Class 1A Newcomers

Use code “bailum30” for 30% off the first purchase of any subscription!   Throughout the last several days, Prep Girls Hoops has introduced in-depth articles that put a spotlight on reclassification and how it has drastically shifted the high school landscape across South Carolina.    We looked at teams that will be joining the other four classifications. To wrap things up, we are placing a lens on new teams that will be part of 1A.    The number of new schools that will be part of 1A is not as large as those that are in higher classifications, but it too was impacted by realignment. Without further ado, here is a look at the new 1A teams.    Lee Central (19-6, 5-3)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/06/E23B8E64-A7A4-4C60-AEF6-3ABF90C1EDD7.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-675512" style="width:621px;height:auto" /></figure>   During the Patrice Holmes era at Lee Central the team has encountered a significant amount of winning.    The Stallions got into the win column on 19 occasions in 2023-24 and consistently proved themselves as a formidable foe in the 2A ranks.   Lee Central's tenure as a 2A school (for now) concluded in last season's state tournament – the second round to be exact when the Stallions ran into a Woodland team that was in the throes of a hot streak.    What awaits Lee Central in Region 2-A is C.A. Johnson, Governor's School for Science and Math, Great Falls, Lamar, Lewisville, McBee, Riverwalk and Midlands STEM. One can guess the top teams in this region will be the Stallions along with the Lions of Lewisville and the Panthers of McBee.    The Stallions' leading scorer from last season is returning – that would be [player_tooltip player_id='370269' first='Mykeriyah' last='Holmes']. The junior big for Lee Central averaged 9.4 points and 7.4 rebounds along with 1.6 steals and just under a block per game. Another one of the returning players is senior [player_tooltip player_id='370642' first='Ke'myra' last='Dennis']. In 23 games last season, she averaged 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 steals a contest. Another one of Lee Central's featured players is [player_tooltip player_id='370271' first='Ja'niya' last='Slater'] who is entering her senior season and is an anchor of the Stallions' backcourt.   Abbeville (0-9, 0-7)   Coach Julius Crawford's Panthers had a season to forget in 2023-24. In fact, it was the COVID year of 2020-21 when Abbeville last put together a winning season.    In fairness to Abbeville, they were in one of the tougher regions in South Carolina. Being in a region with the likes of Saluda, Mid-Carolina and Ninety Six will give plenty of teams their fair share of problems.    As Abbeville moves from 2A to 1A, it will be in a larger region with new rivals. Those include Calhoun Falls Charter, Dixie, GREEN Upstate, McCormick, SC School for the Deaf and Blind, Thornwell, Ware Shoals and Whitmire.    GREEN Upstate (0-10)   GREEN Upstate is under the umbrella of GREEN Charter Schools that opened in 2013.    It operates a number of schools across South Carolina – three of which are based in the Upstate.    The school's mascot is the Owls. It was announced in March of last calendar year that GREEN Upstate would be joining the SCHSL. That prompted a litany of intrigue as to where they would be within the league.    That answer was unveiled with this round of realignment as GREEN Upstate would begin its SCHSL athletic life within 1A. It was placed in a region with Abbeville, Calhoun Falls Charter, Dixie, McCormick, SC School for the Deaf and Blind, Thornwell, Ware Shoals and Whitmire.    Midlands STEM    Midlands STEM will begin its SCHSL life as a Region 2-A school.    Its mascot will be the Mavericks and, according to its website, the athletic department has hired Chuck Palmer as the head coach of its girls basketball team. The school's location is Winnsboro – the same locale where 2A Fairfield Central and SCISA 1A Richard Winn are located.    In addition, it appears its school colors are blue and red.    It will be in an Upper State region that will include the likes of C.A. Johnson, Governor's School for Science and Math, Great Falls, Lamar, Lee Central, Lewisville, McBee and Riverwalk.    Horse Creek (3-15)   Here is another team that will soon embark on a new journey as a SCHSL school in the 1A realm.    Horse Creek was successful in three of its contests last season. All three of the team's wins came against South Carolina opponents. They were Wagener-Salley, Wardlaw Academy and Batesburg-Leesville.    Prior to that season, the Stallions had a two-win campaign in 2022-23 with both victories coming at the expense of another CSRA school in SCISA's Mead Hall.    With the Stallions now in the league, it will be in Region 3-A – an Upper State region. The teams that will also occupy said region include Blackville-Hilda, Calhoun County, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, North, Ridge Spring-Monetta, Wagener-Salley and Williston-Elko.    Ridgeland & Hardeeville (8-11, 4-4 as a combined school)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_7847-crop-2549x1674-1705237503.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-838013" style="width:532px;height:auto" /></figure>   Last season was the final one of the combined Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School.    That 2023-24 rendition staged its home games at the Ridgeland campus and had the Jaguars as its mascot. It was only a few years ago when the combined Ridgeland-Hardeeville was a 3A school.    The Jaguars did qualify for the postseason in a Region 6-AA that was ultimately won by Woodland. Ridgeland-Hardeeville's team, which featured [player_tooltip player_id='843524' first='Jaden' last='Exley'] as its primary standout, was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by Chesterfield. Exley averaged 17.8 points and 2.8 steals last season.    Ridgeland and Hardeeville will each participate in Region 4-A – a Lower State region. Ridgeland will still have its mascot as the Jaguars while the green and orange Hardeeville Hurricanes will also be part of the high school sports landscape. The region will also include Allendale-Fairfax, Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Denmark-Olar, Polaris Tech (which only offers middle school basketball for the time being) and Royal Live Oaks.

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