Region 1-Class A after another state championshp in boys basketball as last hurrah
Christ Church trying to leave Class A as 2-time defending state champion
Sumter – They’re breaking up the party in Region 1-Class A, but its members are going to try and go out with one last hurrah.
The Upstate region that has won three of the last five boys basketball state titles, will have all five of its members move to higher classifications when the South Carolina High School League’s new realignment begins next year.
The schools are either private schools or charter schools, and the new 3x multiplier used to count students who come from outside their attendance zones has led to each moving up.
Before they do though, Christ Church will be looking to defend its state title. The Cavaliers are ranked first in the High School Sports Report Class A poll and are 5-0 in the region. They are led by DJ Harvey, rated as one of the Top 5 Class A seniors by the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association.
High Point Academy, which won the 2019 state title, is ranked sixth in the state and is 4-1 in the region. It lost to Christ Church 79-44 on January 25. The teams were scheduled to play again on January 30.
The Grizzlies have a Top 5 senior as well in DeAnthony Ross.
Southside Christian School, the 2021 state champion, is ranked 11th and St. Joseph’s is ranked 12th. Each has just one region win as does Brashier Middle College.
Let’s take a look at how the seven other regions are coming along.
REGION 2
McCormick has all but thrown away the key in locking up the region title. Ranked eighth in the state, McCormick is 8-0 in the 7-team region and has handed second-place Dixie both of its region losses.
The Chiefs, 17-2 overall, would have to have a monumental collapse.
Dixie is ranked third with a 16-4 overall record and a 6-2 region mark.
Calhoun Falls has one of the Top 5 seniors in Daquean Lewis.
REGION 3
There are two ranked teams in No. 4 Lewisville and No. 14 Great Falls, but it is unranked C.A. Johnson that is in charge in the region right now.
The Hornets are 5-1 in region play while Great Falls, which is led by Top 5 senior Aaden Fair, has just one loss as well. However, it has played two less games.
Lewisville and McBee are both 3-2 in region play. With a 10-game region schedule, who finishes where is still wide open.
REGION 4
This is one of the biggest regions in the state with eight schools and is filled with some really good basketball teams on a yearly basis. This season it’s North and Denmark-Olar at the top of the heap.
North is ranked second in the state with a 19-3 overall record and a 9-1 region mark. Denmark-Olar is ranked fifth and is 8-2 in the region.
North beat Denmark-Olar 80-73 earlier, and the teams were scheduled for a rematch on January 30. A win there would all but secure the title for the Eagles.
Hunter-Kinard-Tyler is 6-3 and No. 16 Calhoun County is 6-4, leaving the door open for a possible second-place finish.
REGION 5
Johnsonville only has three wins on the season, but they’ve all come in region play. The Golden Flashes’ 3-1 mark is good enough for a first-place tie with Carvers Bay, which is ranked 13th in the state.
Looming in the background is 4-time defending lower state champion Scott’s Branch at 2-2.
REGION 6
Lake View is in a prime position to win the region with a 4-1 mark. Hannah-Pamplico and Green Sea Floyds are tied for second at 2-2, while Lamar is 2-3.
The Wild Gators have their fate in their own hands as their final three region games are against those schools.
REGION 7
Seventh-ranked Whale Branch is 7-1 in the region, while Bethune-Bowman is second at 5-2. The teams have already played twice, splitting the contests.
Ninth-ranked Bridges Prep is 4-3. With 12 region games, there is a lot of basketball left to be played.
Bamberg-Ehrhardt’s Anthony Williams is one of the Top 5 seniors.
REGION 8
Another 8-team region, this one is going down to Burke and Cross. Burke is 9-0 in region play with a 14-7 overall record, while No. 15 Cross is 9-1 and 15-4.
Burke went on the road to beat Cross 49-44 back on January 8. The Bulldogs can all but wrap up the region crown with a home win on January 30.
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