10 things to know about Midlands basketball heading into region play
After two months of high school basketball, most teams start regional play on Friday.
Here’s what we know so far from Midlands teams:
1. Eighth graders shining for some teams
Eighth graders Cam Scott, Joyce Edwards and Samira Khalil have worked their way into starting lineups and have become some of their top players on their teams.
Scott, a starting guard for Lexington High , is averaging 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, two assists and is shooting 50 percent from the field.
Edwards, an eighth-grade standout for Camden High girls, is averaging 20.7 points, 12.1 rebounds, three blocks and two assists. She already is getting Division I interest and has an offer from South Carolina.
Khalil has been a key for River Bluff’s turnaround and is averaging 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game. She has scored double figures in six straight games.
2. RV’s Ja’Von Benson has stepped up his game
After several key players from last year’s state title team graduated, more was expected this season from Ridge View senior forward Ja’Von Benson.
The South Carolina signee has delivered for the top-ranked Blazers, who are going for their third straight Class 4A title. Benson is averaging 17.7 points, 11 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. He has 11 double-doubles this season and was named MVP of the Sunshine Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla., over the holiday break.
3. AC Flora, LR boys lead way in Region 4-4A
The Region 4-4A boys race is likely come down to Lower Richland and AC Flora — and each team is off to a good start.
Both won their division championships at the Cayce Roundball Classic last month and are ranked in the top five in the state. The Falcons have USC signee Patrick Iriel, JB Moore and Robert McCray, who is having the best start in his career.
Lower Richland, two years removed from winning Class 4A title, has Division I prospects Korey Richardson and Quenton Flood.
LR and AC Flora face off on Jan. 24 and Feb. 11.
4. Region 3-4A girls race will be fun
The race for the Region 3-4A girls championship will be one to watch this season.
Three teams in the region — South Pointe, Westwood and Ridge View — are ranked in the top five in Class 4A.
South Pointe, the 4A runner-ups, is unbeaten and starts region play as the favorite, but Westwood and RV aren’t far behind. Ridge View gets its first crack at South Pointe Friday in the region opener.
5. Early season surprises
Some of the early season surprises have been the River Bluff girls and the Richland Northeast and White Knoll boys.
River Bluff, which didn’t win a game last season, is 8-6. The Gators won just six games combined in the past three seasons. RB got a signature win Tuesday by defeating seventh-ranked Irmo, 57-52.
In JoJo English’s second season, Richland Northeast (8-2) already has matched its win total from last year. The Cavs have a win over Blythewood and two over Spring Valley. RNE begins region play Friday against Westwood.
Heading into Region 5-5A play, White Knoll is 12-5, the most wins it has had since winning 15 in 2014-15. The Wolves have wins over Sumter and Gaffney this season.
6. New faces stepping up for Gray Collegiate
Gray Collegiate lost its top five scorers from last year’s state title team but has gotten big contributions from new players.
White Knoll transfer Tauris Watson and Silver Bluff transfer Latavian Lawrence are leading the way and starting to get college interest. Watson is averaging 18 points, four rebounds and two assists while Lawrence is averaging 16 points, six rebounds and four blocks a game.
The War Eagles (10-5) have had a challenging schedule so far with appearances in the Chick-fil-A Classic, the Gonzaga Classic in DC and the Sugar Bowl Classic in New Orleans.
7. Keenan boys finding groove
After a slow start and a tough non-conference schedule against nationally ranked teams such as Oak Hill, Dorman and Huntington Prep, defending 3A champion Keenan has momentum headed into region play.
Keenan started 4-5 but has rattled off four straight wins and won the Poinsettia Classic in Greenville last month.
Senior Raekwon Horton is averaging a career-best 20 points a game. Jazian Gortman has scored 20 or more points in two of his last three games.
8. Class 5A boys races in Midlands wide open
While Dorman continues to be the favorite to win a fourth-straight Class 5A title, figuring out who will win the two 5A regions in the Midlands isn’t easy.
In Region 4-5A, Irmo, Blythewood and Sumter have had up-and-down non-conference seasons but could be contenders while Lugoff-Elgin and Spring Valley could be spoilers.
In Region 5-5A, River Bluff (11-4) and Dutch Fork (10-4) are ranked in the top 10 of the latest state rankings. Lexington (10-7), White Knoll (12-5) and Chapin (9-6) will begin conference play with winning records.
9. Slow start for Spring Valley girls
Spring Valley girls have made it to the Class 5A title game the past two seasons but are off to a 6-9 start.
The Vikings lost most of their offense from last year and senior Lauren Taylor has played in just five games because of an injury. She is averaging 23.6 points since her return and will need a big second-half of the season if the Vikings want to make another deep playoff run.
10. Cardinal Newman still team to beat in SCISA 3A
Cardinal Newman boys and girls started the season as favorites in SCISA 3A and nothing has changed that through the first half of the season.
The Cardinal Newman boys are 9-6 after a tough schedule that included state champions Ridge View, Keenan and a holiday tournament in San Diego. Junior Josh Beadle is off to a strong start and averaging a career-best 18.3 points a game.
The CN girls are 8-1 and won their bracket at the Crescom Invitational over the holiday break. The Cards feature Ashlyn Watkins, one of top class of 2022 prospects in the country, and senior Audrey Myers, who leads the team in scoring.
CN plays Friday against rival Hammond.
