Lexington Play Day: Backcourt Beasts (Part 3)

With June changing to July on our Gregorian calendars, half of the year 2025 is in the books. It will also mean that many of the state and nation's top talents will soon trade in high school practice uniforms for the home stretch of the travel schedule.    Here in South Carolina, a few of those teams decided to take part in one final June event before the club slate resumes. Lexington hosted a play day event at Pleasant Hill MS with eight teams from higher classifications taking part.    We at Prep Girls Hoops made the trek to the home of the Pleasant Hill Cougars for the day's festivities. Here is one more article putting a spotlight on the superb guard play that took place that Thursday.    One had to believe offers would roll for the Oliver twins of Greenwood – last season's 5A Division 2 Upper State champions. Denmark Tech has both of them on its radar. Defensively, Oliver will help out on double teams and can match an opposing ball carrier step for step and move for move. She also knows how to connect from either long range or midrange. Point guard is where Oliver primarily operates from. Her speed and court vision are massive lifts to a team making transition plays and she understands when to distribute the ball and when to score. As last season's 5A Division 2 runners-up, unfinished business will be a mantra for the Eagles this coming season.     Where her twin sister Cameron is more of a pure point guard, Oliver thrives more at the two – and her accuracy from behind the arc certainly is a trait indicative of two guards. She too was offered by Denmark Tech. Defensively, Oliver can also be a task for opposing ball handlers to dribble around. In addition, she maintains active hands on defense which can clog up an opposing team's passing lanes. She can also get creative and crafty at times with how she moves with the ball in her hand. Oliver is fresh off a season where she averaged 21.5 points, five steals, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest.     Departures from 4A Emerald turned out to be gains for 5A Division 2 Greenwood over the offseason. Williams established a rising profile with the Vikings and is now bringing her skillset to an Eagles team in search of the big prize in 5A Division 2 play. Williams possesses superb ball handling skills and those can come in handy when looking to dribble out of precarious spots posed by a defense. Her fearlessness particularly displays itself when attacking the rim and she has no problems drawing contact and getting to the free throw line. Williams has played at the varsity level since she was a seventh grader. If the 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.1 steals is an indication of what she will bring to the table for the Eagles in 2025-26, look out rest of the 5A Division 2 field.     Rogers is displaying indications that her game will only improve as she gains more experience playing at the high school level. She is entering her sophomore season with 5A Division 2 Westwood. She stands at 5-foot-10 and can find plenty of minutes as a wing player since she can effectively play at the two or at the three. Rogers can connect on tough shots and has no problems drawing contact to get to the free throw line. Perimeter defense is another element to her game. She can make her attempts from midrange or from long range. Rogers is showing signs of a big season in 2025-26 for the Redhawks.     We know the story at this point with Evans – a talented freshman who already has plenty of Division I offers to ponder. Her ability to attack the basket can leave defenses guessing for many reasons. One of those reasons is how that can open things up for a teammate to make a play. Evans also displays impressive ball handling capabilities and understands when to pass and when to score. She is also unafraid of falling to the floor to complete a play, displaying a level of toughness not always seen in prospects as young as she is. A talent who also plays soccer, she averaged 14 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals a contest last season for one of the premier squads in the Palmetto State in 5A Division 1 Byrnes.     Silver stands at 5-foot-7 and primarily operates as a two guard in the backcourt. During the spring and summer months, she trades in her red, white and blue threads of 5A Division 1 Byrnes for those of [program_tooltip program_id='713005' first='Upward' last='Stars']. As a two guard, teams have to particularly pay attention to when she has the ball behind the 3-point line. She is likely to attempt – and connect on – said attempt from deep. She also will draw plenty of contact that can place her at the free throw line. Silver is an effective floor runner who finds herself at the right places at the right times to complete plays – including via attacking the basket.

With June changing to July on our Gregorian calendars, half of the year 2025 is in the books. It will also mean that many of the state and nation's top talents will soon trade in high school practice uniforms for the home stretch of the travel schedule.