Around the State: Spartanburg and Laurens County Sophomores
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Two things among many are upon us – the start of the 2022-23 high school basketball season and the end of our virtual offseason journey through South Carolina. But almost does not count and there are still noteworthy names across…
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Continue ReadingTwo things among many are upon us – the start of the 2022-23 high school basketball season and the end of our virtual offseason journey through South Carolina. But almost does not count and there are still noteworthy names across our state that deserve their recognition.
Throughout the last month or so, Prep Girls Hoops has gone from geographical region to geographical region through our county-by-county rankings. With the season upon us, what better time than now to put a deserved spotlight on each area’s best and brightest.
We have mentioned the top seniors and juniors in Spartanburg and Laurens counties. Next on our list is the 2025 class.
5A Byrnes saw two of its key players from last season – Savannah Porterfield and Emma Messer – graduate. This opens a strong possibility for Dowling in the coming seasons to establish herself as the leader of the Rebels for the next few seasons. Dowling participated in the grassroots realm with FBC Carolina Elite Sykes. She will sink her jump shots from 3-point range and sets herself up on a consistent basis to take said shots. She also stays active on the court even when the ball is not in her hands. Defensively, she stays active with those hands and can change directions when she does have the ball.
The girls basketball program of the 3A Panthers looks to be in good hands over the next few seasons as long as Wilder sports Chapman’s signature navy blue and orange wear. Wilder defined what a breakout freshman season was last season. In 26 matchups in 2021-22, she averaged 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.4 steals per contest. Wilder possesses pinpoint accuracy from behind the 3-point arc and will get out in transition with a great deal of speed. Defensively, she can use her length to disrupt passes and clog an opposing team’s passing lanes. Expect to see a jump in Wilder’s college recruitment in the coming seasons.
Highlights
Karla is the younger of the two sisters Bracebridge – and both, of course, suit up in Grizzlies red, white and navy blue. High Point Academy fans will have one more season of the dual sister act before big sis graduates, but Karla will still be around for a few more seasons. She is effective as a screen setter and will do plenty of work on the boards. If she hauls in a rebound off the offensive glass, she is likely to turn that board into a two-point putback. Bracebridge brings versatility as she fuses together an ability to make plays in the low post with shooting ability.
Sadie is the younger of the two sisters Burnette that wear the maroon and gold colors of the 3A Wolverines throughout the high school season and the uniform of Upward Stars Upstate throughout the AAU spring and summer. Burnette understands how to organize an offense in a halfcourt set, delivers impressive ball handling skills and is willing to try her hand at the 3-point shot. She puts in plenty of work to find open spaces to receive the ball and is a hard worker on both ends of the floor. Getting to the free throw line and making plays near the basket are two other hallmarks to Burnette’s game.
Kam arrived. Kam saw. Kam balled out to put forth a stellar freshman season at 5A Spartanburg. Sainvil competed in 22 contests for the Vikings last season. She plays aggressive from start to finish and has a fearless mindset to want to attack the rim. The 3-point shot happens to be one of Sainvil’s calling cards and defenses can be thrown for a loop when she does attack as they are unsure as to if she will attack the rim or pass to an open teammate. The heads-up mentality she approaches defense with enables her to come away with steals and go the other way with the ball.
Young’s Raiders will begin its third season as a 4A school since its SCHSL classification was dropped from 5A following the 2019-20 campaign. She can manage good minutes in the frontcourt at either the four or the five. In the 19 games she played last season with Lauren, she proved through her scoring and rebounding that she is a double-double possibility on a game-by-game basis, averaging 8.7 points and 8.8 rebounds. Young is also an asset on defense as a shot blocker, as shown by the 1.4 rejections she averaged for the Raiders in 2021-22. Young is poised to build on her breakout freshman season at Laurens.