Class 4A Poll
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It is early February across South Carolina – and among the many things that means is the conclusion of another high school girls basketball season across the Palmetto State. Prep Girls Hoops has been crisscrossing the state from the tip…
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Continue ReadingIt is early February across South Carolina – and among the many things that means is the conclusion of another high school girls basketball season across the Palmetto State.
Prep Girls Hoops has been crisscrossing the state from the tip off of the first games to now and will continue to do so throughout this year’s postseason. The conclusion of last season saw a change at the top as the Westside Rams prevailed as state champions after four consecutive seasons of North Augusta being perched atop the state’s 4A mountain.
Without further adieu, here are our top 10 teams in Class 4A.
1. Westside (21-0)
When a team runs the table as coach Jackie Roberts’ Rams have, it is very difficult to not have them ranked as No. 1 – especially when they are the team to beat as defending champions. With one game remaining against a Pickens team that they already defeated 66-40 earlier in the season, it is very likely that the Rams will ride that undefeated streak into the playoffs. The Rams were tested early in the season by 2A Gray Collegiate (38-32 win) and later by Southside (42-40 win).
The focal point for the Rams, of course, is Destiny Middleton Destiny Middleton 5'9" | CG Westside | 2022 State SC (2022), who hopes to make it back-to-back state championships before she begins her collegiate career at Lander University. She has averaged 15.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game. Rams opponents also must game plan for Ahri Scott Ahri Scott 5'6" | SG Westside | 2024 State SC (2024) and her 10.1 points and 2.5 steals per game, Olivia Randolph Olivia Randolph 6'2" | PF Wren | 2024 State SC (2024) and her 7.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game and Aziyah Bell Aziyah Bell 5'5" | PG Westside | 2022 State SC (2022)’s 6.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 2.1 assists a game.
2. Catawba Ridge (19-2)
Catawba Ridge HS may be one of the newer schools across the state, but one would not know it by the success its girls basketball program has already encountered. With one game left on the Copperheads’ 2021-22 slate, coach Sheridan Pressley (in her first season) has her team one game shy of a 20-win campaign. Catawba Ridge’s only defeats this season have came to 5A’s Rock Hill and to in-region foe South Pointe. Greenville eliminated the Copperheads in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
Opponents looking to earn a win over the Copperheads need to figure out a way to contain Skyla Tuthill Skyla Tuthill 5'11" | SG Winston-Salem Christian National | 2025 State NC (2025). One of the state’s noteworthy freshmen who is already on the radars of Division I schools such as Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Charlotte, Appalachian State, Vanderbilt and Texas-Arlington, she is averaging 19.5 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. Makailah Davis Makailah Davis 5'6" | CG South Meck | 2025 NC (2025) (14.5 points, 4.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 3.2 steals) and Morgan Davis Morgan Davis 5'10" | PF Catawba Ridge | 2024 State SC (2024) (5.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 steals) have also put up stellar seasons for the Copperheads as has Tatum Postel Tatum Postel 5'11" | SF Catawba Ridge | 2023 State SC (2023) (10.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals per game).
3. North Augusta (16-2)
When a team fails to hoist another state championship trophy over its head after four consecutive seasons of doing so, it can lead a bad taste in one’s mouth. The Yellow Jackets were bounced from last season’s state playoffs by 4A runner-up North Myrtle Beach in the Lower State semifinals. Coach Al Young’s squad hopes his team will be competing for a state championship in a scenario that should see plenty of Yellow Jackets black and gold in the state at USC-Aiken given its proximity to North Augusta.
Peris Smith Peris Smith 6'2" | PF North Augusta | 2023 State SC (2023) was part of North Augusta’s championship-winning hives as an eighth grader and a freshman – and would love to be part of a third. The junior, who has picked up offers from Francis Marion, Claflin and Georgia Southwestern, has averaged a double-double at 15.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Zuri Goldsberry Zuri Goldsberry 5'6" | CG Greenbrier | 2023 State GA (2023), who herself gained an offer from Coppin State before the season began, has managed 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per contest. There is also Celena Grant Celena Grant 5'9" | SF North Augusta | 2026 State SC (2026) at 8.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game.
4. Westwood (16-6)
Out of the six losses the Redhawks suffered this season, three of those occurred on back-to-back-to-back days at the Queens of the Castle tournament it hosted. Two of those were to last season’s 5A runner-up Sumter and another was to an out-of-state team. Outside of that, Redhawks coach Gregory Bauldrick has set his team up to be one of the teams to beat in the latter portions of February and, if Westwood has its way, early March. Travelers Rest ousted Westwood from the playoffs in the first round last season.
Campbell, South Carolina State, UNCW, Appalachian State, Presbyterian College, Elon and Northeastern are schools that have offered Westwood’s star guard Jessica Woods Jessica Woods 5'7" | CG Westwood | 2023 State SC (2023), who is averaging 18.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. Then there is Korletta Daniels Korletta Daniels 5'8" | SF Westwood | 2023 State SC (2023) and her 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game. Mikiah Thompson Mikiah Thompson 5'4" | PG Westwood | 2024 SC (2024) has contributed 6.0 points and 1.5 steals per contest to Westwood’s cause. Destiny Omeire Destiny Omeire 5'7" | PF Westwood | 2025 State SC (2025) has hauled in 6.0 boards a game.
5. South Florence (16-2)
The Bruins’ season began with a winning streak – and the latter part of the 2021-22 campaign also featured another stretch of games in the win column. South Florence came out of the gate fast, winning its first eight matchups (including one in overtime on the road at North Myrtle Beach) before Lower Richland dealt the Bruins its first defeat. It is concluding with a five-game winning streak with one game to go – on the road at West Florence, who coach David Robinson’s bunch has already defeated this season.
Albany Wilson Albany Wilson 5'5" | SF South Florence | 2022 State SC (2022) is in her final high school season with the Bruins and has averaged 19.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 steals. Complimenting her is the 10.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 3.7 assists of Jazmyne Lyde Jazmyne Lyde 5'9" | SF South Florence | 2023 State SC (2023). Zayniah Snow Zayniah Snow 5'7" | PG South Florence | 2022 State SC (2022) and her 5.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals will also be graduating after this season. Krystal Baker Krystal Baker 5'10" | C South Florence | 2024 State SC (2024) has averaged five points per game.
6. Bluffton (18-1)
The Bobcats have not dropped a contest in region competition since the conclusion of the 2018-19 season when Bluffton dropped a 42-30 decision to Beaufort. That streak of 25 consecutive region victories will be put to the test on Tuesday when coach Lonnie Roberts’ Bobcats host James Island. Bluffton already earned an overtime victory over the Trojans at James Island.
Tacoya Heyward Tacoya Heyward 5'9" | SF Bluffton | 2024 State SC (2024) who also participates in track and field, has paced the Bobcats with 13.4 points per game. Add that to her 8.6 rebounds, 6.3 steals, 3.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest. Madison Washington Madison Washington 5'10" | PF Bluffton | 2024 State SC (2024) has averaged just under a double-double in both the scoring and rebounding categories with 9.6 points and 9.7 boards a game. Katie Rodney Katie Rodney 5'2" | PG Bluffton | 2024 State SC (2024) has contributed 8.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game to Bluffton efforts.
7. Aiken (18-6)
How is the distance of eight minutes relevant to the Green Hornets? Aiken HS is only an eight-minute drive from the USC-Aiken Convocation Center, where this season’s girls and boys state championship games will once again be staged. Coach Aubrey Pompey’s veteran-based Aiken team suffered an unceremonious first-round exit from the postseason last season via a 34-20 defeat to Darlington.
Norriyah Bradley Norriyah Bradley 5'8" | CG Aiken | 2024 State SC (2024) has led the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game. She also is averaging 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 steals. Jazmin McCollough Jazmin McCollough 5'8" | PF Aiken | 2022 State SC (2022) is putting up 10.6 points, dishing out 3.9 assists and getting 3.2 steals a contest. Quantashia Davis Quantashia Davis 6'0" | PF Aiken | 2022 State SC (2022) has 9.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 2.2 steals. Te’asia Hair (2022) has put up 9.2 points per game and hauled in 7.4 rebounds per matchup along with averaging 1.8 steals.
8. South Pointe (14-7)
For much of the season, South Pointe has been on point – and coach Stephanie Butler-Graham hopes that is a trend that continues through the latter portions of February and into early March. The Stallions did recently pick up a signature win in late January when they managed a 76-65 victory over Catawba Ridge. South Pointe, winners of six straight, has one game remaining – a region matchup at York.
Victoria Morris Victoria Morris 5'9" | SF South Pointe | 2024 State SC (2024) has led the charge for the Stallions with her 11.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest. A preseason SCBCA 4A senior selection, Najah Lane Najah Lane 5'6" | PG South Pointe | 2022 State SC (2022) has got it done as a scorer (9.5 points per game), distributor (3.4 assists per game) and on defense (4.4 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game). Zaria Bell Zaria Bell 6'3" | C South Pointe | 2023 State SC (2023) has been in situations where she has come off the bench for the Stallions. She has averaged 9.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and one block per game for South Pointe.
9. North Myrtle Beach (16-5)
Our 3A and 4A rankings are following a similar theme – that the class runner-up from the previous season is ending up in the ninth spot on the Prep Girls Hoops list. Regular season action has concluded for the Chiefs and coach Brooke Smith’s bunch will roll into the postseason having won its last nine games – including one on the road at South Florence by a final of 54-48.
Among the players to continue to watch out for when seeing North Myrtle Beach is Adaiah Vereen Adaiah Vereen 5'8" | SG North Myrtle Beach | 2022 State SC (2022) in her final season as a high schooler. There is also Riley Vincent Riley Vincent 5'5" | SG North Myrtle Beach | 2023 State SC (2023) who, like Vereen, is a mainstay as part of the Chiefs’ backcourt. Faith Farmer Faith Farmer 5'7" | SG North Myrtle Beach | 2025 State SC (2025) is listed at 5-foot-7 and is another important element to North Myrtle Beach’s backcourt. The team has Destinee Vereen Destinee Vereen 5'7" | PF North Myrtle Beach | 2025 SC (2025) in its frontcourt.
10. A.C. Flora (15-8)
Following a disappointing 2020-21, the fortunes have certainly been turned around at A.C. Flora HS under first-year coach Jacob Thompson, who previously was at the helm of another 4A Midlands school in Airport HS. If the Falcons prove victorious in its final game of the regular season (vs. Lugoff-Elgin HS), the team will finish with 16 wins for the first time since 2013-14 – two seasons before A.C. Flora left the 3A ranks for those of 4A.
Terriana Gray Terriana Gray 5'9" | SF A.C. Flora | 2024 State SC (2024) has led the way with 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals a game. Jasmine Frierson Jasmine Frierson 5'6" | CG Hartsville | 2024 State SC (2024) has added 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.8 assists per contest. As for Jaclyn Wright-Thompson (2023), her 2021-22 has seen her average 7.2 points per game along with 4.6 boards and 1.5 steals when she takes the court.