Westwood vs. North Augusta: 4A Championship Preview

This season's 10-game card for the South Carolina High School League's (SCHSL) state championships at USC-Aiken's Convocation Center will begin late Thursday afternoon with the 4A girls final. As opposed to last season when the 4A championship games were the last on the schedule, 4A is up first this time.   That championship tilt will feature a Midlands team in Westwood as well as a team from just up the road from the Pacers' stable - North Augusta.    Both teams were predicted to be contenders once the season tipped off in November and both the Redhawks and Yellow Jackets have indeed lived up to those expectations.    Westwood (26-4, 10-0)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/AE77FD84-1D5C-4CFB-B1A3-FA65936C69D5-scaled.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-551506" width="303" height="227" /></figure>   The Redhawks will enter Aiken in the throes of an 11 game win streak. Westwood has only dropped one matchup against a South Carolina team in 2022-23 when they fell to another Midlands team in Keenan on Jan. 14. Coach Gregory Bauldrick has delivered Westwood its first championship appearance since the school opened in 2012 – in any sport.   Westwood was eliminated by eventual 4A champion Westside in the third round of last season's playoffs.   Redhawks' Road to Aiken:   Feb. 16 – 59-28 vs. West Florence   Feb. 18 – 68-38 vs. Hartsville   Feb. 21 – 62-34 vs. James Island   Feb. 24 – 52-37 vs. A.C. Flora (Lower State Final)   Key Players   Westwood brings a veteran-laden bunch to USC-Aiken and that squad is spearheaded by [player_tooltip player_id='124105' first='Jessica' last='Woods'] who has averaged 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game.   Another 2023 in [player_tooltip player_id='198126' first='Korletta' last='Daniels'] has averaged 10.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='198125' first='Makiah' last='Thompson'] is a junior who has averaged 9.2 points and 3.1 assists per game.   [player_tooltip player_id='185432' first='Raven' last='Johnson'] has averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per matchup.   [player_tooltip player_id='356925' first='Destiny' last='Omeire'] is another of the team's important players averaging 4.8 rebounds per game.    North Augusta (25-3, 8-0)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/IMG_0973-2-scaled-crop-2252x1479-1668632368.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-549473" width="329" height="215" /></figure>   In the Palmetto State's high school girls hoops landscape, few teams are more revered than coach Al Young's Yellow Jackets assemblings. North Augusta has won six consecutive games and its only losses came against a 2A juggernaut in Keenan, a 3A juggernaut in Camden and a 4A juggernaut in South Pointe.   USC-Aiken delivered heartbreak to the Yellow Jackets last season as they were defeated by Westside in last season's 4A final that went to overtime.   Yellow Jackets' Road to Aiken:   Feb. 16 – 47-28 vs. Westside   Feb. 18 – 53-50 vs. South Pointe   Feb. 21 – 49-25 vs. Pickens   Feb. 24 – 58-50 vs. Wade Hampton (Upper State Final)   Key Players   [player_tooltip player_id='350281' first='Celena' last='Grant'] represents the future of North Augusta's program. The star freshman who has already been offered by South Carolina has averaged 12.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 21 games.   Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='558750' first='Jadah' last='O'Bryant'] has played in 27 games this season. She has averaged 8.9 points and 2.5 steals per contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='172178' first='Peris' last='Smith'] has averaged 8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals in the 15 games she has played in (she was unavailable earlier in the season because of injury).   [player_tooltip player_id='558751' first='Ansley' last='Gartrell'] has averaged 7.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and three steals per game.   [player_tooltip player_id='577618' first='Kenedi' last='Wright'] is another freshman and she has averaged 7.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and two steals per game.   [player_tooltip player_id='444371' first='Ashley' last='Walker'] is averaging 7.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest.   Last Meeting   Westwood and North Augusta last exchanged pleasantries in Jan. 2020 at that season's MLK Bash at Eau Claire HS. The Redhawks got the better of the Yellow Jackets in that neutral site matchup by a final score of 61-59.    Storylines   North Augusta's [player_tooltip player_id='172178' first='Peris' last='Smith'] is looking to bookend her career with a state championship. The Yellow Jackets won the 4A crown in Smith's first season as an eighth grader.    The Yellow Jackets are also looking to reclaim the 4A crown for the first time since the 2019-20 season when it won a fourth consecutive state title.    Interestingly enough Smith and Westwood's [player_tooltip player_id='124105' first='Jessica' last='Woods'] may be on opposite benches at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center but both will be teammates at the college level. Woods and Smith are both commits to Division I Campbell.    When and Where?   Thursday, Mar. 2 at 5 p.m. at USC-Aiken Convocation Center

This season's 10-game card for the South Carolina High School League's (SCHSL) state championships at USC-Aiken's Convocation Center will begin late Thursday afternoon with the 4A girls final. As opposed to last season when the 4A championship games were the last on the schedule, 4A is up first this time.