on a historic postseason run, one that echoes a moment that still holds a special place in the program’s history. In 1982, Boyer’s grandmother, Gladys Best now known as Gladys McClary was part of the Goldsboro team that captured the school’s last girls’ basketball state championship.

Now the senior is helping guide the Cougars back to the same stage.

Goldsboro’s drive this season has also been fueled by last year’s postseason experience. The Cougars’ run ended against Southeast Alamance, who went on to win the state championship. That loss became motivation throughout the offseason and helped shape the team’s determination during this year’s playoff push.

“ Last year we were really confident in getting to the state championship. We worked even harder than we did last year.”

That determination has carried Goldsboro through the playoffs, including a 54-44 regional victory over Northwood that punched the Cougars’ ticket to the state championship game.

The history of the program has also served as inspiration for Boyer and her teammates throughout the season.

“ To see the ladies on that last championship from the 80s, it motivates us.”

The work required to reach this point has not been easy, but Boyer believes the team’s preparation has been the key.

“ Hard work, long practices, and believing in each other.” On what it took to get to a state championship.”

Boyer has been a major part of Goldsboro’s success this season. The senior leads the team with 14.3 points per game while shooting 51 percent from the field. She also averages 7.2 rebounds per game and has recorded 26 blocks on the year.

Her production on both ends of the floor has helped guide the Cougars through the postseason and into the biggest game of the season.

For Boyer, the opportunity to represent Goldsboro on this stage carries a deeper meaning because of her family connection to the program.

“ It means a lot to me that my grandmother played for this program; it inspires me a lot. As a matter of fact, I wear her number. It really inspires me to do what I do.”

With the Cougars now one win away from a championship, the moment feels like it has come full circle.

Goldsboro will face East Surry in the 3A state championship game at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, looking to capture the program’s first girls basketball state title since 1982 and add a new chapter to a story that began more than forty years ago.