Fairfield Central HS vs Lower Richland HS

Lower Richland was anything but “low” on Thursday night as they hosted Fairfield Central. When the game concluded, the Diamond Hornets scored an emphatic 61-29 victory over the visiting Griffins. As the game went on, the Lower Richland gap became more pronounced. The Diamond Hornets assumed an eight-point lead after the first quarter, a 13-point edge at halftime, a 20-point advantage with three frames complete and the eventual 32-point margin of victory. Prep Girls Hoops was on hand at Lower Richland High School to take in Thursday night’s matchup. Here is a look at who stood out. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/43FD0B80-743B-44A3-930D-D9FB2DA7EA6A-scaled-crop-1876x1232-1613136574.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-254483" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/43FD0B80-743B-44A3-930D-D9FB2DA7EA6A-scaled-crop-1876x1232-1613136574-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="185723" first="Deasia" last="Feaster"] – 2022 – Fairfield Central High School</strong> – The Griffins are not looking to deactivate itself from Deasia anytime soon even if she will be graduating after the 2022 season. Feaster definitely fits the bill as an impact player that, even as tall as she is, will shot 3-point jump shots. Late in the first quarter, Feaster drained the first triple of the game for Fairfield Central and put the Griffins on the board. Feaster finished Wednesday’s game with eight points and all eight points occurred in the first half. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124093" first="Anala" last="Nelson"] – 2022 – Lower Richland High School</strong> – Points-wise, she was integral to Lower Richland having such a commanding evening. Nelson impressed with her ball movement and her early 3-pointer, which served as the game’s first points, set the tone for the Diamond Hornets for remainder of the game. She also displayed how much a factor she can be in terms of rebounding, finding her teammates and defensive work as well as getting out in transition. Whether it was inside or outside of the 3-point arc, or at the free throw line as she showed in the fourth quarter, Nelson was always putting points on the board – 24 points to be exact in the case of Thursday evening. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-254477" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/C2DF0566-AEAD-414D-8FE9-CB2459F410CD.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="252632" first="Zanariah" last="Yarborough"] – 2025 – Fairfield Central High School</strong> – Z.Y. proved to be an X-factor that has been a source of many W’s for Griffins coach Amelia Miller. Yarborough provided a defensive boost for Fairfield Central that also was evident through her abilities as a shot blocker and rebounder. As the game went on, she started putting more points on the board, which coaches appreciate when games are tougher and closer particularly when the stakes are bigger. Yarborough concluded her evening with eight points and all of her eight occurred in the third and fourth quarters. She is a name we will hear about a lot in upcoming seasons. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="234751" first="Tyra" last="Floyd"] – 2023 – Lower Richland High School</strong> – Another of the reasons why, scoring-wise, Lower Richland managed to take care of its home court. She too not only showcased superb ball movement in synchrony with her teammates, but she made things difficult for Fairfield Central all night with her defensive work. Floyd forces opponents into turnovers and also can dish the ball and rebound as well. When she did have the ball in her hands, there is a good chance she was finding contact to find her way to the foul line and hit her freebies from the stripe. Floyd went a perfect five for five from the line and hit a 3-ball to close the third quarter, all equaling a 17-point outing. <strong>Tahalia Collier – 2021 – Fairfield Central High School</strong> – One that may be tough for the Griffins to find a replacement for when she graduates. Collier helped the team out on Thursday night a great deal with her rebounding capabilities as well as dribbling the basketball. She had a couple of hiccups on one occasion in the first quarter while handling the ball in the Griffin’s half court offense, but quickly recovered on both occasions. Collier hit a 3-pointer at the end of what was otherwise a tough opening frame for the Griffins and had the potential to give Fairfield Central momentum heading into the following stanza. She also got the free throw line and hit her shots from said line in addition to displaying her prowess as a passer. Collier concluded Thursday night with six points. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-254480" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/813D38DC-FF3C-4439-A1DF-A4913E28328F.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="234752" first="Shawnteanna" last="Tillman"] – 2022 – Lower Richland High School</strong> – Tillman gave her team plenty of energy and a noticeable edge, particularly on the defensive side of things. Listed as one of the team’s two captains, she showed why that is the case by being a leader by example. That includes her as a rebounder in addition to her as a ball hawk. Her making plays on defense will either become a transition basket or an assist in transition which results in a score for one of her Diamond Hornets teammates. She concluded her evening with four points, but those four all occurred in the fourth quarter.