10 things we know so far in Midlands high school hoops
With the holiday tournaments and first part of the high school basketball season behind us, here are 10 things that caught my attention as region play heats up Friday night:
Record-setting River Bluff boys
The River Bluff boys have been one of the Midlands’ biggest surprises . The Gators have set a school-record with 13 victories and defeated Orangeburg-Wilkinson to win the Moody Classic championship at Northwestern High.
The Gators will be tested in Region 5-5A with the likes of Irmo and Blythewood, which handed River Bluff one of its two losses.
No let down for Blythewood
It’s early, but Blythewood looks capable of making it to its second consecutive state championship.
Blythewood is 11-2, won both of its games at the Carolina Showcase and defeated 5A contender Conway to win the Phenom Hoops Showcase title.
The Bengals have a talented roster, including Robert Braswell, Tre Jackson and Jonathan Breeland.
Gray Collegiate, Juwan Gray shine
Gray Collegiate had a busy Christmas break, playing in the Chick-fil-A Classic and then in the Slam Dunk to the Beach in Delaware.
The top-ranked team in Class 2A made it to the title game of its bracket at the CFA before losing in an overtime thriller to Providence Day. Gray went 1-2 over the rest of the break, but played strong competition.
Junior Juwan Gary is making his case for best player in the area , averaging 23.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Tommy Bruner and Khalil Robinson have picked up the scoring after the departure of North Carolina guard Jalek Felton.
Cardinal Newman boys look like contenders
Gray Collegiate and Blythewood have looked like two of the top teams in the area, but Cardinal Newman isn’t too far behind as it looks to make it to a second consecutive SCISA 3A championship game.
Cardinal Newman (12-2) has wins against Nation Ford, Sumter, West Ashley and made it to title game of the Poinsettia Classic before losing to York Prep. The Cards have strong guard play with Chico Carter Jr., Josh Beadle and Brandon Pirie and post presence with Patrick Reedy.
Lower Richland struggles
Defending Class 4A champion Lower Richland had a rough Christmas break.
The Diamond Hornets went winless at the Chick-fil-A Classic and the Tournament of Champions in Georgia.
Lower Richland must find production behind its duo of Christian Brown (21.3 ppg) and Tevaughn Higgins (18 ppg) if it wants to make a postseason run.
Airport boys enjoying turnaround
After a seven-win season last year, the Airport boys basketball program is off to a 12-3 start.
The Eagles enjoyed a seven-game winning streak and have gotten big play from Nygel Boozer and Calvin Ford.
Westwood, RNE girls as good as advertised
Westwood and Richland Northeast are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the Midlands girls basketball poll and have played like it so far.
The Redhawks are 11-1 with the lone loss, 56-55, to Wyoming East (WV) at the Carolina Invitational. Westwood has three players averaging double figures, led by Unique Drake’s 21.8 points per game.
Richland Northeast is 9-1 with its lone defeat to Roger Bacon (Ohio), 40-37, in the Carolina Invitational. Sharita Godfrey leads RNE in scoring.
The Cavs and Redhawks play twice in the next month, beginning Friday night at RNE.
Keenan turning things around
After a 1-2 start, the Keenan boys have won seven of theirpast eight games.
The Raiders went 2-1 at CFA and captured the Holidays on the Hardwood title in North Carolina. Keenan’s lone loss during the stretch was to Gray Collegiate. The Raiders can atone for that defeat Friday when the teams meet at Allen University.
Spring Valley girls have strong break
Outside of losses to Westwood, the Spring Valley girls look like strong contenders in Class 5A.
The Vikings are 11-2 and won the District IX Classic in Sumter over Christmas. Spring Valley has three players averaging double figures, led by Ashley Williamson’s 19.7 per game.
Holiday tournaments big hit
The Bojangles’ Bash, Chick-fil-A Classic and Phenom Hoops Classic delivered big moments in December. Six of the Bojangles’ Bash games were decided by 10 points or less.
The championship games of the Chick-fil-A Classic were memorable ones with Oak Hill edging IMG Academy, 73-71, in a battle of top 10 teams. Providence Day’s Devon Dotson scored 28 points and had 10 rebounds in the overtime win against Gray Collegiate.
The inaugural Phenom Hoops Showcase was held at Ben Lippen with a strong field and Blythewood and Independence (NC) winning the brackets.
This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 4:51 PM with the headline "10 things we know so far in Midlands high school hoops."