Previewing Region 4-AA

October of 2025 is in the books. The month that comes after October is November – meaning the start of the 2025-26 season is right around the corner.    As we focus on Region 4-AA, it must be mentioned that one of the teams that occupy this region has won the last two 2A state championships. Not to mention that team has qualified for three of the last four 2A state championship games.    Prep Girls Hoops is comprehensively previewing every region in South Carolina as tip-off of the regular season draws closer and closer. Next on the list is Region 4-AA – the last of the Upper State 2A regions.    Andrew Jackson   (2024-25 Record: 28-3, 12-0)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/IMG_2293-crop-2759x1811-1741181407.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1210100" style="width:544px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Volunteers maintained its 2A status following reclassification but moved from the Lower State of 2A to its Upper State. Even with this, Andrew Jackson contested last season's tournament as a Lower State team.    Lower State, Upper State, coach Steven Fair and his team was only concerned with one “state” – won state.    Mission accomplished – in back-to-back seasons. Following its triumph over Eau Claire in March, Fair's team would graduate a grand total of six seniors. One of those 2025s was Tamia Watkins who is now in the college ranks with Elon.     When a team can boast that it only lost twice to in-state opponents (South Pointe and Ashley Ridge) it did something right.    Key Players:   [player_tooltip player_id='383418' first='Ni'yonna' last='Asbelle'] will be the centerpiece of all things Volunteers this season. Asbelle recently announced that she will play her college ball at UNC-Asheville following the 2025-26 season. She averaged 20.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.6 steals last season.    Another of the returning players for the Volunteers is [player_tooltip player_id='587310' first='Trinity' last='Delly']. The [program_tooltip program_id='783909' first='Palmetto' last='76ers/A'ja Wilson Elite'] product is beginning her junior campaign in Andrew Jackson blue and orange. She averaged 8.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 steals in 24 games last season.    Cheraw   (2024-25 Record: 18-10, 10-3)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_6606.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-824820" style="width:494px;height:auto" /></figure>   It was during the 2019-20 season where the Braves were in Palmetto State girls basketball purgatory having won only one contest that season – the opponent was Aynor which was a region rival of Cheraw's at the time when the Braves were a 3A team.    Fast forward to last season and the Braves also only won one game – plus 17 more.    Among those 18 victories included a first-round tournament victory over Chesnee only for Cheraw's season to come to a close at the hands of Fairfield Central. The Braves were also difficult to defeat on their home court as they went 8-4 at Cheraw. Andrew Jackson and 1A Latta were the only in-state teams to score regular season victories at the Braves.   Three seniors graduated from last year's Cheraw team.    Key Players:   One name returning for her junior season is [player_tooltip player_id='842167' first='Anyah' last='Banks']. She wore the Braves' uniform on 27 occasions last season. Banks averaged nine points last season and was the team leader in rebounds with 4.9 boards per contest. She also averaged 1.5 steals.    Chesterfield   (2024-25 Record: 11-12, 9-4)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/12/eZy-Watermark_28-12-2024_07-57-45-4640AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1121296" style="width:508px;height:auto" /></figure>   Fewer teams in 2024-25 experienced the classic “tale of two seasons” moreso than the Rams did.    The Rams began last season colder than the weather in December, beginning the season 2-7 with the two victories coming at the expense of Buford and 1A McBee. Then came region play and Chesterfield went 9-2 when taking away both games against the juggernaut that Andrew Jackson was.    The only other region team to give the Rams problems was Cheraw.   Chesterfield won its first-round tournament contest against Greenville Tech Charter but suffered defeat in the second round at the hands of Mid-Carolina.    Key Players:   The Rams' efforts were spearheaded by several freshmen last season that have now advanced into their sophomore seasons. One of those is [player_tooltip player_id='1121272' first='Reagan' last='Rivers'] who averaged 14.3 points, a team-leading 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per contest.    Another of those 2028s is [player_tooltip player_id='925570' first='Terrahjah' last='Robinson'] who, like Rivers, wore Chesterfield's blue and gold colors on all 23 occasions last season. Robinson led the Rams' backcourt efforts, averaging 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.8 assists in 2024-25.    Le'Asia Brown had a stellar showing at the middle school level and proved herself to be more than worthy of a high school varsity callup. Brown was one of the team's leading rebounders with 7.4 per game in 13 contests last season. She is advancing into her eighth-grade season.   Chesterfield's efforts on the boards were also bolstered by another 2029 in Alivia Honeycutt. She stands at 5-foot-11 and averaged 6.4 rebounds in the 22 games she competed in as a freshman.    Central   (2024-25 Record: 4-20, 4-7)   The last time the Eagles put together a double-digit winning season was in 2015-16 when Central won 11 games. That dubious streak for the Eagles continued in 2024-25.    Fortunately for Central, the four victories that it claim were all in its region, allowing the Eagles to clinch the fourth of five berths into the 2A state tournament. Those victories were two apiece against North Central and York Prep. Its season came to an end in the first round of the tournament by virtue of a blowout defeat to Blacksburg.    The Eagles did graduate only one senior from its 2024-25 version.   Key Players:    Jariyah Sowell has played at the varsity level since she was an eighth grader. A stalwart in Central's backcourt, Sowell competed in 16 contests last season for the Eagles and averaged 9.4 points and 1.8 steals per contest.   Tashia Quick keeps a busy athletic schedule between what she does basketball-wise and in the volleyball and softball realms as well. Also part of Central's 2026 class, Quick averaged eight points and 1.2 steals last season.   In the frontcourt, much of what the Eagles got accomplished last season was because of Shaleeshia Walls. She played in 19 games lats season for Central and the 4.6 rebounds she averaged last season had her among the Eagles' leaders in that category.   Buford   (2024-25 Record: 6-12, 2-7)   The Yellow Jackets were a 2A contender throughout much of the 2010s but much has changed since then.    They were even so as recently as 2021-22 when they put together a 14-win season plus tournament victories over Batesburg-Leesville and Eau Claire to advance to a quarterfinal contest with Landrum.   Buford did win enough games in 2024-25 to claim the fifth and final tournament berth from Region 4-AA last season but any hopes the Yellow Jackets had of embarking on a long postseason run were cut short in the first round at the hands of Lake City.    Former coach Susan Scott is retiring and her son, Dwayne Ray, will serve in her stead at the helm at Buford.    York Prep   (2024-25 Record: 1-16, 1-9)   It was expected that the Patriots would experience a drop-off from its 2023-24 season when the team played .500 basketball at 12-12 and was 8-4 in its region. That team graduated three standout seniors.   But going from 12 victories to only one is a shock for any program. The lone victory York Prep scored was against North Central on Dec. 20. The final score of that home contest for the Patriots was 26-20.    In similar fashion to what Buford did, York Prep is hoping that a new coach will be a catalyst for a turnaround. Back in April, the school announced that Janna Eichelberger will be the team's head coach.    North Central   (2024-25 Record: 2-16, 1-9)   By recent North Central standards, a six-win season is a successful one. When did that six-win campaign take place? It was during the 2021-22 season.    That season not only saw the Knights win three of its seven home games but it also saw North Central earn one of the berths into the 2A state tournament – which was won by Christ Church that season.    As for 2024-25, the lone victories for the Knights were in late January. They occurred on the road at Buford and at home hosting York Prep. The victory over the Yellow Jackets was a two-point result while the one against the Patriots ended in a 23-point rout.

October of 2025 is in the books. The month that comes after October is November – meaning the start of the 2025-26 season is right around the corner.