Top-ranked Midlands teams roll into playoffs

A.C. Flora coach Joshua Staley doesn’t think his team’s No. 1 ranking is a distraction to begin the postseason.

The Falcons are the No. 1-ranked team in Class 3A in the latest South Carolina Basketball Coaches poll, and will host Emerald on Tuesday in the first round of the playoffs.

“Got to embrace it,” Staley said Thursday before practice. “Somebody has to be No. 1. If you run from it, you are afraid to be the best. We don’t want to be afraid to be the best. We want to practice the right way, compete the right way, act the right way in the community and see what happens every night on the floor.”

A.C. Flora is looking for its third straight trip to the state championship game and second under Staley. The Falcons lost to Midland Valley in the title game last season, but returned several key players from that team, including Kendale Hampton, who was named the Region 4-3A Player of the Year.

The Falcons also have gotten big contributions from James Reese, Brandon Davis, Thomas Hollingsworth and Deshawn Thomas. Staley called Davis and Thomas, the team’s top shot blocker, two of the most improved players this season.

A.C. Flora also will have freshman Christian Brown back for the playoffs after missing the last few weeks.

“We are playing with a sense of urgency from jump ball to final buzzer,” Staley said. “We weren’t playing with a sense of urgency earlier in the season. It has a lot to do with maturity and guys really buying in.”

A.C. Flora is one of three Midlands teams ranked No. 1 to begin the playoffs. The Irmo boys and Dreher girls are the top ranked teams in their classifications.

Irmo began the year with several question marks, especially after losing leading scorer Devontae Shuler, who transferred to Oak Hill. The Yellow Jackets started the year at 3-3 before winning 17 of their last 18, and extended their region winning streak to 40 games with a 10-0 mark in Region 5-4A.

The strength of Irmo’s team has been the play of guards Tavonne Bond and Drevon Sweat, and post player R.J. Gunn. All three are averaging double figures in scoring. The Yellow Jackets also have gotten bigger contributions lately from Noah Jenkins and Winston Hill.

“We have come a long way from the beginning of the season,” Irmo coach Tim Whipple said. “The biggest thing is consistency. When we are focused, we know we can be pretty good, but sometimes we have lapses. We know now that we need that focus, because you can have one bad night and you can be out of the playoffs.”

Dreher has the pieces to make its third title game in the past five seasons. The Blue Devils have won 18 straight after losing to Spring Valley 45-37 on Dec. 9, and have a strong 1-2-3 punch in North Carolina signee Jhileiya Dunlap, Jaelynn Murray and Kamryn Lemon, a transfer from Lakewood.

The trio ranks in the top 10 in the Midlands in scoring and several other categories.

“The big three definitely have been carrying the weight,” Dreher coach Teresa Jones said. “You throw in Kaleah Hires and you have four girls who are interchangeable, that score, rebound and play great defense.”

Jones said the strength of her team is its defense. Dreher is allowing just 27 points per game.

Six Midlands teams were ranked No. 1 at some point this season, including the Spring Valley girls, Blythewood boys and Keenan boys. Spring Valley and Keenan are both defending state champions and were ranked No. 1 in preseason polls. Both teams won their region titles this season and have a strong shot in getting back to the state championship games to be played March 4-5 at Colonial Life Arena.

Other girls teams to watch include Lexington, Lower Richland, Ridge View, Keenan, Fairfield Central, Newberry and C.A. Johnson. Keenan, Fairfield Central and Newberry are ranked in Class 2A. The Hornets won the Region 3-A title.

The Lexington girls weren’t ranked but captured a share of the Region 5-4A title for the first time since 2005.

On the boys side, teams to watch include Spring Valley, Ridge View, Lexington, Airport, Lower Richland, Fairfield Central and C.A. Johnson.

The SCISA playoff brackets won’t be released until Tuesday with the postseason beginning Saturday in Sumter. The state title games are set for Feb. 27.

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 5:29 PM.