Silver Bluff HS vs Airport HS

Airport has already more than eclipsed its win total from last season with 11 wins, but one of those 11 victories did not occur at home on Saturday afternoon against 2020-21 2A runner-up Silver Bluff as the Bulldogs managed a 47-31 victory over the Eagles. It is the second meeting of the season between the two teams. The Bulldogs, of course, compete in Region 5-AA while Airport takes part in Region 5-AAAA play. Prep Girls Hoops was on site at Airport HS for Saturday afternoon’s contest. Here are some noteworthy facts and notes from the day’s action. <em><strong>About that first meeting…</strong></em> Airport and Silver Bluff met up earlier in the season at the Bulldogs’ home court in early December. That game was a bit more lopsided than Saturday afternoon’s get-together with the Bulldogs claiming victory by a final of 64-20. At the time, the Bulldogs were undefeated at 3-0 while the loss for the Eagles snapped a five-game winning streak. Airport won its next three games after the loss to Silver Bluff. <em><strong>Speaking of winning and losing streaks…</strong></em> Saturday’s result extended the Bulldogs’ current winning streak to four while Airport’s losing streak now also stands at four. <em><strong>Fourth quarter flurry</strong></em> The Bulldogs’ lead gradually grew throughout the game. After trailing 9-7 to the Eagles after the first quarter, Silver Bluff led 17-10 at the half and 27-19 following three frames. Coach Chasten Redd’s Bulldogs outscored Airport 20-12 in the fourth quarter, paving the way for another Silver Bluff victory. <em><strong>Primetime Performers</strong></em> After being held to only four points in the first half, junior captain <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="175386" first="Aaliyah" last="Lawrence"]</strong> led the Bulldogs’ second-half charge, scoring 14 in the final two frames for a total of 18 which led all point-getters. Lawrence shares the captaincy duties with 2022 <strong>M’ya Cribbs</strong> and has proven herself throughout her career as not only a scorer, but also as a rebounder and shot blocker. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382166" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/IMG_7135-scaled-crop-2048x1345-1643522779-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="382610" first="Karisa" last="Bush"]</strong> (2022) added 14. She maintains plenty of confidence in her ability to make 3-point shots and has also displayed her talents as a defender with how she will reject shots as well as collect steals and go the other way with the rock. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382168" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/IMG_7139-scaled-crop-2341x1538-1643522886-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> For Airport, 2024’s <strong>Santana Reese</strong> tallied 11. She will get from one end of the floor to the other and is not afraid to fall to the ground if it means completing a play. Rebounding, shot-blocking and free throw shooting are other elements to her all-around game. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382170" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/IMG_7115-scaled-crop-2048x1345-1643522969-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="239025" first="Ja’sia" last="Booth"]</strong> (2025) and <strong>Naizja Redding</strong> (2022) each scored five points. <em><strong>Records</strong></em> The Bulldogs remain at the top of the Region 5-AA standings with a 12-2 record and via winning its first two region contests. The Eagles fall to 11-11 and while Airport is one of three teams in Region 5-AAAA with double-digit win totals (North Augusta and Aiken are the others), coach Chantel Amick’s squad has struggled in region play at 1-5. <em><strong>Up Next…</strong></em> Silver Bluff and Airport will both be at home on Tuesday for regional contests. The Bulldogs will host Pelion while the Eagles, with only two games left to play on its regular season schedule will host South Aiken.