Lady Red Raiders Thanksgiving Invitational: Top Seven Performers

Every season has a beginning. And in the case for 16 of South Carolina's high school girls basketball teams, that beginning was the Lady Red Raiders Thanksgiving Invitational.    The early-season invitational emanated from two venues – Greenville HS – whose Red Raiders are coming off a 5A Division 2 Upper State run last season – and Carolina HS which is in the 3A ranks.    We at Prep Girls Hoops were on hand for the first day of the weekend's festivities from the home court of the Red Raiders. At times, even for the best of players, early season rust can set in. These standouts proved this past Friday that they already are in mid-season form.     Statements can be made early in a season – and one was made by the Lions of 4A Daniel as they romped to a 64-14 victory over 5A Division 1 Wade Hampton. Cumbie was a leader of the Lions efforts as she tallied 16 points. She would have had more but given Daniel's margin of victory, she had plenty of time to rest. When she was not resting, Cumbie was making plays – including showcasing her skills as a ball-handler, connecting on 3-pointers and drawing contact which allowed her to get to the free throw line. Daniel will once again be a tough out for many an opponent in 2025-26.     Epting got her sophomore season off on the correct pair of sneakers. The sophomore was part of 4A Daniel's initial starting five of the season and placed 16 on the board to help her Lions to a 64-14 rout over 5A Division 1 Wade Hampton. The Lions drained seven 3-pointers in the contest with the Generals – four departed from Epting's hands. She consistently displays that she can play as either a two guard or at the point. Epting displays plenty of court awareness – one way she does this is by turning offensive rebounds into two-point putbacks. Epting is in her third season at the varsity level as she first played as an eighth grader.     Game planning for 5A Division 1 Byrnes means figuring out a way to neutralize its interior depth. Salmon provided even more of it off the Rebels' bench as her team opened its 2025-26 campaign with a 52-22 victory over 5A Division 2 Hillcrest. Salmon would lead all scorers with a 13-point performance. Byrnes' matchup with the Rams got physical at many points which caused problems at times for the Rebels' offense. This was especially the case in the paint, but Salmon made fundamentally sound decision near the basket as a scorer and rebounder to get her Byrnes assembling in the win column.     It was during the latter part of Friday night's slate where things got a bit more interesting. Following a pair of blowouts, 4A Travelers Rest matched up against 5A Division 2 Riverside. An entertaining contest went the way of the Devildogs thanks to 17 points that were placed on the scoreboard courtesy of Stephens. She added depth off Travelers Rest's bench but displayed that she is certainly worthy of starting minutes. Listed at 5-foot-7 on the Devildogs' roster, she effectively played the role of point guard between her scoring capabilities and overall decision making. Stephens appears to be just getting started given what she got accomplished against a quality opponent like the Warriors.     Regardless of the setting, one can count on the veteran point guard that is Haroski to bring her A-game on a game-by-game basis. Haroski is a recent commit to Middle Georgia State and a 5A Division 2 Top 5 Senior honoree. Even though Riverside did not get the result it was in search of against 4A Travelers Rest, Haroski put forth a winning performance with 15 points. Those that observed Haroski over the years know how accurate she can be from behind the arc. Her passing ability, leadership qualities and high basketball IQ have been attributes that have put her among the top prospects in the Palmetto State – and why she is poised to thrive in the collegiate ranks.     When Assemian decided to take her act to 5A Division 2 Greenville over the offseason, the Red Raiders coaching staff envisioned her having games similar to what she had on Friday night against 4A Wren. Assemian scored a game-high 20 points and led Greenville to an emphatic victory over the Hurricanes. Out of the 20 points she scored, 15 occurred in the first half. Even though Assemian can connect from long range, much of what she got accomplished against Wren was in close proximity to the rim. She combines height with length and her presence can draw so much attention from defenses that it opens things up for her teammates to also make plays.     Burgess' 4A Wren matched up against tournament host team 5A Division 2 Greenville to close out the first day of this year's Red Raiders Invitational. Her team may not have achived the result it was searching for, but Burgess put forth a stellar effort as she led her Hurricanes with 12 points. She displayed her accuracy from behind the 3-point arc as all of her scores were courtesy of the 3-point shot. Burgess is an also an efficient runner of the floor. At an even six feet, Burgess may have the height of a power forward or a big but she possesses the long-range accuracy of a two guard and has plenty of confidence in her long-range shooting capabilities.

Every season has a beginning. And in the case for 16 of South Carolina's high school girls basketball teams, that beginning was the Lady Red Raiders Thanksgiving Invitational.