She Got Next Christmas Classic – 2024

It will not be long before the early portion of the schedule that is usually honeycombed with midseason tournaments begins to transition to the latter portion of the regular season with teams making playoff pushes. One of those midseason tournaments was the recently completed She Got Next Christmas Classic at Aiken High School. The Green Hornets’ nest hosted games at its main gym and auxiliary gym over the days the tournament took place and featured teams from both South Carolina and Georgia. Prep Girls Hoops was on hand Wednesday for the final day of the event. Let us take a look at who shined brightest from the class of 2024. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="252636" first="Zikira" last="Henderson"] – 2024 – Blue Ridge HS</strong> – If any player exemplifies the concept of, She Got Next, it may be the Tigers’ rising star guard. Henderson had a few games last season where she managed double-digit point outputs and she, plus the rest of Blue Ridge, has come back for more this season. Henderson grabs rebounds can dish the rock out to her teammates and collect steals. Need three points? Feed Henderson the rock. She drained five treys in the Tigers’ win over Orangeburg-Wilkinson to claim the She Got Next North Bracket championship. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-368652" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/2A6E1FFD-ACB0-4FAB-A713-15305067A54F.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="243448" first="Ahminah" last="Taylor"] – 2024 – Silver Bluff HS</strong> – As an Aiken team itself, the Bulldogs did not have far to go to get to Aiken High School for She Got Next. Scoring-wise, Taylor had one of those games that was more defined by the latter 16 minutes as opposed to the former 16. She scored 10 points for the game – with eight of those 10 occurring in the second half. She shoots the 3, will make plays near the rim and can get out in transition. Taylor is also a vocal leader for the team along with leading by example. Taylor’s play is an integral reason why coach Chasen Redd’s the 2A state runner-up from last season poses a threat to win it all in 2021-22. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="276128" first="Antoinet" last="Cheeseboro"] – 2024 – Dutch Fork HS</strong> – When the Silver Foxes took on Lower Richland for the She Got Next South Bracket championship, it appeared as if Cheeseboro was in the middle of every play – on both offense and defense. Defensively, she assisted with her Dutch Fork teammates to double team Diamond Hornets ball handlers, put whoever had the ball in precarious positions when guarded one-on-one and did more of the little things such as diving for loose balls. Cheeseboro is active away from the ball, will look to either attack the rim or pass and will hit her free throws. She finished the game against Lower Richland with seven points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="356921" first="Kayce" last="Hyman"] – 2024 – Dutch Fork HS</strong> – Half of the roster for coach Faye Norris’ Silver Foxes is comprised of sophomores, allowing those such as Hyman to find more of a footing within the system ran at Dutch Fork. Listed at 5-foot-10, she has excelled as a scorer, passer and rebounder. On free throw situations where someone from the opposing team is at the line, she prepares to box out to corral a rebound. On free throw situations where she is at the line, it is likely those attempts will go through the hoop. Defensively, she is a consistent threat to steal the ball. Hyman finished with six points in the Silver Foxes’ She Got Next South Bracket championship game with Lower Richland. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="262015" first="Da’sani" last="Kinlaw"] – 2024 – Timberland HS</strong> – For anyone looking for examples of programs throughout South Carolina that may be experiencing sophomore slumps, Timberland would not be a good place to look. Kinlaw has been playing varsity basketball since the eighth grade and was on Timberland’s junior varsity team as a seventh grader. Kinlaw is adept with ball movement and can get from one end of the floor to the other with the ball in her hand. She will absorb contact and find her way to the free throw line. In addition, she brings in rebounds, shoots the 3, is active away from the ball and attacks the rim. Kinlaw will also help in double team situations on defense. She had 14 points in the Wolves’ 77-61 victory over Georgia-based Hephzibah. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="368645" first="Makayla" last="Watkins"] – 2024 – Timberland HS</strong> – Speaking of noteworthy sophomores the sport the forest green and burnt orange of the Wolves. No. 30 creates problems for opponents in the frontcourt as a five. She is skilled as a rebounder (including on the offensive glass) and consistently remains ready to receive the ball in the low post. Watkins will absorb contact and make her shots at the free throw line. Watkins would score 15 points in the Wolves’ win over Hephzibah – a game that was dictated almost entirely by whose offense would outscore the other team. Watkins also had another eight points in a later tournament matchup against Silver Bluff. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-368653" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/C7CFA00E-84FF-489E-BB0A-B5906ABEBB9C.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="235396" first="Erianna" last="Wardlaw"] – 2024 – Greenwood HS</strong> – Following the transfer of [player_tooltip player_id="158945" first="Hailey" last="Chiles"] to Emerald, more emphasis is being placed on the Eagles’ standout sophomore who is also listed as the team’s captain. She showcased her defensive footwork, how she manages to take care of the ball and how she will set up behind the arc and hit 3-pointers. Wardlaw can be effective in the transition game, will play lockdown defense on whoever she is guarding and has a knack for attacking the rim. Even against a sea of defenders, Wardlaw will find a path to the cup. She scored 13 points in the Eagles’ game with Georgia-based T.W. Josey. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-368657" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/873DDC63-A403-4A99-8EB8-2FC776CB7E1B.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>Destiny Cyrus – 2024 – Batesburg-Leesville HS</strong> – Cyrus is proving to be a major factor in why the 2021-22 season is already shaping up to be much more promising for the Panthers who finished 1-10 last season. She dropped 20 points on Tuesday when the Panthers earned a 53-44 victory over White Knoll which led all Batesburg-Leesville point-getters. She followed that up by contributing 18 of the Panthers’ 37 points in what was a defensive-minded 37-33 victory over Georgia-based Evans. In that win over the Knights, Cyrus also managed to stay out of foul trouble as she had only one personal called against her.