She Got Next Christmas Classic – 2022

It was three days’ worth of exciting basketball as the She Got Next Christmas Classic emanated from Aiken High School. Several teams from different parts of South Carolina converged on the home of the Green Hornets for the event. A few Georgia teams took part as well – including T.W. Josey who were this past season’s 2A state champions from right across the Savannah River in Augusta. We at Prep Girls Hoops made it to Aiken High School for the final day of the tournament. The senior class put its best pair of sneakers forward in Aiken. Here are some of those. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-369196" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/A8859FF9-1672-497B-94F5-26A805EB5686.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> [player_tooltip player_id="124101" first="Quadaija" last="Langley"] – 2022 – Blue Ridge HS – Lander Bearcats fans have to be smiling like Cheshire cats thinking of next season and what a combination she and Westside’s [player_tooltip player_id="124094" first="Destiny" last="Middleton"] will be. Langley is another one of the proficient scorers coach Alex Smith’s Tigers team fields, but as much as she is a scorer, she is also a rebounder and a distributor of the ball. She has no problem falling to floor to complete plays, will battle for 50-50 balls and can come from out of nowhere to make big defensive plays. She scored seven points in the She Got Next South Bracket title win over Orangeburg-Wilkinson. Gabby Swinton -2022 – Blue Ridge HS – Swinton’s rebounding (on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor) and shot blocking are two integral reasons why the Tigers, who finished 13-3 last season, have already matched its win total from 2020-21 at a perfect 13-0. She established herself early and often as a factor in why the Tigers raced out to a big lead early in the first half and never looked back. Swinton will make plenty of heads up plays and is one of the leaders on a Blue Ridge team stacked with upperclassmen. In that low post, she will draw her fair share of contact and get to the free throw line where she made both of her attempts from the stripe. Swinton scored four points against Orangeburg-Wilkinson in Wednesday night’s She Got Next South Bracket championship victory. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-369202" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/59A1044C-6B10-4CDF-8EA1-9A7E32A5830D.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> [player_tooltip player_id="252637" first="Maggie" last="Strout"] – 2022 – Blue Ridge HS – Strout’s play this season is a key factor in why the Tigers have the distinction of being one of only two 3A programs who are undefeated (13-0) so far this season (Fairfield Central, 6-0). Strout converts on high-percentage shot opportunities near the rim and also connects on her free throw opportunities. She can get creative with her shot selection and will sometimes pass up 3-point opportunities to search for a better look from midrange. Strout can come from out of nowhere to steal the ball and those steals can lead to transition layups. She finished with 10 points in the Tigers’ She Got Next South Bracket championship win over Orangeburg-Wilkinson. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-369198" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/8CC16648-7EC5-4ED4-99EE-7BE9928B19BD.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> [player_tooltip player_id="124093" first="Anala" last="Nelson"] – 2022 – Lower Richland HS – Ever since she was an eighth grader, Lower Richland has been Lower Richand and the Diamond Hornets have maintained its winning ways throughout Nelson’s career in Hopkins. Nelson, over the years, has developed her ball movement, is tough to defend and is a tough out for opposing ball carriers. A 5-foot-8 eight combo guard, she will set up the Diamond Hornets offense in the halfcourt, is a vocal leader as well as one who leads by example and plays with a high basketball IQ. The Austin Peay commit put up 13 points in the Diamond Hornets’ win over Dutch Fork which claimed the She Got Next South Bracket championship for Lower Richland. Recently, she also joined the 1,000-point club. [player_tooltip player_id="185230" first="Quantashia" last="Davis"] – 2022 – Aiken HS – It was known that the Green Hornets would be ready to ball out at She Got Next given the built-in home court advantage Aiken had. Davis was certainly ready to go and it showed with her play. She is a 6-foot power forward who will block plenty of shots, is a lockdown defender and will shoot from range. In addition, she will absorb contact and get to the free throw line. Davis scored 15 points in the Green Hornets’ Wednesday evening game with Mauldin and she managed a 23-point effort in Aiken’s victory over Georgia-based Evans. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-369195" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/6193E2C6-AC3F-4B4E-A270-8AFCC07A9523.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> [player_tooltip player_id="124099" first="Shar’dasia" last="Zeigler"] – 2022 – Orangeburg-Wilkinson HS – What has come to define Zeigler over the years that she has been a Bruin has been the tenacity and fearlessness that she approaches the game with. The standout point guard for coach Cedrick Simpson’s Orangeburg-Wilkinson team will attempt 3-pointers and midrange jump shots. That tenacity she plays with means she will absorb plenty of contact and find herself at the free throw line. On opposing team free throws, she gets set to box out and collect a rebound in case of a miss. She is quick on both offense and defense and knows how to split double teams. Zeigler scored five points in the Bruins’ Upper Bracket championship game vs. Blue Ridge along with 11 in the Bruins’ win over Greenwood. Last calendar year, it was announced she was offered by a pair of Orangeburg schools in Claflin and South Carolina State. [player_tooltip player_id="190146" first="Deondra" last="Darby"] – 2022 – Orangeburg-Wilkinson HS – Darby is one of the many seniors on the Bruins’ roster – one in which roughly half is made up of 2022s. That experience as a veteran will serve Orangeburg-Wilkinson well as the season continues. What will also serve the Bruins well is Darby’s 3-point shooting. Darby drained a couple of treys in the Bruins’ She Got Next North Bracket championship game against fellow AAA competitor Blue Ridge. Darby finished with six points in the game with the Tigers on Wednesday night to close out the tournament, but also scored 13 in the Bruins’ victory over Greenwood on Tuesday. M’ya Cribbs – 2022 – Silver Bluff HS – Cribbs’ play tells no fibs. She is one of many from Silver Bluff who can put her fair share of points on the scoreboard. Her value to the Bulldogs goes beyond what shows up on the stat sheet as she will do many of the little things that can make a huge difference. Cribbs has no issue going all out for loose balls and will come from out of nowhere to make defensive plays. She is efficient in her ability to move the ball around and can hit 3-point shots. Cribbs finished the Bulldogs’ game with Timberland, a 63-44 win, having scored 11 points. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-369199" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/567A2593-FF11-4E6E-9C32-8E3AE3921A52.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> [player_tooltip player_id="382610" first="Karisa" last="Bush"] – 2022 – Silver Bluff HS – Whether she is wearing No. 15 or No. 4, Bush is in many ways an X-factor for a Bulldogs team looking to finish its unfinished business from last season. She is versatile as she can play either as a forward or a guard. Bush distributes the ball with proficiency, can make plays near the basket and will also dribble the ball to attack the basket through a number of defenders. What also makes her an X-factor is how she has plays where she finds herself at the right place at the right time on the court. She scored 11 points in the Bulldogs’ win over Timberland – 10 of which came in the first half.