Previewing Region 7-AA

We have arrived at the early portions of November. The closer and closer we get to the conclusion of the month will also be the closer we arrive at the start of the 2025-26 basketball season.    Throughout the last few days, the primary focus of our previews has been the teams that comprise class 2A. The road to a state championship has gone through Andrew Jackson the past couple of years and there are many other teams in the same classification that would love to change that.   We put a bow on our look at 2A by looking at the final Lower State region in the classification – Region 7-AA.    Lake City   (2024-25 Record: 17-8, 10-2)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/12/eZy-Watermark_20-12-2024_10-01-24-7030PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1116789" style="width:621px;height:auto" /></figure>   When the 2024-25 season began for Lake City, expectations were not exactly plentiful. After all, the previous season saw the Panthers only win seven contests and did not qualify for the 2A state tournament.    Then the season actually happened – and Lake City put itself on the map as a full-fledged contender. Some of that may have had to do with the Panthers being reclassified from 3A to 2A but going from seven wins to 17 is an impressive turnaround regardless of classification.    Playoff victories for coach Shaquetta Cooper's team over Buford, Hampton County and Kingstree earned Lake City a berth in the Lower State championship before running into the buzzsaw that was Andrew Jackson. The Panthers may have caught many off guard last season. That will not be the case this season as they enter 2025-26 as a favorite in 2A.    Key Players:   Even more auspiciously for the Panthers is how their core four from last season is coming back to run it back. Lake City is led by [player_tooltip player_id='672385' first='Hannah' last='Riles'], one of the state's premier freshmen. She averaged 12.2 points and three steals last season.   Also part of that Panthers core four is [player_tooltip player_id='832074' first='Na'shira' last='Starks'] who is beginning her swan song season after competing in all 25 matchups as a junior. Starks averaged 8.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in 2024-25.   Lake City's senior class also includes [player_tooltip player_id='1180356' first='Jada' last='Robinson'] who is a two-sport athlete that also excels as a softball standout in addition to hoops. Robinson played in all 25 contests last season and averaged 7.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 steals.   Trayana Burgess is returning for her senior season as well and also competed in all 25 games in 2024-25. Burgess averaged 5.6 points and three steals per contest for last year's Panthers team. She stands at 5-foot-3.   Marion   (2024-25 Record: 17-9, 9-3)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/12/ECB7687D-41F7-4B52-810A-72D8CB2AAD15.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-569841" style="width:609px;height:auto" /></figure>   The improvement that Marion experienced may not have been as ballyhooed as that of Lake City, but the Swamp Foxes also moved in the right direction.    Marion improved from 11 wins in 2023-24 to 17 in 2024-25. In addition, last year's Swamp Foxes advanced to the second round of the playoffs unlike that 2023-24 version that suffered an early exit at the hands of (now 3A) Oceanside Collegiate.    The Swamp Foxes defeated Woodland in the first round. Then they had to deal with Andrew Jackson in the second round. Even with the improvement, Marion is experiencing a head coaching change as Justice Gee is now at the helm of the program.    Five seniors graduated from last year's team – including the Swamp Foxes' leading scorer.    Key Players:   One of the returning names to the 2025-26 Marion version is [player_tooltip player_id='569794' first='Maliyah' last='Williams']. She maintains a busy athletic schedule as she plays softball, basketball and volleyball. Williams averaged 10.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals a contest last season.   Sheteira Bethea will be in her senior season. She too has played softball in addition to her basketball achievements. Bethea led the team in rebounding as she hauled in 7.2 boards per contest last season.   The same applies to Kristin Shaw – in terms of her being an upperclassman and in terms of her being a two-sport name who also plays softball. Shaw played in 21 games and was another of the team's leading rebounders at 5.2 per contest.   Kingstree   (2024-25 Record: 22-6, 8-4)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_3904.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1150903" style="width:598px;height:auto" /></figure>   The class of the 2A field the last couple of seasons has included the Blazers – a Blazers team that has put together back-to-back 20-win seasons.    Few teams may have been more snakebit by the meteoric rise of Lake City than Kingstree was last season. Even though the Blazers and Panthers split the regular season series with both teams earning a win on their respective home courts, Lake City got the last laugh by virtue of its win over coach James Price's Kingstree in the Lower State semifinals.    Kingstree earned victories over Whale Branch and Burke prior to that contest, but that Lower State semifinal has likely been on the minds of many who eat, sleep, live and breathe the Blazer colors.    Key Players:   Only one senior graduated from last season's Blazers assembling. Among the returning names for Kingstree is [player_tooltip player_id='490767' first='Naydia' last='Shaw']. She averaged a double-double of 18.6 points and 11.8 rebounds last season plus 3.4 steals and 3.1 assists. Shaw also plays softball and first played at the varsity level in the eighth grade.   This year's Blazers graduating class includes [player_tooltip player_id='881951' first='Demia' last='Mosley'] who, like Shaw, also plays softball alongside her basketball achievements. Mosley averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.   That senior class for Kingstree also includes Nyla Wallace who can give a team minutes as a point guard, shooting guard, small forward or wing. Wallace played in 25 games last season and averaged 6.2 points and 2.3 steals per matchup.   Another name to watch for the black and burgundy is Kamarie McCrea. Her first season at the varsity level was in the eighth grade and she played 27 games last season as a sophomore. She averaged 5.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game.   [player_tooltip player_id='520655' first='Jaiden' last='McKnight'] is one of the names to watch in Kingstree's frontcourt. She is another multi-sport athlete who focuses on softball once the basketball season concludes. McKnight averaged 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.   Atlantic Collegiate   (2024-25 Record: 11-13, 6-5)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/eZy-Watermark_06-02-2025_05-57-07-2760AM-1.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1183208" style="width:576px;height:auto" /></figure>   Last season was the first season for Atlantic Collegiate as a full-fledged South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) participant. The Armada wasted no time causing a shake-up in the Palmetto State's girls basketball landscape.    Bill Zatulskis' Atlantic Collegiate assembling earned the fourth of five tournament berths from the region. The Armada even earned a first-round playoff win over Timberland then upset Lake Marion in the second round before running into Andrew Jackson.    By all measurements, 2024-25 was very successful for Atlantic Collegiate. An Achilles heel of last season's team was finishing 4-7 on the road. If the Armada can improve away from Atlantic Collegiate then this team can be really dangerous.    Key Players:   [player_tooltip player_id='821381' first='Zaniya' last='Blackmon'] is set to begin her junior season with the Armada. The veteran combo guard is a product of the One Force AAU program. Blackmon averaged 10.1 points and 2.1 steals per contest.   Returning to Atlantic Collegiate for her senior season is [player_tooltip player_id='821367' first='Micah' last='Davis']. She wore the Armada's colors on 21 occasions last season. The upperclassman three forward averaged 9.2 points, a team-leading 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game.   Also having played in 21 games last season was [player_tooltip player_id='1180353' first='Cayleigh' last='Johnson'] who is beginning her junior campaign with Atlantic Collegiate. Johnson averaged 6.3 points and three steals last season with the Armada.   Mullins   (2024-25 Record: 7-9, 4-8)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/eZy-Watermark_08-01-2025_12-22-57-5550PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1132810" style="width:581px;height:auto" /></figure>   Ask anyone associated with Mullins about the earlier portion of this decade and one may be greeted with a few choice words.    The last couple of seasons for the Auctioneers may not have been what the team experienced throughout much of the 2010s, but six and seven-win campaigns are definitely improvements over the zero-win seasons Mullins experienced at the start of the decade.    Alex White, a name familiar to many an Auctioneers aficionado, is returning to his alma mater to assume the reins as head coach at Mullins. He will lead a team that qualified for last season's state tournament but suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Burke.    Key Players:   [player_tooltip player_id='1052687' first='Na'Riyah' last='Woodberry'] put together a breakout freshman season in 2024-25 for the Aucs and is looking for more as a sophomore. Last season, she averaged 12.5 points and 1.5 steals per contest.   Speaking of freshmen-turned-sophomores, that same status applies to [player_tooltip player_id='1052688' first='Breanna' last='Ford']. The skilled 2028 Mullins guard averaged 10.6 points and 1.5 steals per game. Ford stands at 5-foot-1.   At the end of the school year, [player_tooltip player_id='1131795' first='Moriah' last='McLeod'] will trade in her red, white and blue Auctioneers uniform for a cap and gown. The senior frontcourt force averaged 8.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in the 13 games she played for Mullins.   East Clarendon   (2024-25 Record: 5-18, 3-9)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/06/eZy-Watermark_18-06-2024_01-31-27-2880AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-926862" style="width:596px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Wolverines experienced a bit of a renaissance during the late 2010s into the early 2020s but the last few seasons appear to have been a reversion to the mean for East Clarendon.    East Clarendon was on the outside looking in of the 2A state tournament picture. Out of the three victories the Wolverines garnered against region foes, two of them were against Manning. The other was against a Mullins team on Feb. 4 that qualified for the tournament.    This year's roster should have much of the same composition as last year's given East Clarendon only graduated two seniors from the 2024-25 Wolverines version.    Key Players:   [player_tooltip player_id='833029' first='Cherish' last='Cochran'] is returning for her junior season following wearing the East Clarendon uniform on 18 occasions last season. Cochran averaged 13.9 points and 1.1 steals per game. Her travel career has included a stint with [program_tooltip program_id='1320709' first='SC' last='Fever'].   [player_tooltip player_id='848223' first='Kierstin' last='Woods'] is beginning her sophomore season and already has two seasons of varsity basketball experience under her belt. Woods posted averages of 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.   Payton Hanniford gives a formidable frontcourt presence for the Wolverines and plenty of rebounding prowess. Hanniford led East Clarendon's efforts on the glass last season averaging 6.6 boards per game.   Manning   (2024-25 Record: 5-18, 1-11)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/eZy-Watermark_06-02-2025_05-57-50-7790AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1180375" style="width:546px;height:auto" /></figure>   Following the first six games of the season, the Monarchs were 3-3. This was certainly an improvement over Manning's dreadful 2023-24 campaign where the Monarchs did not win a game until Jan. 20 against Georgetown.    Then the rest of the season happened and it began to resemble 2023-24 once again. The Monarchs only prevailed on one occasion in region – on Jan. 7 when hosting Mullins.    If Manning is to have an improved 2024-25, a good place to start would be its road play. All five of the Monarchs' victories last season occurred on its home court. The Monarchs were 0-8 away from Manning.    Key Players:   A reason for optimism for the Monarchs is the play of [player_tooltip player_id='992816' first='Ameerah' last='Conyers'] who put herself on the statewide map last season as an eighth grader at Manning. She averaged a double-double of 13.4 rebounds and 10.4 points plus 3.9 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. Conyers has also played softball throughout her athletic career.   Adding a talented veteran presence to the Monarchs is Taniya Johnson who played in 21 games last season for Manning. Johnson was another of the team's leading rebounders, averaging 5.5 boards a game in addition to nine points and 1.6 steals a contest.   Also joining Johnson in the Monarchs' junior class is Aysia Moore who is one of Manning's key names in the backcourt. Moore competed in 19 games in 2024-25 averaging 7.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per contest.   Tamia Watson is returning to Manning for her senior season. She is a two-sport athlete who also competes in volleyball alongside her basketball achievements. Watson averaged 6.3 rebounds, 5.6 points and 1.9 steals last season as a junior.

We have arrived at the early portions of November. The closer and closer we get to the conclusion of the month will also be the closer we arrive at the start of the 2025-26 basketball season.