WARDLAW PREPARES FOR REGION BATTLES

By: Gerald Doolittle

Contributing Writer



Johnston, S.C. – The Wardlaw Academy varsity basketball teams will enter the 2025 portion of the 2024-25 season hoping to be competitive in the tough SCISA Region 3-A. The Girls Division will compete against W.W. King Academy and Richard Winn Academy for the Region title as Newberry Academy, Cambridge Academy and Anderson Christian do not have varsity teams this season.

Meanwhile, it looks like Richard Winn Academy and Newberry Academy are the stronger teams in the Boys Division. Wardlaw, Cambridge, Anderson Christian and W.W. King will battle for the other seeds.

Coach Kristina Graves has her Lady Patriots off to a 3-6 start in 2024-25. Her team is led by seniors Maddie DeLoach, Hailey Holmes and Liz Park. The three juniors are Taylor Hill, Katherine Trotter and Brianna McNeil.

Rounding out the Lady Patriots roster are sophomores Olyvia Wall and Charlotte Bailey. The freshmen are Lillie Stocum and Kate Griffith.

Coach Austin Spurlock hopes his varsity boys can improve on their 1-7 record. His Patriots have dropped several close games thus far. The Patriots should be more competitive with six seniors on the team.

The seniors are Colt Bailey, Noah Harper, Collin Holsonback, Michael Martin, Jackson Smoak and Josh Bussey. Bailey and Harper are leading the offense with 112 and 105 points.

Rounding out the Patriot roster are Jake Winn (so), Reese Harper (so), Cooper Davis (so) and Andrew Smith (fr).