AR Girls were strong on the hardwood
By Roger Lee
Summerville – The Ashley Ridge Girls made their deepest playoff run yet and that’s just one of the things they have to celebrate.
“I am extremely proud of my team and how these young ladies have competed and grown in the two years I've been here,” Ashley Ridge coach Jimmy Brown said. “This season was truly a harvest from the seeds planted my first year. All of our losses this year were to teams that either played for a state title or made it to the third round of the playoffs. We had a lot of Firsts this season.”
The Lady Swamp Foxes rolled into the third round of the playoffs, but were eliminated Feb. 19 with a loss to Sumter. Ashley Ridge, ranked No. 5 in the state coaches association final 2024 Class 5A Girls Basketball Rankings, finished the season with a 20-6 record.
This season marks the first time the team has advanced to the third round. The team also celebrates having its first player surpass the 1,000th points scored benchmark, senior Dianna Blake, and a perfect 8-0 record in its Region 7-AAAAA games this season. The last time the team captured a region championship was in 2016.
Blake was named the Region Player of the Year and also received All-State and North-South All-Star honors. Juniors Katie Johnson and Kaylin Brown were also named to the All-Region team and Brown was named the region’s Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.
Ashley Ridge stands to return a solid group of players next season, but will lose seniors Blake, Taleyah Hartzog Jacinda Whitley and Ty Chisolm.
Blake was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder this season, averaging 16.2 points per game and 8.3 rebounds. Chisolm averaged 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds. Whitley saw less time on the court, but averaged 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Johnson averaged 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds and led the team in assists with 82. Briana Davidson averaged 8.5 points and 1.3 rebounds. Brown averaged 8.4 points and 3.3 rebounds and led the team in steals. dsNadia President averaged 5.8 points and 2.4 rebounds. Nubia McElveen was the team’s third-leading rebounder.
Other members of the team are Aubrey Shaw, Jamison Foley, Logan Hardy, Alaina Duggins, Lainie Makris and Samiah Boatwright.
AR Boys
The Ashley Ridge Boys were doing ok early in the season, but struggled closing out some of its region games and finished in fourth place for its region. With the exception of its losses to Summerville, all of the Swamp Foxes’ region losses came by a small margin.
“We progressed throughout the year and played well in our first-round playoff game but didn’t make enough plays to keep our season going,” Ashley Ridge coach Brad Dobbels said. “We have a great group of guys who are committed to growing on and off the court so we can keep building a championship culture.”
Ashley Ridge had averaged 54.7 points per game in January and February but it failed to breach the 45-point mark Feb. 13 during a 46-43 playoff loss at Berkeley. The Swamp Foxes lost seven of their last nine games to drop to 13-14 on the season.
Senior guard Jahlil Hope led the team in points per game, averaging 17.7, and rebounds, averaging 8.8. He and sophomore guard Clayton Everett (8.2 points per game/5.3 rebounds per game), received All-Region honors. Hope ends his AR career with 1,331 points and 666 rebounds.
The Swamp Foxes face replacing the production of Hope and fellow seniors Jordan Davis (7/3.3), Jeaden Wadley (4.1/1.9), Jordan Washington (3.9/2.1) and Noah Jackson (2.3/2.4). However, with Tre Green (6.2/1.9) and Javion Gathers (5/3.7) expected to lead the way for a large group of returners Ashley Ridge has a solid foundation to build upon.
Other members of the team are Noah Jackson, LA Childs, Brayden Amerson, Nasir McElveen, PJ Brown and Ben Duncan.
AR Wrestling
On the mat, the Swamp Foxes were 11-5 in duals matches this season. The team placed second in its region, advanced to the second round of the playoffs and finished ranked among the Top 20 5A teams in the state.
AR hosted and won its first girls’ wrestling match, defeating Wando. The Swamp Foxes had six wrestlers, three boys and three girls, qualify for this year’s individual wrestling championships.
Annalise Maralit won the Girls 100-pound state championship and Sydney Palma won the Girls 135-pound title. Isabella Henry also qualified for the tournament in the 140 class.
Emory Dalton placed fourth in the 5A 120 class. Ajani Redwood qualified in the 157 class and Jeremiah Venning qualified in the 190 class. Dalton was also selected to participate in the North/South All-Star matches.
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