Bishop England vs. Gray Collegiate: 2A Championship Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Four down and six to go.&nbsp;That will be the case when the first 2A championship tilt takes place. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The South Carolina High School League's (SCHSL) 2A girls and boys championships will be determined on Friday evening at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center following championship trophies being bestowed upon 4A and 3A girls and boys teams.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year's 2A girls championship would be decided between a Lowcountry team and a Midlands team - the War Eagles of Gray Collegiate and the Bishops from Bishop England.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If one were to look at a list of this year's top 2A girls teams, one would likely consistently see both Gray Collegiate and Bishop England on that list.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>Bishop England (19-11, 6-3)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":599034,"width":333,"height":218,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/IMG_1514-crop-3984x2616-1676536775.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-599034" width="333" height="218" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When looking at the Bishops' record, it may not be as eye-popping as plenty of the other teams that earned berths to play at USC-Aiken. But Paul Runey has had his team battle-tested as a number of Bishop England's defeats have come against tough outs such as Timberland and Oceanside Collegiate in addition to 5A area powers such as Stratford and Summerville.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bishop England was defeated last season by Camden in that year's Lower State Final. When the state championships first relocated from Colonial Life Arena to USC-Aiken during the COVID season of 2020-21, the Bishops suffered a 62-55 defeat at the hands of Keenan in that season's 3A final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Bishops' Road to Aiken:&nbsp;</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 15: 44-29 vs. Woodland</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 17: 50-37 vs. Lee Central</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 21: 53-30 vs. Timberland</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 24: 39-38 vs. Andrew Jackson (Lower State Final)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Key Players</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>The Bishops have been the beneficiary of many a contribution from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='206616' first='Isabella' last='Woods']</strong>, who had 12 points in Bishop England's come-from-behind win over Andrew Jackson in that Lower State Final. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Lissie Van de Erve</strong> has also been a noteworthy piece in the Bishops' trek to USC-Aiken. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Hadley Irvine</strong> has given Bishop England a rebounding boost as well as a scoring boost. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Madison Riley</strong> has also had big games for the Bishops this season. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>Gray Collegiate (21-6, 6-2)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":604222,"width":331,"height":216,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/IMG_3972-crop-3324x2183-1677269031.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-604222" width="331" height="216" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For much of the season, the War Eagles have consistently been among not only the top teams in 2A but one of the top three teams among this year's field. Gray Collegiate used to play its games at Allen University before opening up a brand new, plush basketball stadium on its campus at the start of the calendar year. Out of the team's six defeats – two were via a home-and-home with Keenan who was in the same region as the War Eagles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season's eventual 2A champion – Christ Church – dealt Gray Collegiate a postseason defeat in the third round of last year's 2A tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>War Eagles' Road to Aiken:</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 15: 83-21 vs. Greer Middle College</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 17: 88-27 vs. Mid-Carolina</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 21: 52-21 vs. Fairfield Central</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 24: 46-38 vs. Keenan</em> <em>(Upper State Final)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Key Players</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Unsigned senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='124108' first='Maliyiah' last='Mason']</strong> led the War Eagles with 13 points in the Upper State Final victory over Keenan. She is averaging 10.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals a game. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242933' first='Kadence' last='Walker-Lee']</strong>, a sophomore big, is also averaging 10.4 points to go along with 8.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='185424' first='Jordan' last='Mintz']</strong> is one of Gray Collegiate's backcourt stars as she is averaging 8.4 points and 1.6 steals. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='471892' first='Alyssa' last='Woodlock']</strong> is a potent 3-point threat. She is averaging 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='207409' first='Karlee' last='Phelps']</strong> previously was at White Knoll before joining the War Eagles two seasons ago. She has averaged 5.5 points in 22 games. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='401008' first='Diamond' last='Tatum']</strong> also is a backcourt beast. She is averaging 5.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals a game.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Storylines</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When looking at the sidelines, it is a case of old school vs. new school. For Bishop England, coach Paul Runey has spent virtually a half a century representing the Bishops' signature Kelly green as a coach and athletic director.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is also the first meeting between Bishop England and Gray Collegiate since the Midlands school opened in 2014.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, on the Gray Collegiate end of the ledger, Brandon Wallace – who once sported South Carolina garnet and black as a forward – is finishing his first season at the helm of the War Eagles' girls basketball program. Wallace was previously an assistant with the boys' team that has been one of the more successful 2A programs in recent seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gray Collegiate's athletic program has experienced a renaissance lately following several boys basketball state championships and a football championship in 2021. It also opened a new basketball arena that debuted this season.&nbsp;The War Eagles boys also made its 2A final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The arrival of the War Eagles to the state championship game is a watershed moment for [player_tooltip player_id='124108' first='Maliyiah' last='Mason'] who previously played at Irmo. Mason was sidelined for much of last season with an ACL injury.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->