Military Magnet vs. Denmark-Olar: 1A Championship Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If Military Magnet had its way, the state championships would be held permanently at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pacers' stable has been extremely friendly to the Eagles the past couple of seasons by virtue of 1A state crown triumphs over Southside Christian to cap off the 2020-21 COVID season and last season against the Vikings from Denmark-Olar.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 2022-23, Denmark-Olar has invoked its rematch clause – and Military Magnet has accepted the challenge.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Championship Saturday at USC-Aiken will see four more teams crowned as champions after hardware was bestowed upon 4A, 3A and 2A teams the previous pair of days. The two teams that will vie for the 1A state crown have consistently been among the teams to beat in the single-A ranks.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>Military Magnet (24-6, 14-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":549426,"width":322,"height":210,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/IMG_0902-2-scaled-crop-2376x1560-1668630631.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-549426" width="322" height="210" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coach Nathaniel Taylor has done it again with his Eagles bunch. Military Magnet is in the throes of a 12-game winning streak and went a perfect 14 out of 14 in Region 8-A which has seven other teams. The Eagles played a tough schedule out of the gate – and began the 2022-23 campaign at 1-3. Since then, Military Magnet has only lost to one team from the Palmetto State since – 3A Lower Richland on Jan. 14 at this year's MLK Bash.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Eagles' Road to Aiken:</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 15: 107-23 vs. East Clarendon</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 17: 79-27 vs. Latta</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 22: 88-23 vs. Allendale-Fairfax</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 25: 60-46 vs. Lake View</em> <em>(Lower State Final)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Key Players</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>A number of Eagles standouts could be the leading point-getter on any given game. These include <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='171795' first='Kaelin' last='Davis']</strong> who has played all 30 games for Military Magnet. She is averaging 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, five steals and 3.5 assists.</em> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Sophomore up-and-comer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='196266' first='Dream' last='Watson']</strong> has seen the court on 27 occasions this season averaging 13.8 points, 6.4 steals, 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172055' first='Chazmin' last='Bradley']</strong>, another 2023, has played in all 30 games for the Eagles having averaged 11.7 points, 3.7 steals and 3.2 rebounds this season. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='252502' first='Sabri' last='Mitchell']</strong> has averaged 11 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals in the 26 games she has worn Military Magnet's uniform this season. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='124112' first='Rykia' last='Jakes']</strong>, another senior, is averaging 9.5 points and 2.1 steals in 2022-23. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>As for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='556313' first='Jataya' last='Brown']</strong>, she has played in all 30 games averaging 7.1 points, 4.4 steals and 3.4 rebounds this season. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='366548' first='DeJamari' last='Pugh']</strong> has also played in all 30 games while averaging 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals this season.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>Denmark-Olar (27-2, 14-0)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":569754,"width":319,"height":208,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/12/IMG_4178-crop-3791x2490-1671609421.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-569754" width="319" height="208" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coach Terrence Jones (79-30 career record) is looking to give his three star seniors the best sendoff one can give a high school athlete – a state championship. The Vikings' winning streak heading into Saturday's clash at USC-Aiken (27) is actually longer than that of Camden, albeit less ballyhooed. Denmark-Olar started the season with a pair of losses at the She Got Next Classic at White Knoll to Dutch Fork and Timberland and have not dropped a game since.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Vikings' Road to Aiken:&nbsp;</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 15: 41-26 vs. Southside Christian</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 17: 85-32 vs. McCormick&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 22: 80-26 vs. McBee</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Feb. 25: 52-38 vs. St. Joseph's Catholic (Upper State Final)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Key Players</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='175346' first='Dy'Neka' last='Roberts']</strong> has taken to the court in 25 games this season. She has averaged 15.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.2 steals per game. Her career total is 1,085.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='175345' first='Aveion' last='Walker']</strong> is completing her sophomore campaign with the Vikings. She has averaged 14.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 steals per contest. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='175347' first='Aijalon' last='Wroten']</strong> will sport the Vikings blue and gold colors one final time at USC-Aiken as she is a senior. She has averaged 10.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game. Her career total is 1,032.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='335677' first='TaKenya' last='James']</strong> is the third of Denmark-Olar's noteworthy seniors. She has averaged 9.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>As for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='252503' first='Ry'Naisha' last='Barnes']</strong>, the sophomore has averaged 8.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game in 25 matchups.&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Storylines</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The obvious storyline is the fact that this year's Military Magnet vs. Denmark-Olar get-together is a rematch of last year's 1A state championship contest on the same court. The Vikings are in search of a different result than was the case last season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition, the Eagles are also looking to win the 1A state title for the third consecutive season. With the team graduating five seniors, coach Nathaniel Taylor hopes to give those five 2023s a fitting sendoff.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->