Pageland – After losing three of his top four scorers and six seniors in all to graduation, Central High School boys basketball head coach Desmond Sowell knew things could be dicey this year.
The Eagles only went 9-16 on the season but was 6-6 in Region 5-AA. That was good enough to get them in the state playoffs where they lost to Marion 63-37 in the first round.
All things being equal, Sowell had no complaints.
“I felt that we had a successful season,” Sowell said. “I expected us to grow during the season, which was evident, and we exceeded our expectations this year.”
Junior Caden Edmond and sophomore Tahiiz Webber were All-Region selections for CHS. Edmond averaged 16 points per game, while Webber scored at a 12.7 clip.
Other key contributors were freshman Dwayne Louallen at 6.9 points, sophomore Demetrius Myers at 5.5 and senior Tyson Miller at 5.2.
Sowell said defense was his team’s calling card the entire season. Because of its youth, Sowell said Central had issues closing out games, especially in the early going. However, he said the team improved.
With six players returning who played in at least 20 games, Sowell believes good things await Central.
“i am excited for the future of the program,” he said. “We had a lot of young, new guys in different roles this year. I am thankful for this year's senior class in helping provide stability as we continue to get better. “
CENTRAL GIRLS FINISH WITH A 4-19 RECORD
The Central girls basketball team only went 4-19 on the season. That being said, it was the same number of wins the Eagles had in the three previous seasons combined.
CHS head coach Ariesha Short believes her team made a step in the right direction.
“I felt this season was better than previous seasons,” Short said. “We definitely have a lot more work to do, but I felt at times the ladies really played together as a team. We definitely could've won some of the games we lost, however I think the ladies ended the season well.”
Central went 3-9 in region play, finishing fifth in the 7-team region. That means the Eagles missed out on the state playoffs.
“I definitely hate we didn't make it to the playoffs, especially when this team could have easily made it,” Short said. “We just look forward to an even better season next year and making it to the playoffs.”
The only senior on the 10-player roster is Sierra Covington. She was selected to the All-Region team after averaging 5.1 points per game.
Other key contributors were sophomore Kabreyia Covington and junior Jordyn Griffin. They shared the team leading in scoring at 8.5. Covington led in rebounding at 9.7 while Griffin averaged 7.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.0 steals.
Sophomore Jariyah Sowell averaged 3.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists, and sophomore Taisha Quick averaged 6.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals.
“We are losing one player this season,” Short said. “With more conditioning, workouts and camps during the offseason, I feel that the Lady Eagles will have an even better season next year. As far as the future of the program is concerned, I definitely feel with more participation this program could blossom.
“At the beginning of the season, we had two players quit. I feel had they not quit that could've been an asset this season. Lack of motivation and not being conditioned contributed to them quitting.”
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