Four Midlands teams ranked No. 1 in preseason SC Basketball Coaches polls
Four Midlands basketball programs are ranked No. 1 in the South Carolina Basketball Coaches polls released Tuesday.
In boys, Ridge View (4A) and Gray Collegiate (2A) are No. 1 while Spring Valley (5A) and Newberry (3A) girls have the top spot. All four teams won state championships last year.
Fifteen Midlands teams were ranked in the polls and 19 players were named to the senior or Elite Boys/Girls list.
In 5A boys, Blythewood is No. 3 while River Bluff is No. 9 and Irmo 10th. Blythewood’s Tre Jackson is on the Elite Boys List. In 4A behind Ridge View, Westwood is No. 3 and AC Flora is eighth. RV’s Malcolm Wilson is on the Elite Boys list with Westwood guard Russell Jones.
Ridge View guard Walyn Napper, AC Flora’s Derrick Sinkler and Richland Northeast’s Norman Nowell are on top five seniors to watch in 4A.
In 3A, Keenan is third and Newberry sixth. Keenan’s Dillon Jones is on the Elite Boys list.
In 2A, top-ranked Gray Collegiate is only Midlands teams ranked. GC’s Tommy Bruner is on Elite Boys List. North Central’s Markell Portee is top five senior to watch.
In Class 5A girls, No. 1 Spring Valley has Taylor Lewis on the Elite Girls list and Ashley Williamson on top five seniors to watch. Lexington’s Olivia Thompson is on the top 5A seniors to watch list.
In 4A, Westwood is No. 2 and Lower Richland sixth. Westwood’s Unique Drake and Nyah Leveretter are on Elite Girls list and Maliyah Lockett is top five senior to watch. AC Flora’s McKinley Brooks-Sumpter is top five senior to watch.
In 3A, Swansea is No. 3 behind top-ranked Newberry. Swansea’s Danae McNeal is on Elite Girls list, and Newberry’s Zacharia Epps is a senior to watch.
In 2A, Batesburg-Leesville is No. 5 and North Central’s Kali Tomlin is top five senior to watch.
SC Basketball Coaches Polls/Players to Watch
Girls
Elite Girls: Unique Drake, Westwood; Nyah Leveretter, Westwood; Anne Hamilton Leroy, Seneca; Taylor Lewis, Spring Valley; Loyal McQueen, Wilson; Danae McNeal, Swansea; Quadijah Moore, Emerald; Shayla Nelson, Goose Creek; Janelle Sindab, Mullins
Class 5A
1. Spring Valley; 2. Goose Creek; 3. Dorman; 4. Wade Hampton; 5. Sumter; 6. Fort Dorchester; 7. Byrnes; 8. TL Hanna; 9. Woodmont; 10. Clover
Top 5 Seniors: Olivia Thompson, Lexington; Xan Rowland, Woodmont; Jasmine Stanley, Goose Creek; Ashley Williamson, Spring Valley; Kiara Cain, Sumter
Class 4A
1. North Augusta; 2. Westwood; 3. Wilson; 4. South Pointe; 5. Myrtle Beach; 6. Lower Richland; 7. Wren; 8. Orangeburg Wilkinson; 9. Greenville; 10. Darlington
Top 5 Seniors: McKinley Brooks-Sumpter, AC Flora; Brandi Rivers, Orangeburg Wilkinson; Asia Smith, Myrtle Beach; Maliyah Lockett, Westwood; Sierra McCullough, South Pointe
Class 3A
1. Newberry; 2. Ridgeland-Hardeeville; 3. Swansea; 4. Seneca; 5. Bishop England; 6. Pendelton; 7. Dillon; 8. Emerald; 9. Battery Creek; 10. Strom Thurmond
Top 5 Seniors: Zacharia Epps, Newberry; Katie Brooks, Bishop England; Jonelle Brown, Strom Thurmond; Mikala McDaniel, Powdersville; Treasure Lone, West Oak
Class 2A
1. Mullins; 2. Christ Church; 3. Woodland; 4. Landrum; 5. Batesburg-Leesville; 6. Burke; 7. Saluda; 8. Lee Central; 9. Andrew Jackson; 10. Barnwell
Top 5 Seniors: Jayla Evans, Timberland; Shadea Kelly, Burke; Lindsey Hardin, Landrum; Amber Bass, Lewisville; Kali Tomlin, North Central
Class A
1. Scott’s Branch; 2. Timmonsville; 3. McCormick; 4. High Point Academy; 5. Lake View; 6. Blackville-Hilda; 7. Estill; 8. Green Sea Floyds; 9. Lamar; 10. Ridge Spring Monetta
Top 5 Seniors: Jalinda Johnson, Green Sea Floyds; LaQuan Coe, Lamar; Marlayna Singleton, Blackville-Hilda; T’Laysha Creswell, McCormick
Boys
Elite Boys: Tommy Bruner, Gray Collegiate; Calvin Felder, Sumter; Trae Hannibal, Hartsville; PJ Hall, Dorman; Tre Jackson, Blythewood; Dillon Jones, Keenan; Russell Jones, Westwood; Myles Tate, Dorman; Malcolm Wilson, Ridge View
Class 5A
1. Dorman; 2. Nation Ford; 3. Blythewood; 4. Sumter; 5. Westside; 6. Berkeley; 7. Riverside; 8. Rock Hill; 9. River Bluff; 10. Irmo
Top 5 Seniors: Ta’Lon Cooper, Dorman; Zeb Graham, Nation Ford; Ishan White, Berkeley; Tray Carson, Westside; Sean Jenkins, Spartanburg
Class 4A
1. Ridge View; 2. Wilson; 3. Westwood; 4. Lakewood; 5. Travelers Rest; 6. Greenville; 7. Hartsville; 8. AC Flora; 9. Darlington; 10. Wren
Top 5 Seniors: Derrick Sinkler, AC Flora; Allen Williamson, Wilson; Norman Nowell, Richland Northeast; Juwan Perdue, Lakewood; Walyn Napper, Ridge View
Class 3A
1. Ridgeland-Hardeeville; 2. Southside; 3. Keenan; 4. Chester; 5. Wade Hampton; 6. Newberry; 7. Manning; 8. Bishop England; 9. Union County; 10. Edisto
Top 5 Seniors: RJ Campbell, Southside; Rashamel Butler, Ridgeland-Hardeeville; Jamarious Jones, Strom Thurmond; Darius Williams, Manning; Dez Tate, Chesnee
Class 2A
1. Gray Collegiate; 2. Carvers Bay; 3. Christ Church; 4. Greenville Tech; 5. Lee Central; 6. Silver Bluff; 7. Oceanside Collegiate; 8. Lewisville; 9. North Charleston; 10. Calhoun County
Top 5 Seniors: Trey Smith, Landrum; Matthew Kormylo, Southside Christian; Shane McCravy, Oceanside Collegiate; Stephon Greene, Carvers Bay; Markell Portee, North Central
Class A
1. Hemingway; 2. Great Falls; 3. High Point Academy; 4. Ridge Spring Monetta; 5. Hunter Kinard Tyler; 6. Williston Elko; 7. Bethune Bowman; 8. Creek Bridge; 9. Low Country Leadership; 10. Timmonsville
Top 5 Seniors: Darius Taylor, Hemingway; Marlow Gilmore, Hunter Kinard Tyler; Jerry Tyler, Ridge Spring Monetta; Desmond Murray, Williston Elko; Rasheim Lyde, Timmonsville
This story was originally published November 13, 2018 at 1:58 PM.