Airport HS vs Irmo HS
In a rematch of when these two teams met earlier in the month, the Irmo Yellowjackets defended its home (Tim Whipple) court by dispatching the Airport Eagles by a final score of 49-42. The victory for Irmo was hard-fought and…
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Continue ReadingIn a rematch of when these two teams met earlier in the month, the Irmo Yellowjackets defended its home (Tim Whipple) court by dispatching the Airport Eagles by a final score of 49-42.
The victory for Irmo was hard-fought and included plenty of occasions where each team looked as if it had the upper hand, but Yellowjackets coach Monica Williams believes that the victory was made reality because of what her team did on the defensive end.
“I think our defense kind of set the tone. If we can get them to hurry a little bit,” Williams said. “I thought we did not rebound the ball at all well tonight. But we did get out on a few runs.”
Eagles coach Jacob Thompson praised his team for not giving up despite trailing by double digits at various points in the game. Irmo’s lead was trimmed to as little as five late in the fourth quarter.
“That’s one thing that we pride on,” Thompson said. “Never stop until the final whistle. And at the end of the day, we’ll take a look and see where we’re at.
The Dec. 8 matchup between these two teams was a lot more lopsided than the Dec. 18 get-together when Irmo thrashed Airport by a final of 58-19. Dec. 18’s game was the Yellowjackets final one before the Christmas break while Airport has an away game at Rock Hill on Dec. 21 listed on its (scheduled) slate prior to its Holiday getaway.
Irmo HS remains undefeated at 5-0 while Airport falls to 4-3. Here are a few players for both teams that were key in what turned out to be a close contest.
Ja’sia Booth Ja’sia Booth 5'4" | PG Airport | 2025 State SC – Airport HS – 2025 – G – 5’4″ – Booth was worth the ticket price. Her game includes sharp ball handling skills and seems to often be at the right place at the right time. Booth was effective on defense, including an ability to get the ball out of the other team’s hands and get out in transition for high-percentage baskets. Her scoring performance included draining three 3-pointers as well as three free throws in the fourth quarter. Booth led all scorers with 21 points.
Michaela Fairwell – Irmo HS – 2025 – G – 5’9″ – Williams’ Irmo team does a lot well with Farwell suiting up in Yellowjackets colors. She was particularly impressive this game on several occasions defensively. Fairwell displayed an ability to draw contact and find her way to the free throw line as well as make shots from long range. Fairwell was instrumental in Irmo jumping out to the early lead it accumulated in the first half as all nine of her points were scored in the first and second quarters.
Jayla Jamison – Airport HS – 2021 – SF – 5’6″ – With the playing time she managed to compile and the productive evening she had for Airport, one may wonder exactly how was it that she was the only one of the Eagles’ starters that did not commit a foul for the game. But she was what kept Thompson’s Eagles team in the game. Her on-court leading by example had Airport believing it could still win even when trailing by wide margins. She, fittingly, scored the first points of the game for Airport (off her own offensive rebound) after trailing 8-0 early in the first quarter. Jamison will battle for tough rebounds and keeps defenses on their toes. She will get up and down the floor quickly and is especially efficient in transition. She finished the game with 17 points with 11 of those 17 coming in the second half.
Maliyiah Mason Maliyiah Mason 6'0" | SF Gray Collegiate | 2023 State SC – Irmo HS – 2023 – PF/SF – 6’0″ – What more has to be said (or, in our case, written) about No. 21? She is Irmo’s marquee star for a reason and is one of the biggest factors in the Yellowjackets unblemished start to the season. As Coach Williams herself put it when speaking with her postgame, Mason scores at will. The Eagles’ defense had very little answers for her as do most teams. She corralled rebounds, got up and down the court with great efficiency, will poke the basketball from the other team. Mason concluded her evening with 18 points and likely would have had more if she did not, as Coach put it postgame, “got sick (in) the fourth quarter.”
Bre Lester – Airport HS – 2022 – PF – 5’8” – The other of Airport’s three starters that scored outside of Booth and Jamison, Lester was key as well to the Eagles’ game plan as well. Lester helped her team with important baskets early on that got Airport back in the game after trailing 8-0 in the contest’s opening moments. She will haul in her fair share of rebounds and will find her way to the free throw line. Lester finished her evening with four points, but is displaying plenty of defensive prowess in the season’s early going as she has tallied over seven rebounds per game along with nearly three steals and two blocks a contest.
Alani Martinez – Irmo HS – 2022 – SG/PG/W – 5’6” – Most coaches do not like to pin all of the credit for a win or loss on one player, but Martinez had arguably the most important baskets of the game in the fourth quarter. With Airport only down five (47-42) late and paving its comeback trail, Martinez was fouled with under a minute to play and went to the line for two free throws. She made both, giving the Yellowjackets a 49-42 lead and making the contest a three-possession game in the closing moments. Martinez not only finished the game with seven points, she also showcased defensive and long-range shooting skill also.