Region 5-A Preview

For four of the previous five seasons, the road to the 1A state championship has gone through one of the teams that comprise Region 5-A.    That was proven again this past March. The AAU and showcase schedules are on the verge of giving way to another several months of the high school schedule taking center stage.    Region 5-A is one of the larger regions in South Carolina with a grand total of 10 teams in said region. We began our look at the 1A Lower State realm by looking at Region 4-A and continue examining said realm by moving on to Region 5-A.    Military Magnet    (2024-25 Record: 26-5, 8-0)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/12/eZy-Watermark_30-12-2024_07-40-00-4670PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1123441" style="width:526px;height:auto" /></figure>   After being shockingly ousted by Lake View in the 2023-24 1A Lower State final, order was restored in the 1A ranks when coach Nathaniel Taylor's Eagles prevailed over Lee Central to win its fourth state championship in five years.    That team did graduate five seniors – including names that were part of the nucleus of that team. A crop of new names are rising through the ranks and look to keep the Eagles in the 1A contenders' conversation.    Military Magnet was announced as one of the teams that will begin its season at the She Got Next Thanksgiving Tournament in late November. The Eagles will be in a bracket with 4A Gray Collegiate, 5A Division 1 River Bluff and 5A Division 2 Greenwood.    Key Players:   [player_tooltip player_id='366551' first='DaNariyah' last='Williams'] was the second-leading scorer on last season's Military Magnet team. She sported the Eagles uniform on 29 occasions last season and averaged 11.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.7 steals a contest.    One of those young up-and-coming names for the Eagles [player_tooltip player_id='668040' first='Lauren' last='Willis'], a six-foot freshman forward who competed in 26 games last season as an eighth grader. Willis averaged 9.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals last season.    Another of those intriguing young names is [player_tooltip player_id='926321' first='Mariah' last='Brown'] who displayed exactly why she is on the 2030 Watch List. Brown averaged 7.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals in 2024-25 for Military Magnet.    [player_tooltip player_id='1123459' first='Deaury' last='Smith'] is another intriguing 2030 name for the Eagles. Smith primarily plays as a guard and stands at 5-foot-2. She played in 26 games last season and averaged five points and 2.5 steals.   Scott's Branch    (2024-25 Record: 13-10, 6-2)    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/10/IMG_0197.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1048038" style="width:492px;height:auto" /></figure>   Speaking of Eagles, those of Scott's Branch were treading water through its non-region schedule. Playing its best basketball through its region slate was what enabled the Eagles to earn a second-place finish in its region.    Scott's Branch last season prevailed in the first round of the 1A state tournament over defending champion Lake View before its season concluded at the hands of Carvers Bay.    Coach Lucinda Stukes' team did graduate four seniors from last season's Eagles bunch. The 2024-25 version of Scott's Branch was the first time the team put together a double-digit winning season since 2019-20.    Key Players:   One of the premier 2030s in the state proudly sports Scott's Branch blue and gold. That eighth grader is [player_tooltip player_id='1047745' first='Trayiona' last='Maxfield'] who was the Eagles' leading scorer and second-leading rebounder as a seventh grader. Maxfield averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds plus 2.5 steals as she played all 23 contests last season for Scott's Branch.    Teams looking to earn victories over Scott's Branch also have to look out for Zamaria Lowery who is advancing into her junior campaign with the Eagles. Lowery averaged 5.9 rebounds per game in 2024-25 to lead the team in that category.   Saniya House also gives the Eagles plenty of height as she is listed at 5-foot-10. House is beginning her senior season after playing in 22 contests in 2024-25 for Scott's Branch. She averaged 4.6 rebounds per game.   Bethune-Bowman   (2024-25 Record: 10-13, 6-2)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_7806.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-838003" style="width:524px;height:auto" /></figure>   There appears to be a basketball revival happening at Bethune-Bowman. After the 16-9 season the Mohawks put together in 2023-24, Bethune-Bowman once again reached a double-digit win total for 2024-25.    Unlike 2023-24 when the Mohawks were ousted in the first round of the 1A state tournament by Latta, last season's Bethune-Bowman team earned a first-round victory over Johnsonville before being eliminated by Denmark-Olar in the ensuing round.    The Mohawks only graduated two seniors from last season's team. In similar fashion as was the case with Scott's Branch, excellent play for the Mohawks in region play was what got Bethune-Bowman a high seed in last season's 1A state tournament.    Key Players:    Tenia Mack is one of the important pieces to Bethune-Bowman's puzzle given what she gets accomplished in the frontcourt. Mack is a multi-sport athlete who also participates in softball alongside her basketball achievements.    [player_tooltip player_id='831284' first='Zaniyah' last='Pelzer'] is another multi-sport athlete for the Mohawks with her second sport of choice being volleyball. Pelzer stands at 5-foot-2 and is one of Bethune-Bowman's primary standouts in the backcourt.    Makiyah Johnson is another name for the Mohawks who plays multiple sports. Johnson plays soccer and also participates in track and field events. The 5-foot-7 guard is entering her senior season at Bethune-Bowman.    Keziyah Griffin had an eighth-grade season that made many a hoops aficionado take notice and she is more than poised to turn that into even bigger things as a freshman for the Mohawks. Griffin, a 5-foot-6 two guard plays both basketball and soccer.    A current eighth-grader that should be on the radars of Palmetto State hoops fans is Kennedi Graves. She stands at 5-foot-7 and primarily plays at the point. Graves also excels as a softball player at Bethune-Bowman.    St. John's    (2024-25 Record: 9-9, 5-3)    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/IMG_8608-crop-2789x1832-1705762366.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-841719" style="width:492px;height:auto" /></figure>   For the last three years, St. John's has been right around .500. That by Islanders standards is a success considering the team's last 20-win season occurred in 2006-07.    Non-region play did not go as planned for the most part for St. John's. The Islanders would win five of the team's eight matchups in its region and qualified for the postseason. The 2024-25 St. John's season concluded in the first round after an emphatic defeat to Bamberg-Ehrhardt.    The region is so big to the point where each team can only see each other once. St. John's is a team that graduated three seniors from last season – who also happened to be the Islanders' three team captains.    Key Players:   The centerpiece of all things St. John's is senior shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='840355' first='Daeshia' last='Buford']. In 15 contests last season for the Islanders, Buford averaged 11.9 points, 4.9 steals and 3.3 rebounds. She stands at 5-foot-3.    Jasmyne Robinson is another noteworthy name for the Islanders. Robinson had a breakout freshman campaign two years and followed up with even bigger numbers in 2024-25. She averaged 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.    Kandyce Snelson-Mathis is one who provides plenty of depth to the Islanders' frontcourt as she stands at 6-foot-1. Snelson-Mathis averaged 9.3 rebounds, 5.3 points and 1.5 blocks in 2024-25 for St. John's.   One more season through the high school ranks is on the corner for Destinee Smalls who also plays volleyball alongside her basketball achievements. Smalls is listed at 5-foot-6 on the St. John's roster.    Advancing into her junior season is Trinitie Sutton. She is listed at 5-foot-2 and is a stalwart in the Islanders back court – particularly on defense. Sutton averaged 5.1 steals, 4.9 points and 3.8 assists.     Cross   (2024-25 Record: 4-13, 4-4)    Following several seasons where Cross typically put together double-digit win totals, the 2024-25 Trojans struggled mightily.    Cross did not pick up its first win of the season until Jan. 17 when the Trojans earned a 44-32 victory over Baptist Hill. It was still enough to land the Trojans a 1A state tournament berth since all four of Cross' victories (Baptist Hill, Lowcountry Leadership, Charleston Math and Science, Branchville) were all in region.    Then the team matched up against Latta in the first round which brought an end to Cross' season. Three seniors graduated from last season's Trojans – including the team's leader in points, steals and assists.    Key Players:   Among the returning players for the Trojans is Raquel Green. She has played at the varsity level since she was in the seventh grade and competed in 14 games last season for Cross. The sophomore Green averaged 5.5 points, 3.6 rebounds just over one steal per contest.    Sarai Mazyck played in 15 matchups last season for the Trojans. She was second in last season's team in rebounds, averaging 6.4 per game. Mazyck was also second among Cross players in blocks, averaging 1.2 per contest.    Baptist Hill   (2024-25 Record: 13-10, 4-4)   The year was 2014-15 and Baptist Hill completed an 11-12 season with 10 of those victories occurring in its region. Prior to last season, that was the last time the Bobcats had won at least 10 games.    A 13-win season will get a team into its state tournament more often than not and that was the case for Baptist Hill. Four of its wins were in region and eight of the team's 13 victories were on its home court. The Bobcats' season ended at the hands of Denmark-Olar in the first round of the playoffs.    Even more promising for the Bobcats is how last season's team only graduated one senior.    Key Players:   Makayla Mungin, a junior guard and wing, was the leading scorer last season for Baptist Hill. In 18 games, Mungin averaged seven points and 3.3 steals. She is listed at 5-foot-3 on the Bobcats' roster.    [player_tooltip player_id='571846' first='Shaniya' last='Gathers'] is not only beginning her senior season with the Bobcats, but she had team captaincy duties for 2024-25. Gathers averaged 6.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals last season.   Another from this year's senior class is Jazerah Finley who once played on the junior varsity team as an eighth grader. She worked her way up to varsity status – that will occur when one averages six steals a game as she did.   Beginning her junior season with Baptist Hill is JahNaree Heyward. She is listed at 5-foot-9 on Baptist Hill's roster and can find time in a team's lineup as a point guard or small forward. She averaged 6.6 rebounds and 3.9 steals a game last season.    Lowcountry Leadership   (2024-25 Record: 3-11, 2-6)    It was not that long ago that the NaviGators actually had a season where the team was victorious in 10 games. That season was 2022-23 and it saw Lowcountry Leadership finish with a .500 record.    That 2022-23 team barely missed out on a 1A tournament berth only because it finished one game in the region standings behind Palmetto Scholars Academy.    This past season was not as successful given the NaviGators only scored victories over Branchville, Charleston Math and Science and SCISA 2A Faith Christian. In addition, Lowcountry Leadership finished the previous season without a home victory. All three of its wins occurred on the road.    Branchville   (2024-25 Record: 1-14, 1-7)    In recent seasons, the most victories that have been achieved by a Branchville team was four. The last time that occurred was in the 2021-22 season when the Yellow Jackets qualified for a tournament berth given those four victories occurred against region opponents.    Four wins and a tournament berth is a success by Branchville standards. The Yellow Jackets only were victorious on one occasion last season. That was on Feb. 7 at home against Charleston Math and Science – and it was only a 27-25 victory over the Riptide.    A mere two points was what saved the Yellow Jackets from a winless season. As is the case with any team that had a forgetful time on the court the previous campaign, there is nowhere to go but up. Can Branchville take that step?    Key Players:    Cadence McAlhany proved to be one of the standouts for the Yellow Jackets – particularly on the defensive side of the floor. A junior who primarily plays as a guard, she averaged 3.8 steals a game last season.    Jasmine Davis stands at 5-foot-7 and keeps a very active athletic schedule. Davis, a sophomore not only plays basketball but also participates on the varsity volleyball and softball teams. She was one of Branchville primary rebounders last season.   Charleston Math & Science   (2024-25 Record: 1-14, 0-8)    Charleston Math and Science, as expected, remained in 1A with reclassification but with 1A going from eight regions to six, the Riptide became part of Region 5-A.    The team's lone win of last season occurred on Dec. 13 when the Riptide earned a 27-14 victory over a SCISA 2A competitor in Beaufort Academy. It was in the 2019-20 season when Charleston Math and Science last qualified for the 1A state tournament. And in February of that year, the Riptide did earn a first-round win over Hemingway.    Youth defined last season's roster as only three players from last season's team were either seniors or juniors. Its leading scorer and rebounder from that 2024-25 team was a senior. Six of the team's players from last year were either freshmen, eighth-graders or seventh-graders.

For four of the previous five seasons, the road to the 1A state championship has gone through one of the teams that comprise Region 5-A.