Blackville-Hilda Hawk Invitational: 2025-27
With only a few days to go until a new calendar year, plenty of South Carolina’s brightest and best high school basketball players hoped to close the old 2021 year out the right way. The Hawk Invitational took place at…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWith only a few days to go until a new calendar year, plenty of South Carolina’s brightest and best high school basketball players hoped to close the old 2021 year out the right way.
The Hawk Invitational took place at Blackville-Hilda High School. Located in Barnwell County, the school hosted eight girls and eight boys teams representing schools that predominantly compete at the 1A and 2A levels. Blackville-Hilda itself is a school that is part of Region 3-A.
Prep Girls Hoops was on site at the home of the Hawks for the opening day of the tournament and it was another that continued to prove that the future for Palmetto State high school hoops remains very bright.
Janiya Carter Janiya Carter 5'3" | PG Ridge View | 2025 State SC – 2025 – Wade Hampton HS – Following a standout basketball career at the middle school level at North District Middle in Yemasee, Carter has brought her talents to the high school realm with Wade Hampton. Carter managed to get out in transition on many occasions and convert on high-percentage shot opportunities. As much of a scorer as she is, she also is a ball distributor in addition to helping out her team on defensive stands. Carter scored early and often in the Red Devils’ Hawk Invitational game with Ridge Spring-Monetta and did not look back, tallying 10 points in the first quarter and 22 for the game.
Laila Sanders – 2025 – Estill HS – Ask any coach or player and they will likely tell one that all points are big points – including Sanders’ 3-pointer that she connected on in the fourth quarter in what was a commanding victory over Williston-Elko. Sanders was part of a Gators bench that pushed what was a five-point lead for Estill at halftime to an emphatic win. That effort was seen particularly in the second half on both offense and defense for the Gators. Sanders’ triple she made in the closing stanza was also one of the five 3-pointers Estill connected on in the win over the Blue Devils.
Jaidyn Devore – 2025 – Barnwell HS – Devore is part of Barnwell team that while its nucleus is comprised of veteran players also includes a bit of youth. Out of the eight points that the Warhorses scored in the first quarter of its game with Allendale-Fairfax on Monday, Devore was the only Barnwell player other than 2023 Ausheonna Hammonds to convert from the field in the frame. Devore also drew contact and got to the free throw line in addition to only having one foul called against her for the game. She concluded said game with the Tigers having scored three points.
Erianna Abney – 2025 – Barnwell HS – Devore is not the only freshman that makes up the bench for head coach William Hammonds’ Warhorses. Abney also found playing time off said bench and particularly came through in the fourth quarter. She drew contact and got to the free throw line then made three of her four attempts from the stripe in the final frame – accounting for all three points she scored. Abney is listed at 5-foot-6 and can display her versatility as she can play as either a guard or as a forward. She will also collect rebounds and come away with steals.
Lyric Jones – 2027 – Estill HS – As a seventh grader, Gators fans will have plenty of time throughout the coming seasons to sing its praises about this talented seventh grader. In the Gators’ game to open the Hawk Invitational vs. Williston-Elko, Jones did plenty of work in the fourth quarter as she had five of her eventual 11 points in the closing frame. She also made a couple of treys as well. As the old cliché goes, it is hard to keep up with her as she will get from one end of the floor to another in a quick amount of time.