DAYTONA BEACH — The Atlantic Sharks and DeLand Bulldogs captured something in November they had not had in years.

Two wins in a row.

For the past two campaigns, the programs slumped. Atlantic went 1-18 last season, which was an improvement over the previous winter when they finished 0-15. DeLand won two games in 2021-22 and drooped to 1-18 last year.

Before the current schedule tipped off Nov. 20, both teams gained new head coaches — John Rogers at Atlantic and Joel Vega at DeLand. Multiple new, impactful players arrived, too.

It took them 11 days to eclipse their combined win total from the previous two seasons and establish themselves as the biggest turnarounds among Volusia-Flagler girls clubs this year.

The Sharks claimed their first two games and three of their first four.

Their lone loss?

That came against a DeLand squad that strung together four consecutive victories to open the season. The Bulldogs sprinted to 8-1 and now hold a 13-6 record. It’s their first winning season since 2018-19.

Entering district tournament week, Atlantic sits at 10-11. The last time it ended with a plus-.500 record was 2020-21.

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DeLand is ready to work

Vega spotted his leaders right away.

When he first hit the court with his team, sophomore Hailey Banks and junior Savoiya Davis stood out. They set the tone.

“They were my vocal pieces, my little lieutenants, I guess you might say,” said Vega, a former assistant at Spruce Creek. “Once I identified that, at that point, it just became about getting them into the routine of competitiveness.”

DeLand's biggest obstacle was breaking the negative muscle memory that follows three straight sub-.500 seasons. The Bulldogs created shirts with “no quit” written across the front.

“That’s what I want people to associate with DeLand,” Vega said. “I want them to know, ‘Hey, if you come here, get ready to work.’”

“I love Vega,” Mi’Yauna Ross said. “... He’s like a dad.”

Some players, like Banks, Davis and seniors Rakayla and Rakaysha Hill, lived through a losing season or two. Others, like Ross and sophomore Jada Rawls, had not.

In DeLand’s penultimate regular-season game Thursday, it beat Seabreeze 38-19 behind 13 points from Ross, its only freshman, and seven from Rawls.

The Bulldogs also kept their opponent under 35 points for the 11th time and under 20 points for the third time this season.

“When we’re rotating, we’re communicating, we’re jumping on that basketball and we’re competing every possession,” Vega said, “it really just makes for a fun watch.

“Case and point, today, we were trying some more zone concepts because I really think to beat the Spruce Creeks of the world, to beat the Lake Marys of the world that are in our district, we just can’t get up and down with them. We’re going to have to have some type of half court.”

Those tests could be handed out soon.

Monday, fifth-seeded DeLand will square off with No. 4 Seminole in the first round of the District 2-7A Tournament. In two matchups with the Seminoles this season, the Bulldogs are 0-2, with the contests decided by a total of 13 points. Seminole is coached by Vega’s daughter, Celine.

If DeLand wins, it will take on No. 1 Spruce Creek.

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Atlantic is preaching heart and hustle

Here Aalaiah Jones was, coming into her final season of high school hoops with a new coach and several new teammates. She didn’t know what to think.

“Honestly, my expectations weren’t that high because I did play my sophomore and junior year and it wasn’t really a great season,” Jones said.

But by the time her senior night rolled around, she cried.

She said she loves playing for Rogers and this year’s roster has a stronger bond than past iterations. Plus, the Sharks were performing better.

“We probably knew it about the fourth or fifth game in,” said Rogers, a former Seabreeze coach. “... We knew we had something.”

He took over after receiving a call from Atlantic’s administration in late July. Former Sharks coach George Butts, now at Flagler Palm Coast, referred him for the vacancy.

“Some guys fish,” Rogers said. “Some guys are into racecars, NASCAR, Barberville, New Smyrna. I love bringing the kids in the gym and teaching them the game of basketball. I’m passionate about it.”

Once the team started working out, Rogers laid the foundation with two things: the fundamentals of defense and simply showing the kids he cares. He wants the identity of his program to be “heart and hustle,” and he thinks this team is gelling with that.

Offensively, the Sharks rely on senior transfer Aurielle Reavis, who moved to the area from Georgia. Reavis averages 16 points per game and is the only Atlantic player to average more than 10.

“I’m scoring a lot, but when I don’t score, I know I have to work my teammates in,” the guard said.

In the first round of the District 8-4A Tournament, the fourth-seeded Sharks will battle No. 5 Titusville.

“And this is just Year 1,” Rogers said. “I’m excited about the future.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Girls basketball: Atlantic, DeLand authoring 2023-24 turnarounds