10 story lines for Midlands high school basketball season
With the high school basketball season getting into full swing this week, here are 10 things to watch for in the Midlands this season:
Christian Brown helps Lower Richland’s chances to repeat
One of the biggest stories in the offseason was Christian Brown transferring from A.C. Flora to Lower Richland.
Brown is the one of the top prospects in the country for class of 2019 and definitely will help the Diamond Hornets, who won the Class 4A title last season.
Keenan-Gary Collegiate rivalry
Keenan and Gray Collegiate determined the Class 2A Upper State champion last year and likely will be the same this season.
The two teams begin the season in the top three of the 2A coaches poll. Gray beat Keenan both times in the regular season before losing to the Raiders in the Upper State title game. The two teams are scheduled to meet three times this year, with the first meeting in the Chick-fil-A Classic on Dec. 20.
A.C. Flora starts season unranked
For the first time in a while, A.C. Flora boys begin the season unranked in the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Preseason Polls.
The Falcons won the state championship in 2016 but lost in the 4A Lower State semifinals last year. A.C. Flora also lost Christian Brown to Lower Richland.
But the Falcons should contend for Region 5-4A title and likely won’t stay unranked long.
Lexington’s Bailey Harris close to milestone
Longtime Lexington boys basketball coach Bailey Harris is closing in on a personal milestone.
Harris is three wins away from his 600th victory and he would be in line to get that milestone Dec. 5 at home against Columbia if Lexington wins their two games next week.
Can Blythewood boys build on first state appearance?
The Blythewood boys basketball team made it to its first state championship game last season and the Bengals definitely have the pieces to make another run at it.
Blythewood lost several key players from the state runner-up team but returns Trey Jackson, Robert Braswell and Jonathan Breeland.
Region 3-4A might be state’s best for girls hoops
The battle for the girls’ Region 3-4A championship is going to be fun to watch.
Westwood, Ridge View and Richland Northeast all will be in the mix and all have talented rosters with Division I talent throughout them.
The three teams were ranked in the top four of the SC Basketball Coaches Class 4A polls.
Batesburg-Leesville, Swansea girls look to build on breakout seasons
Last year, the Batesburg-Leesville and Swansea girls had impressive seasons and look to continue that success this year.
B-L made it to the 2A Lower State Championship for the first time since 1989 and Swansea went unbeaten in the regular season before losing in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.
B-L returns top-five senior Malaysia Gates while the Tigers have junior Danae McNeal, one of the top girls prospects in the area.
Chick fil-A/Bojangles’ Bash events have loaded fields
There might not be any Zion Williamson, but the Chick-fil-A and Bojangles’ Bash events looked to be loaded.
The Chick-fil-A Classic has six teams ranked in the top 11 of the USA Today Super 25 preseason poll, including No. 1 Findlay Prep. The top-ranked team recently added Bol Bol, the No. 3 ranked prospect in class of 2018.
The Bojangles Bash will feature the top team from Canada as well as Huntington Prep (W.V.), Trinity Christian (N.C.) and Cox Mill (N.C.).
Both events also will have some of the top teams in the Midlands.
Hargrove returns home to Richland Northeast
Former Richland Northeast standout Lucas Hargrove is back to coach his alma mater.
Hargrove was one of the top players in RNE history and holds the single season rebounding record, including a school-best 17 in one game.
Hargrove is one of several new coaches in the Midlands this year. Some of the others include Bret Jones (Dutch Fork), Kevin Winch (Mid-Carolina) and Chris Register (Swansea).
SCISA landscape
Cardinal Newman and Hammond boys look to be the favorites in SCISA 1-3A this season. The Cardinals made it to the state championship last year before losing to Porter-Gaud.
Hammond has transfer Jordan Burch, who looks to make an impact on the hardwood as he did on the football field. Heathwood Hall returns four starters and Ben Lippen has high-scoring guard Ryan McCrary.
On the girls’ side, Hammond and Cardinal Newman are filled with Division I talent on their rosters. The Cards also have talented eighth-grader Ashlyn Watkins.
This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 5:21 PM.