By Billy G. Baker
Publisher
Moncks Corner—Through games of January, 25, the Sumter girls were 18-0, and playing very well under the direction of head coach Jeff Schaffer from the lower state AAAAA classification, while Maudlin, the defending 2022-2023 state champions, were 11-1 and getting stronger every game under the tutelage of Angel McGowan.
Last season Sumter, ranked number one in AAAAA by the HSSR, lost in the Lower State finals to Stratford 38-35. After that disappointing loss Coach Schaffer told the HSSR he was already looking forward to the 2023-24 season with these comments: “We played all season without our top junior guard (Kiara Croskey) who went out with an ACL just before the season. She’ll be back next year and the top scorer for both teams today was out 7th grader Araina Ross who scored 15 points. We feel good about our team coming back for next season.”
Croskey, fully recovered, is having a “Player of the Year” type senior season. With three games left in the regular season the point guard is averaging 21.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 4.8 steals a game.
Coach Schaffer shared these thoughts about Croskey with Dennis Brunson of the HSSR after his team’s win over Carolina Forest. “The thing about Ki is she is such a good student of the game,” he said. When we watch film, she watches it for the X’s and the O’s. She doesn’t watch it for someone dunking on someone or someone making a wild play. She looks at it almost from a coach’s standpoint. It amazes me because she’s been like that from the time, I first met her as a seventh-grader.”
Ross, among the top 8th grade players in the nation, is averaging 14 points and 6.8 rebounds at a small forward position. Sumter has another player averaging in double figures in senior shooting guard Rickell Brown who is averaging 16.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.4 steals a game.
Sumter has been defeating teams in their region by 40 points all season. The closest game they have had with an in-state team was their 59-41 win over Oceanside Collegiate way back in late November. The Lady Gamecocks will close out the 2023-24 regular season with road games at Carolina Forest on Feb. 2 before playing St James (Feb. 6) and Conway (Feb., 7).
Sumter is averaging 19 steals a game on defense and 14 assists a game on offense.
Mauldin, ranked number two currently by the HSSR, was the youngest teams in AAAAA a year ago when they finished (24-5) and won the state title with a 62-57 win over Stratford.
Through games of January, 25 the Lady Mavericks are 11-1 led by sophomore point guard Zara Leamon who is averaging 20 points and 5.1 rebounds thus far this season.
In the state championship game last season Leamon led all scorers with 24 points. She made 4-of-6 three pointers. She talked beyond her years with these comments to the HSSR after the championship game, “First of all, I give all the credit to whom I am as a basketball player to my coaches who keep me in the gym, all the time, shooting and working out,” said Leamon. “You have to put in the work. You have to decide where you want the game to take you, and you have to understand that being coachable, and a good teammate, is the number one thing.
“Winning today feels really good because we felt like we were the underdogs coming into the game,” said Leamon. “We had to prove that we belonged in the finals.”
Mauldin started no seniors against Stratford in the finals. Mauldin has a pre-season SCBCA Elite Player back in 5-11 guard/SF Delilah Soltys. She is currently averaging 12.8 points a game and 5.3 rebounds a game. Freshman Imari McIver is also contributing 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists a game.
Ashley Ridge (16-5, 6-0) has shot up the HSSR rankings after their 33-26 win over Summerville (15-6, 2-1) on Jan.19.
Ashley Ridge head coach Jimmy Brown is in his first year as the head coach at Ashley Ridge.
“Last year was frustrating because we had to focus a lot on changing the culture and things like that,” said Coach Brown. “We had athletes, but I kind of knew we were a year away. Now the girls have fallen into the vision I had last year.”
The Lady Swamp Foxes had an excellent summer playing against mostly fellow AAAAA teams from across the Carolinas and finishing with a 16-1 record.
Senior center Diana Blake returned to the team ranked as one of the Top 5 players in the Class 5A Girls preseason rankings. Junior guards Nadia President and Briana Davidson returned after leading the team in assists and steals, respectively, last season. Seniors Taleyah Hartzog, Tylashal Chisolm and Jacinda Whitley all returned with experience in the post.
Gaffney (14-5, 3-1) ranked number 11 in the latest HSSR AAAAA ranking was having an outstanding season under veteran championship coach Mark Huff but the lady Indians will be without their top scorer who was injured at the very end of their big win over Dorman when Shiriah Harris broke her foot on a freak play. Coach Huff explains what happened, “We are up four near the very end of the game when Dorman missed a shot and Shiriah grabbed the rebound and was dribbling out from the basket when she stepped on another players foot and broke a bone in one of her feet,” said Coach Huff. “Shiriah played a great game against Dorman and the team was playing very well. She is about to surgery in a couple of days (around Jan., 30) and we have unfortunately lost her for the season.”
“In our first three region games, Shiriah had averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds a game,” said Coach Huff. “We are still trying to figure out adjustments in our line-up to help us be successful but you just can’t replace what Shiriah meant to our team. She was our difference maker and our energy and we wish her all the best with her upcoming surgery.”
Anything can happen but the HSSR feels that Sumter and Mauldin will enter the upcoming AAAAA playoffs as the two teams favored for the gold medal round in early March.
The top five senior players by the SCBCA entering the 2023-24 season were De’Ashai Crawford of Rock Hill, Dianna Blake of Ashley Ridge, Rickel Brown of Sumter, Nakiyah Kelly of Dorman and Genesis Young of Spartanburg.
The AAAAA SCBCA Elite players from AAAAA included Kiara Croskey of Sumter, Delilah Soltys of Mauldin, and Aubrey Stevenson of Rock Hill.
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