Class 5A Poll

Another regular season in high school girls basketball across South Carolina is all but in the books – now teams and fans across the Palmetto State await their playoff fates. Prep Girls Hoops has been all over the state from the tip-off of the first games up to today – and will continue to do so throughout the postseason and through the state championship contests at USC-Aiken. Last season’s 5A state title game was a classic between Clover and Sumter and there is a good chance this year’s will be no less memorable. Without further adieu, here is our list of the top 10 teams in Class 5A. 1. Rock Hill (20-3) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-353697" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/09B2F12C-590A-4E4C-9DD7-FD235A7357C5-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Coach Kenny Orr’s Bearcats have not only defeated their competition this season – they have blown out much of their competition this year. Their only three losses in 2021-22 came in back-to-back-to-back games against the top three teams in the 3A ranks – Lower Richland, Camden and Keenan – all with well-sought after Division I caliber prospects. Rock Hill was one win shy of heading to Aiken last season before their season came a close via a 55-38 decision in the Upper State Finals at the hands of eventual state champion Clover. The Bearcats are teeming with talent. [player_tooltip player_id="267232" first="Alyssa" last="Hankerson"] has averaged 12.4 points and 1.9 steals a game. [player_tooltip player_id="231023" first="Laila" last="Hankerson"], her sister, is putting up 12 points a game in addition to her 3.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. [player_tooltip player_id="190145" first="Gracie" last="Wilson"] is scoring 11 points per game along with grabbing 1.7 steals per contest. [player_tooltip player_id="190143" first="Jada" last="Jones"], who committed to Dartmouth for track and field, has averaged 8.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 3.9 assists a game. [player_tooltip player_id="190144" first="Makayla" last="Street"], a Brevard College commit, is averaging 7.3 boards, 5.5 points and 1.7 steals a game. 2. Sumter (20-3) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-357522" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/1A507810-711D-4757-A02A-CD9FC47E0BD8.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> After coming so painfully close to 5A championship glory last season, coach Jeff Schaffer’s Gamecocks will be entering the state playoffs with an “unfinished business” mindset. With one game remaining on the slate for Sumter (on the road at Conway), the Gamecocks have a chance to finish a regular season with at least 20 victories for the third time in four years in the Schaffer era. Even scarier for the rest of the 5A landscape across the Palmetto State is the Gamecocks will only be graduating two seniors from this year’s flock. One of those is [player_tooltip player_id="171762" first="Alicia" last="Spann"], Sumter’s 6-foot-2 big who provides quite the presence for the Gamecocks in the low post. Sumter is also bolstered by a three-pronged sophomore attack at the point guard position in the forms of [player_tooltip player_id="195517" first="Keziyah" last="Sanders"], [player_tooltip player_id="171802" first="Kiara" last="Croskey"] and [player_tooltip player_id="190150" first="Rickell" last="Brown"]. 3. Cane Bay (20-3) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-381863" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/7A0F4998-062A-4503-8C43-FA72777AFC2A.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> It has not been common in recent seasons to put the Cobras as a 5A title threat. This season, under coach Ira Owens, has changed all of that. This season, Cane Bay has reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in school history (Cane Bay HS opened in 2008) and claimed the Region 7-AAAAA championship. And all three losses the Cobras have suffered this season (Marian Catholic (IL), Summerville, Bishop England) were two-point losses, meaning Cane Bay is a mere six points shy of an undefeated season. Game-planning for the Cobras means game-planning for the offensive onslaught of [player_tooltip player_id="185226" first="Alaina" last="Nettles"] who is averaging 17.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 3.4 assists per game. It also means being on the lookout for [player_tooltip player_id="185227" first="Jasmine" last="Jenkins"] and her 15.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 steals a contest. Lauren Thomas (2023) has done plenty of work crashing the boards – she has hauled in 8.2 rebounds per game along with 6.2 points. [player_tooltip player_id="171773" first="Tatum" last="Carr"] has 1.4 blocks a game along with 4.5 rebounds per contest. 4. Lexington (17-3) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-360949" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/AADA9CBB-326A-4631-8573-45AEB947708F.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> Coach Molly Goodrich’s Wildcats are a good team that has encountered a great deal of basketball riches in 2021-22. A number of Lexington’s victories this season have been at the expense of tough opponents – including a come-from-behind 41-40 victory over Westwood at the Redhawks-hosted Queens of the Castle tournament on December 4, a 41-38 victory over Summerville on December 10, a 49-46 win over Silver Bluff on January 7 and a 64-50 victory at Dutch Fork on January 20. The Wildcats closed out the season with a win over Dutch Fork to stake its claim to the Region 5-AAAAA championship. Francis Marion commit and co-captain [player_tooltip player_id="171766" first="Alexis" last="Sexton"] has averaged 16.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 steals for Lexington. The Wildcats’ big three also includes [player_tooltip player_id="171785" first="Lindsay" last="Garner"] and her 11.9 points and 8.2 rebounds a game. The third element to that big three is [player_tooltip player_id="171784" first="Jenna" last="Yanity"] who has dropped 12.1 points per game and has also averaged 3.0 assists in addition to 3.1 steals. 5. Summerville (15-7) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-357573" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/979C41BE-626F-4E49-A711-215A497AB1B9.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> For many a Green Wave opponent this season, it has felt more like winter rather than summer. Summerville has finished its road portion of the schedule with its two remaining games both on its home floor – vs. West Ashley and Ashley Ridge – two teams coach Calvin Davis’ Green Wave have already defeated on their respective home floors (45-40 over the Wildcats on January 18, 45-37 over the Swamp Foxes on February 3). <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-302148" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/06/C047701D-D8E8-4273-B376-57ED060B2462-scaled-crop-1920x1261-1624819734-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Pacing the Green Wave to that 14-7 mark this season has been senior [player_tooltip player_id="286194" first="Jasmine" last="Grant"] who is averaging just under a double-double at 11.1 points, 9.4 rebounds per game to go along with 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest. Summerville has a bright future with [player_tooltip player_id="324268" first="Jehmyah" last="Chisholm"] (2025) sporting Green Wave colors – 8.1 points and 1.8 steals per game. Speaking of seniors, [player_tooltip player_id="357554" first="Terranique" last="Polite"] has scored 7.4 points per game, hauled in 7.5 rebounds per matchup and collected 2.6 steals per contest. Another one, [player_tooltip player_id="359499" first="Ya’niah" last="Smith"], has dropped 7.5 points per game to compliment her 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per matchup. Antonia Brewer (2023) has scored 7.0 points and grabbed 5.3 rebounds per game. 6. Dorman (17-4) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-373984" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/C201331B-18C5-419F-B293-7A22CC44B202.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> The Cavaliers were in the spotlight late during last season’s playoffs – but not because of its team. Dorman’s basketball arena hosted the 1A Upper State Final between Southside Christian and High Point Academy (one that the Sabres won en route to the 1A title game with Military Magnet) and the Cavaliers themselves were bounced in the first round last season to eventual 5A champion Clover. Coach Valorie Whiteside hopes to change that this season for Dorman. A couple of seniors have been the focal points for the Cavaliers this season. One of those is [player_tooltip player_id="253845" first="Chamiah" last="Dominck"] – she has put up 17.3 points per game plus 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per contest. The other is [player_tooltip player_id="380235" first="Renasia" last="Jeter-McKissick"] who has played in 19 games and has 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.3 steals. Dasia Ferguson (2023) has averaged 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 steals a game. Dorman also poses a threat from 3-point range with [player_tooltip player_id="251760" first="Jenna" last="Cothran"] as well as Nevaeh West (2024) who can get the job done in the low post. 7. J.L. Mann (16-10) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-359249" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/DE49285E-C123-44AE-BB5B-9BCF6D08D627.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> The Patriots have come face to face with a great deal of success in the Lamont Wakefield era. Every season since he assumed the reins of the J.L. Mann program starting with the 2018-19 season, the team has posted double-digit win outputs every season. J.L. Mann has one game remaining on its 2020-21 regular season schedule when they travel on Friday to take on Mauldin to decide the Region 1-AAAAA championship. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-366454" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/94121929-7D9F-4CB1-A165-62434F831E73.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> [player_tooltip player_id="264985" first="Zakiyah" last="Moss"] is in her senior season with the Patriots. She has averaged 14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 steals a game. Speaking of seniors, [player_tooltip player_id="187987" first="Jakaiya" last="Mack"] is another that J.L. Mann opponents have had to game plan for all season long. She has scored 10.4 points a game along with grabbing 4.6 rebounds and accumulating five steals per matchup. Another one of the Patriots’ seniors, Rebecca Haddad (2022), has helped the team’s rebounding efforts, hauling 6.7 rebounds a game in addition to her 6.5 points and 1.8 steals she manages per contest. 8. Dutch Fork (17-5) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-361191" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/A2C3B435-AC62-437A-9FEB-7D63A360466D.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> Faye Norris, the current head coach at Dutch Fork, has accomplished plenty between her time with the Silver Foxes as well as North Augusta. She is a multi-time champion as Dutch Fork’s coach and is part of the SC Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Norris certainly believes that there is more to accomplish and seasons like what the Silver Foxes have had in 2021-22 are a testament to that. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-361194" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/E6716254-9863-4DA4-92DE-8A3F73DDD815.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> The Silver Foxes have a number of top-tier scorers on their team – meaning any one of them could lead in points. It could be [player_tooltip player_id="231024" first="Hillary" last="Offing"] who has posted 12 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals a game. It could also be [player_tooltip player_id="185724" first="Kori" last="Peterman"], who has dropped 8.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game. It could also be [player_tooltip player_id="356921" first="Kayce" last="Hyman"] (2024) and her 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.1 steals a game. It could also be [player_tooltip player_id="300971" first="Maia" last="Brown"] – 7.6 points, 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals per contest. How about [player_tooltip player_id="276128" first="Antoinet" last="Cheeseboro"] and her seven points and 2.8 steals she has averaged. 9. Mauldin (14-7) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-354365" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/EFA0ACE5-788B-4544-82BE-2AA196A48695-crop-1200x788-1637412916-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Nicole Hood was Mauldin’s coach back in the 2013-14 season. That was the last time the Mavericks embarked on a campaign that saw them win at least 14 games as they have done this season under first-year coach Angel McGowan. Mauldin has proven to be a team that has particularly been a tough out on its home floor this year as the Mavericks have gone 5-1 against opponents when at home. Mauldin faces a couple of tough tests at home to finish the season – February 8 vs. Woodmont and February 11 vs. J.L. Mann. [player_tooltip player_id="197344" first="Lauren" last="Wearbon"] is one of the primary scorers for the Mavericks. She has averaged 11.5 points per game and that is complimented by the defensive plays she makes. She also has averaged 1.9 steals a game. Youth has served Mauldin well – ask freshman [player_tooltip player_id="242932" first="Trinity" last="Jones"] who has scored 11.5 points a game, dished out 3.2 assists and compiled 2.9 steals. [player_tooltip player_id="185426" first="Delilah" last="Soltys"], another freshman has contributed 7.6 points and 2.5 steals a game to Mavericks causes in 2021-22. 10. Stratford (16-6) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-357570" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/4719077F-32FF-4D2F-AB6F-3FC0C32A966B.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> Cane Bay is not the only 5A squad in the Lowcountry whose 2021-22 has been a story of rags to riches. Coach Kelly McNeil’s Knights have won 16 games this season with one remaining on the schedule (at home vs. Goose Creek on Wednesday 9) that could push that number up. Stratford has won 16 games combined in its last five seasons. The Knights have been putting Region 7-AAAAA on notice all season long. [player_tooltip player_id="299566" first="Yasmine" last="Cook"] has played a major role in the Knights putting the rest of the 5A landscape on heavy notice. Cook has averaged 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Another important element to the winning formula for Stratford has been [player_tooltip player_id="175385" first="Kaleyia" last="Brown"] who has tallied 11.5 points per game in addition to 2.6 steals and assists each per contest. Ciara Mustapher (2025) has averaged 7.4 points and 1.2 steals per matchup.