Basketball roundup: Heathwood Hall boys end regional title drought
A hot-shooting start helped end the Heathwood Hall boys basketball team’s regional title drought.
The Highlanders hit seven of their nine 3-pointers in the first half in defeating Ben Lippen, 61-54, on Thursday night.
With the win, Heathwood wins the SCISA Region 1-4A title, the program’s first region title since 2017. The Highlanders will be a No. 1 or 2 seed when the SCISA 4A playoffs begin later this month.
“This is a special group of guys to coach,” Heathwood Hall coach Brian Benator said. “We said as we were putting this team together that we thought we had a chance to be good. We are starting to hit our stride.
“And this is a special group of guys but more importantly a special group of seniors. Those five guys meant a lot to the program. … I am just so happy for our team and our players.”
Benator made sure that his five seniors were able to soak up things, calling a timeout in the final few seconds to let them get final applause from the crowd.
It was the second meeting of the year between the teams. Heathwood won 55-54 on Jan. 20 on Xander Pertile’s last-second shot.
This one lacked the drama of the first matchup, thanks to Heathwood’s outside shooting. Chip Ravenell hit three 3-pointers in the first half as the Highlanders jumped out to a 25-11 in the second quarter.
The lead grew to 30-15 after Pertile nailed the Highlanders’ final 3-pointer of the half late in the second quarter.
“That was part of the game plan. We knew we wanted to play inside out. We told our perimeter players to get ready to shoot the basketball,” Benator said. “We missed a couple early, but then we got going and it was fun to watch.”
Heathwood couldn’t duplicate the shooting in the second half but was able to hold off Ben Lippen’s late comeback attempt led by brothers Braysen and Maddox Stockman. The duo combined for 31 of the team’s 33 second-half points.
Braysen led the way with 27 and Maddox had 13.
Ben Lippen got it to within 49-40, but Heathwood’s Henry Morris grabbed a rebound and kicked it out to Deuce Claxton, who hit a 3-pointer to put the lead back up to 52-40.
The Falcons got within 56-50 on Maddox Stockman’s basket with 44 seconds left, but the Highlanders hit free throws down the stretch.
Hunter Collins led Heathwood with 13 points while Ryan Pfeister had 12 and Henry Morris had 10.
In the girls game, Laney McEntire scored 23 points and Ny’Lasia Gipson added 18 as Ben Lippen defeated Heathwood, 57-43. The Falcons move to 9-0 in the region and will go for the region title against Hammond on Feb. 17.
BL: Braysen Stockman 27, De Los Santos 4, Moore 4, Williams 2, Maddox Stockman 13, Edgren 2, Slaughter 2. HH: Henry Morris 10, Claxton 6, Ryan Pfeister 12, Ravenell 9, McKinley 3, Hunter Collins 13, Pertile 8.
BL: Ny’Lasia Gipson 18, Summons 7, Sundell 2, Whalen 3, Laney McEntire 23, Felder 4. HH: Booker 2, Rhooms 8, Dakota Jenkins 16, Spriggs 1, Weeks 8, Pope 8.
Thursday’s Scores
Boys
Camden 49, Richland Northeast 38
Fairfield Central 52, Mid-Carolina 36
FC: Rashawn Brown 19, Khaleb Feaster 11. MC: Landen Wicker 12
Fox Creek 90, Newberry 59
Ridge View 73, Lugoff-Elgin 48
Girls
Camden 66, Richland Northeast 45
C: LA Alexander 24, Harmony Jefferson 16
Ridge View 72, Lugoff-Elgin 32
RV: Amiyah Carr 25, Reagan Ferguson 12
This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 11:25 PM.
