Previewing Region 2-AA

One could paint the past two seasons of 2A high school girls basketball across South Carolina in orange and blue given a team that wears said hues – Andrew Jackson – was the final team standing at the conclusion of the season.    The Volunteers are going into their second season as the hunted – and joining in that hoops hunt are six teams that comprise Region 2-AA.    Among those teams is one that has won a 2A state championship this decade. Prep Girls Hoops is releasing comprehensive previews of every South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) region and that continues with a look at Region 2-AA.    Saluda   (2024-25 Record: 15-5, 8-1)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_0609.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-851971" style="width:649px;height:auto" /></figure>   Saluda is the aforementioned team from this region that has won a state championship this decade – and the coach that guided that 2020-21 COVID year Tigers team to state glory – Jeanette Wilder – is still calling the plays at Saluda.    Last season's Saluda assembling did not experience the same success as that 2020-21 team did in the state tournament. The Tigers were upset by former region rival Mid-Carolina (which defeated Saluds in two of their three get-togethers last season) in the first round.    The team did win its region by virtue of its 8-1 record – that lone loss being on the road at Ninety Six. Four seniors graduated from last year's team.    Key Players:   [player_tooltip player_id='1092422' first='Ceddrianna' last='Springs'] continues to display why she has been playing at the varsity level since she was a seventh grader. As long as she is sporting Saluda purple, the Tigers, more often than not, will be in the win column.   The first varsity season for Jabria Brunson also occurred prior to her freshman campaign. Brunson, as does Springs, also competes in track and field events in addition to her basketball achievements.   [player_tooltip player_id='1319138' first='Amaya' last='Abney'] is entering her sophomore season for the Tigers. Abney bolsters the rebounding efforts for Saluda. She is another whose athletic career has included competition in track and field events.   Strom Thurmond   (2024-25 Record: 10-13, 7-3)   Early on, it appeared that graduating its franchise cornerstone from the 2023-24 would catch up to Strom Thurmond. The Rebels struggled early out the gate, dropping eight of its first 10 games.    Then region play happened and the Rebels secured a state tournament berth by going 7-3 against region foes. Strom Thurmond's 2024-25 season came to an unceremonious end in the first round of the tournament by Fairfield Central.    A goal of the Rebels is to get to where Saluda is in its region. In order to accomplish that objective, Strom Thurmond will have to improve on its 3-8 showing from last season on the road.    Ninety Six   (2024-25 Record: 12-9, 7-4)   The school may be called Ninety Six, but early in the season it was brought to us by the number four.    A four-game winning streak to begin the 2024-25 campaign (Dixie, Ware Shoals, Calhoun Falls Charter, Emerald) was followed by a four-game losing skid (Calhoun Falls Charter, Crescent, Emerald, Cresent). Another four-game win streak (Pelion, Dixie, Batesburg-Leesville, American Leadership Academy) ensued.    The Wildcats had a very forgettable time last season in the 2A state tournament as Ninety Six experienced an early exit at the hands of an Eau Claire team that eventually won the Upper State championship. Three seniors graduated from last season's team – including its star 5-foot-11 forward.    Key Players:   One can expect [player_tooltip player_id='1237400' first='Kenley' last='Collins'] to ascend into a leadership role for the Wildcats over the next couple of seasons. Collins played in 21 games last season and averaged 7.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per contest.   Collins is moving into her junior season and the same applies to Bella Stewart. She was the second-leading rebounder on last season's team – and the second-leading shot blocker. Stewart averaged 7.8 rebounds, 5.8 points and 1.2 blocks per contest.   [player_tooltip player_id='1236752' first='Tatiana' last='Roper'] is a multi-sport athlete who also competes on the soccer pitch alongside what she gets accomplished on the hardwood. She played in 20 games last season for Ninety Six and averaged 5.1 points, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals.   American Leadership Academy   (2024-25 Record: 3-10, 3-5)   Last season was the first for the new American Leadership Academy as a full-fledged SCHSL school. In spite of the meager record, it was enough to earn a berth to the 2A state tournament in its first season.    That was on account of all three of the Patriots' victories occurring in its region. All three of those wins (Pelion, Strom Thurmond, Ninety Six) also occurred on American Leadership Academy's home court.    The aforementioned was certainly a success for coach Sandra Dickert. Continuation of progress for the Patriots means improving its fortunes away from home. American Leadership Academy concluded last season with no road victories.    Pelion   (2024-25 Record: 7-11, 1-7)   Pelion first moved down from 3A to 2A beginning with the 2020-21 COVID year. Since then, the Panthers only had one year where the team put together a double-digit winning season.    That was 2022-23 when the Panthers did qualify for the 2A state tournament prior to losing in the first round to Saluda.   Things were promising for Pelion during its non-region schedule given the Panthers compiled six wins. Then came region play and the Panthers' lone victory in region occurred against Batesburg-Leesville meaning the team's season came to an end prior to mid-February.    In fact, Batesburg-Leesville is the only team in region Pelion has notched a win over the last two seasons.    Batesburg-Leesville   (2024-25 Record: 0-13, 0-6)   Seasons where a team is kept entirely in the loss column are always forgettable. The 2024-25 campaign for Batesburg-Leesville is no exception.    In fact, dating back to the 2023-24 season, the Panthers have dropped 18 consecutive games. The last victory for Batesburg-Leesville occurred in January of 2024 – a 35-30 decision against Horse Creek Academy.    The slimmest margin of defeat Batesburg-Leesville encountered last season occurred on Jan. 24. That was when the Panthers were at home welcoming another set of Panthers – those of Pelion – to its home court. The result was a 47-44 victory for Pelion.    Batesburg-Leesville moved from Region 3-AA to Region 2-AA with reclassification.

One could paint the past two seasons of 2A high school girls basketball across South Carolina in orange and blue given a team that wears said hues – Andrew Jackson – was the final team standing at the conclusion of the season.