Northwestern HS vs Rock Hill HS
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Northwestern’s Trojans may have entered its Wednesday evening Region 4-AAAAA contest with the Bearcats of Rock Hill with a 13-4 mark – not too far away from the 16-3 record Rock Hill had. It looked like anything but as the…
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Continue ReadingNorthwestern’s Trojans may have entered its Wednesday evening Region 4-AAAAA contest with the Bearcats of Rock Hill with a 13-4 mark – not too far away from the 16-3 record Rock Hill had.
It looked like anything but as the game went on as the Bearcats claimed an emphatic 61-19 victory over the visiting Trojans. Rock Hill had a 15-5 advantage over Northwestern after the first quarter and did not look back.
Prep Girls Hoops made it up to the Metrolina area for the contest between the two area teams. Here are some aspects of the game that stood out.
Plenty of Threes for No. 2
Alyssa Hankerson Alyssa Hankerson 5'6" | SG Charlotte Country Day (1 of 1 Prep) | 2025 State NC (2025) had no problems shooting a great deal of 3-pointers and making a good number of those triples throughout the game. She led all scorers with 16 points with 12 of those coming by way of four made 3-pointers. Hankerson had four of the 10 triples Rock Hill drained as a team. Out of those 16 points, she had 14 at the half.
Senior Appreciation Night
Honoring a senior class has taken special meaning at Rock Hill given the composition of the girls basketball team for coach Kenny Orr. The Bearcats have seven seniors on the 2021-22 rendition and that veteran experience has proven to be a major asset as Rock Hill has established itself as a team to beat in 5A play.
Those veterans that make up the Bearcats’ core also include Gracie Wilson Gracie Wilson 5'6" | SG Rock Hill | 2022 State SC , who scored nine points and made three from downtown. Makayla Street Makayla Street 5'8" | SF Rock Hill | 2022 State SC , who committed to Brevard College in December, chimed in with eight points while Dartmouth track and field signee Jada Jones Jada Jones 5'6" | SG Rock Hill | 2022 State SC added seven to the Rock Hill cause.
Laila Hankerson Laila Hankerson 5'6" | PG K.O.D. Skills Academy | 2023 NC , a 2023, also scored seven.
Bright Spot
While Trojans coach ShaRon Robinson will look at disdain from the final score of Wednesday night’s get-together, a bright spot was the play of junior Darby Grigg Darby Grigg 5'5" | PG Northwestern | 2023 State SC .
A three-sport athlete who also plays soccer and volleyball, Grigg scored 10 points and accomplished a lot of it by getting out in transition and converting on opportunities to score easy baskets. She also drained a 3-pointer in the third quarter in addition to hauling in rebounds and blocking shots.
Keep this name in mind…
The Trojans boast a name from the 2027 class that Northwestern fans – as well as South Carolina basketball fans in general will want to keep a close eye on in the coming seasons.
That name is JaNyia Cunningham JaNyia Cunningham 6'1" | SF South Pointe | 2027 State SC , who is nearly averaging a double-double for the season with 10.1 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per contest. Earlier this season, she had a 20-point, 13-rebound effort in a game against Hopewell (NC) in late December.
She works hard in the paint to put points on the board, haul in rebounds and block shots. Cunningham does not take plays off. She will absorb contact and get to the free throw line, looks to create spacing in the low post and will attract double teams from defenses.
All or Nothing
There is arguably never a such thing as a perfect half of basketball or a perfect game. Mistakes happen and it is up to players, teams and coaches to get past those miscues and move onto the next play.
That may not always be the case when looking at a postgame stat sheet – and how the second quarter went for Northwestern and Rock Hill may be a textbook example of that. The Bearcats shut out the Trojans in the second stanza 17-0 and the gap ballooned from 15-5 at the first quarter to 32-5 at halftime in what was a dominant Rock Hill outing.
Up Next …
Both teams are back in action on Friday. The Bearcats look to keep its winning ways going when it hosts Spring Valley while the Trojans travel to the Midlands for a matchup with Ridge View. Rock Hill and Northwestern will face each other again in the final games of their regular seasons on February 11 on the Trojans’ home floor.