BAKERSVILLE—One of the top athletes in Mitchell High School history is returning to her alma mater as the women’s basketball coach.

        Emily Paffrath-Hyatte, who led Mitchell to a North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 2-A championship in 2003 as a player, will head the program. She replaces Dawn Lowe, who retired after nine seasons at the helm.

        Paffrath-Hyatte played collegiately at Wingate, scoring over 1,000 points during her career, and previously coached for two years at Madison.