Lexington Play Day: Backcourt Beasts (Part 2)

We have changed the month on our Gregorian calendars from June to July. Which means the basketball calendar is on the precipice of changing from high school camp month and back to the travel schedule.    Prior to that taking place, a few teams were on hand at Pleasant Hill MS near Lexington for a one-day play. Eight teams were on hand – seven from the SCHSL ranks and one from the SCISA realm.    We at Prep Girls Hoops were also on hand for the day's festivities. We began our post-event analysis by examining a few of the point and shooting guards that turned in impressive performances. Without further ado, here is part two.     Wallace is one of those many prospects that has only improved with experience from her early days at 3A Woodruff. An integral element of the nucleus at 5A Division 1 Dorman, she understands the art of delivering strong finishes at the rim. It also helps that she has plenty of speed, quickness and court vision as well. Wallace plays with a high basketball IQ and can be in the right places at the right times to make the correct plays. We have chronicled the bulk of her career here at Prep Girls Hoops and it is hard to believe she will be entering her senior campaign with the Cavaliers when we tip off in November.     It can be easy for many an onlooker to look at a five-foot guard such as Moore and think “undersized.” Forget the size – analyze the talent and Moore has plenty of it for 5A Division 1 Dorman. An efficient scorer and passer, she averaged 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in 2024-25 for the Cavaliers. Moore knows how to take care of the ball and is difficult to keep in check when she fuses together speed with ball handling – which she does seamlessly. Delivering strong finishes at the rim and getting to the free throw line are two other elements to her well-developed skillset.     Look up the definition of “playmaker” in the dictionary and one ought to find this veteran guard 5A J.L. Mann. McKinney was a key reason why last season's Patriots were Upper State finals participants and they will certainly have bigger ambitions for this season. She is one opponents have to watch out for anytime she is on the court, but is even more difficult to keep honest when she has the hot hand. McKinney is confident in her ability to make things happen either in the long range, the midrange and when she attacks the rim. McKinney averaged 11 points and 3.9 steals for the Patriots last season.     Hailstock had one of the signature freshman seasons across South Carolina two years ago and followed it up with a sophomore effort where she averaged 15.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists for a J.L. Mann team that qualified for an Upper State championship contest for the second consecutive season. Listed at 5-foot-4, she wears the uniform of Adidas team [program_tooltip program_id='1231019' first='Upward' last='Stars 3SSB'] on the grassroots circuit. Connecting on her attempts from the midrange is part of the nucleus to her game in addition to skilled ball handling. Opposing teams must also watch out for Hailstock from behind the 3-point line and she can come away with steals on defense.     It always rings true – whenever one is playing varsity-level basketball as a seventh grader, that means said youngster is doing plenty of things correct on the court. Gipson will be a name that will have Palmetto State hoops aficionados talking for quite sometime. She is already displaying leadership qualities for someone as young as she is. An efficient floor runner who gives plenty of hustle on defense. Gipson fuses the ball handling skills of a traditional point guard with the shooting ability of a two. She worked her way up from junior varsity status and is already displaying she is ready for the bright lights of varsity life.

We have changed the month on our Gregorian calendars from June to July. Which means the basketball calendar is on the precipice of changing from high school camp month and back to the travel schedule.