Region 3-AAAAA Preview

It feels like yesterday that we were crowning five state champions at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center to put a lid on the 2020-21 season. With the offseason having come and gone, a new season for 2021-22 is right around the corner. Over the past several weeks, Prep Girls Hoops has released in-depth previews of every region in the Palmetto State, spotlighting each team in every region as well as important players to be on the lookout for. We have unveiled our complete single-A, double-A, triple-A and quadruple-A region previews. We now move to just south of Charlotte as we examine Region 3-AAAAA. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="266086" first="Nadia" last="Dial"] – 2022 – Fort Mill HS</strong> – The last few seasons, head coach Heather Klipa, following a stint at Smoky Mountain in North Carolina, has had to enjoy dialing up plays for the Yellow Jackets' standout forward. Dial can stretch the floor and displays impressive handles. She also will give her team plenty of offensive production from the perimeter. Dial can run the floor and get out in the open floor in transition. During the summer, she played travel basketball with North Carolina-based Lady Attack Elite and recently announced her commitment to play collegiately at Army-West Point. <strong>Nadia has been named the Prep Girls Hoops Preseason Region Player of the Year.</strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-278326" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/04/EDD81392-3BFF-4ACE-887B-19FE20B559E6.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="197053" first="Ashley" last="Farmer"] – 2022 – Clover HS</strong> – For a team that was successful in bringing a 5A state championship trophy back to its school, the primary question that remains is how coach Sherer Hopkins and her team can put together an encore performance. Farmer will be a focal point of that formula. She brings a toughness element to her team with a skill for making creative passes. If one word could be used to describe Farmer's style of play, it would be fearless. Her travel season was affected by injury, but she did participate with Charlotte Dream Elite during the grassroots campaign. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-332965" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/45B6023A-1077-41B9-B236-BF89544BDD86.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="331878" first="Lindsay" last="Paukovitz"] – 2022 – Fort Mill HS</strong> – Prep Girls Hoops noticed Paukovitz participating in not only the Top 250 Expo at Myrtle Beach, but also Georgia's Top 250 Expo held at Lakepoint Sports in Cartersville. She can be a vocal leader for her team in addition to her ability to lead by example. Paukovitz makes plays on defense via her collecting skills and is comfortable shooting 3-point shots. Her ability to intercept pass can translate to transition opportunities. In addition to how she excels on the basketball court, Paukovitz also has participated in track and field throughout her athletic career. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="188021" first="Nysheria" last="Wright"] – 2023 – Clover HS</strong> – Every winning team has the right formula – and in the case of the defending 5A state champions from Clover, it could be the Wright formula as the Blue Eagles enter 2021-22. She is very aware from the opening tip to the final buzzer of where she is on the court – as well as where the ball is. Her activity on the floor enables her to come away with steals and her taking advantage of those turnovers can translate to transition opportunities. Wright can also display prowess as a scorer in addition to as a rebounder. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-200238" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/52A48CD6-6AC2-4776-B969-31A60AB77CCE.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="199694" first="Indya" last="Massey"] – 2023 – Clover HS</strong> – Massey has shown a great deal of promise playing the four. She does a great deal of work making plays in the low post and excels at crashing the glass. She has no problems playing on contact and is confident in her ability to make her freebies at the foul line. She gets herself in good position to sink midrange jump shots and her role on the team is sure to be increased after last season's trophy-hoisting rendition graduated five seniors – including its star captain in Aylesha Wade. Massey's grassroots career has spanned Next Generation 15U as well as NC Lady Gems. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="266073" first="Leah" last="Page"] – 2023 – Gaffney HS</strong> – Coach Susan Wade's Gaffney team will have a brand new look this season after graduating lots of seniors from the 2020-21 edition. Page is among the returners for Gaffney. She gets her fair share of minutes and gives her team a 3-point shooting element to its offensive attack. Page is a stalwart for the Gaffney defense as she fills the steals portion of the stat sheet. Her bread and butter is how she works in the low post and how she fits in to half court offensive sets. She can play with her back to the basket and convert on high-percentage shot opportunities. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="251766" first="Chantel" last="Lyles"] – 2024 – Boiling Springs HS</strong> – Last season was a far distance from 2019-20 under coach Dwayne Lytle when the Bulldogs finished with an 11-13 record. With players like Lyles returning for her sophomore season, one can guess the Bulldogs will be filling up the win column more often than was the case last season. One element of Boiling Springs to keep in mind is Lyles was one of eight freshmen and/or sophomores on the team last season, giving Lyles a greater opportunity to gel more and gain more experience with this season around the corner. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="242936" first="Jalyn" last="Bennett"] – 2024 – Nation Ford HS</strong> – Bennett turned out to be one of three freshmen that head coach Coretta Richmond started last season – a reflection of the Falcons' youth. Typically, in basketball, a year more experienced means a year improved. Bennett can play the forward position yet can drive to the basket as if she were a point guard. She is listed at 5-foot-8. With a bit more experience under the belts of Bennett and the rest of the Nation Ford squad, it may not be long before the team takes a turn back to more of its winning ways. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="215935" first="Harper" last="McKain"] – 2024 – Nation Ford HS</strong> – McKain saw action last season for Nation Ford in nine games last season and concluded her 2020-21 with impressive numbers – including the 10.1 points per game she averaged as well as 5.6 rebounds per contest. Those numbers indicate that she finds ways to put points on the board and puts herself in position to grab rebounds. McKain has a strong element of versatility to her game with the skill to play various guard and forward positions when on the floor. She also knows how to make the right and accurate passes as well as block shots. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-301642" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/06/08DA6910-5C91-468A-961D-8232596A27D9.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="271877" first="Karis" last="Alexander"] – 2024 – Clover HS</strong> – After the euphoria of winning the 5A state championship, it was time for Alexander to hit the travel realm with Charlotte Dream Elite. Prep Girls Hoops got a glimpse of Alexander during the heart of the travel schedule when the NTBA Nationals emanated from the Grand Strand region. Alexander's athleticism proves to be a boost for Clover. She displays this with how skilled she is with her footwork. Alexander stays active and knows how to convert on high-percentage shot opportunities near the rim. She is also a talented rebounder on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="276132" first="Marcia" last="Watt"] – 2024 – Clover HS</strong> – Watt and Alexander are another set of teammates that have become used to hooping alongside each other. She too also runs in the grassroots circuit with Charlotte Dream Elite. She currently is listed at #107 on Prep Girls Hoops' rankings for the class of 2024. At 5-foot-5, she was one of only four from last year's roster that stood at either that height or less. Watt is certain to be another of the freshmen that Blue Eagles fans will see more of given the number of upperclassmen that departed for the college ranks after this past season. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-303233" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/06/0803D3A0-FDEA-4391-B9E5-CEA553F6C8E2-scaled-crop-1880x1235-1625049088-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="303246" first="Camille" last="Kerridge"] – 2025 – Nation Ford HS</strong> – Kerridge is a quintessential playmaker and will be one to watch in the coming seasons. She found her way on a Falcons' roster that had two distinguishable characteristics last season – it was young and it was guard-heavy. How she handles and takes care of the ball only compliment how she plays as an up-and-coming one and two. She also puts herself in the correct position to haul in rebounds as well as make plays on defense. Prep Girls Hoops got a glimpse of Kerridge in North Augusta at Riverview Park at the SCBCA Summer Showcase. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="299561" first="Kayla" last="Wilmore"] – 2025 – Nation Ford HS</strong> – Following a middle school stint where she balled out at Fort Mill MS, Wilmore appears poised to up her game to the next level with Nation Ford under the tutelage of coach Coretta Richmond. Wilmore puts in plenty of work with her ball handling and her ability to drive to the basket. A 5-foot-5 three, Wilmore will get her fair share of rebounds and can collect an impressive number of steals. She also runs the floor well and is effective in the transition game. She participated in travel ball this past offseason with PSB 14U Clarke. <strong>Prep Girls Hoops predictions: </strong> Clover HS – Even with all the talent that departed from last season, the 5A state championship makes the Blue Eagles a team to beat. Fort Mill HS – The Yellow Jackets will enter the next couple of seasons brimming with experience. Gaffney HS – Coach Susan Wade's team, similar to Clover, may also experience a drop off based in experience. Nation Ford HS – The young talent the Falcons will field should raise eyebrows about its ceiling in coming seasons. Boiling Springs HS – Out of its 11 defeats last season, its smallest margin was in early December 2020 vs. Chesnee (41-34).