Around the State: Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell County: 2024-25
In this article:
South Carolina may be a relatively small state when compared to its southeastern counterparts such as North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. But there is nothing small about the girls basketball talent within the state. Over the next several weeks,…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSouth Carolina may be a relatively small state when compared to its southeastern counterparts such as North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. But there is nothing small about the girls basketball talent within the state.
Over the next several weeks, Prep Girls Hoops will be going from geographic region to geographic region as we examine the top talents in every area of the Palmetto State in our county rankings.
We have unveiled our initial list of talents from the Allendale, Bamberg and Barnwell County area. We head back to the CSRA to get a glimpse of the 2024s and 2025s in the area.
We are starting off where we left off when ranking the seniors in the area – with a standout athlete who also has competed in a second sports. Mickell has excelled in the track and field realm in addition to basketball. Mickell particularly thrives in the low post where uses every bit of her 5-foot-10 frame to her advantage. She works for everything she gets – whether those are points or rebounds. Mickell is skilled at finding spacing and will turn offensive rebounds into two-point putbacks. She is also not afraid to be physical in the paint. Mickell ran on the grassroots circuit with H2Lowco which also participated in a few Triumph Region events on the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit.
Back to the Vikings which had three players make our 2023 list of the area. Walker was an integral element to the Denmark-Olar 2021-22 rendition that advanced to last year’s 1A championship game. Volleyball is her second sport. What she does as a rim attacker and how she can knock down midrange jumpers make her a versatile scorer. Part of that is the result of being a gifted ball handlers who knows how to take care of the rock even against a number of defenders. Walker knows how to find her way around those defenders and throws defenses off with her ability to distribute the ball.
Highlights
Coach Terence Jones’ Vikings will lose three star seniors following the 2022-23 season, but Denmark-Olar does not seem to be falling off the Palmetto State’s girls basketball map anytime soon. Between Walker and fellow sophomore Barnes, the Vikings are in good hands. Barnes’ career includes running on the grassroots circuit with SC Future. She adds a shooting dimension to the Denmark-Olar offense and can provide productive minutes if she comes into a game on the bench. Barnes consistently finds herself in the right places at the right times to make plays and can make accurate passes in the interior.
Johnson led Bamberg-Ehrhardt into the 1A playoffs where it advanced to the second round before the Red Raiders ran into the buzzsaw that was the Talaysia Cooper-led Wolverines of East Clarendon. Johnson averaged 11.6 points last season in the 16 games where she saw playing time. She is a combo guard who plays somewhat off the grid in an area of the state where 1As and 2As rule the roost. Her versatility comes into play as she can contribute productive minutes either in the wing position or in one of the two guard positions in the backcourt. Johnson last season led Bamberg-Ehrhardt to only its third double-digit winning season since 2009-10 – and its second in the last three seasons.