Region 6-AAAA Preview: Beaufort Challenging Bishop England?

In the grand scheme of things, November represents the beginning of the end of the calendar year. But while November can denote an ending, it also represents a beginning.    That beginning is, of course, the beginning of another high school girls basketball season.    During the last several weeks, we at Prep Girls Hoops have unveiled previews of every region in the Palmetto State, offering in-depth analysis of the teams and players fans need to know.    We conclude our previews of the six regions that comprise the 4A classification with a look at the six teams that are part of Region 6-AAAA.    Bishop England   (2024-25 Record: 23-4, 10-0)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_3478.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1126402" style="width:648px;height:auto" /></figure>   The legendary ageless wonder that is coach Paul Runey is still going strong leading his Bishops.    During his illustrious tenure at Bishop England, Runey has led his team to six state championships in nine tries – four in the 2A ranks and two more as a 3A participant. This past season, the Bishops made the daunting move from 2A to 4A.    Bishop England's two playoff victories from last season occurred against new region rivals in Hilton Head Island and Beaufort before Lower Richland brought an end to the Bishops' 2024-25 campaign.    A grand total of five seniors graduated from the 2024-25 Bishop England version.    Key Players:   One name that will be a focal point for the 2025-26 version of Bishops will be [player_tooltip player_id='877411' first='Olivia' last='Allen'] who is advancing into her junior season at Bishop England. She played in all 27 games last season with Bishop England and averaged 13.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.   Another name is [player_tooltip player_id='1318838' first='Hadley' last='Irvine'] who is part of the Bishops' 2026 graduating class. She also played in all 27 games last season and averaged 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. Irvine is a two-sport athlete who also plays volleyball.   Beaufort   (2024-25 Record: 16-9, 8-2)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/12/eZy-Watermark_02-12-2024_04-18-11-6660AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1094079" style="width:586px;height:auto" /></figure>   On paper, one would think given the region the Eagles were placed in that its reclassification from 3A to 4A would spell a rough go of things.    Instead, Beaufort put together one of the most remarkable turnarounds of any assembling in the Palmetto State. The Eagles went from seven victories two seasons ago to a 16-win campaign last season. Beaufort's only two region losses were to Bishop England.    The Eagles even picked up a victory in the first round of last season's 4A state tournament over Airport before running into the Bishops again in the second round. Coach Reggie Jones' team is entering 2025-26 with expectations especially after only graduating two seniors from last season.   Key Players:   Another reason why Beaufort has high expectations is because one of the state's premier 2027s is now wearing its shade of green. [player_tooltip player_id='378103' first='Amirah' last='Brown'], who previously played at Bluffton and is a two-sport athlete who also thrives on the soccer pitch, averaged a double-double of 14.5 points and 10.1 rebounds along with 3.9 steals, 3.5 assists and 1.9 blocks in 19 games as a Bobcat.   Combining Brown with Jania Hayward, who had an outstanding season with the Eagles as a freshman makes Beaufort a particularly tough out. Hayward played in 24 games last season and averaged 14.5 points, 4.2 steals, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists.   Headlining the 2026 graduating class for the Eagles is [player_tooltip player_id='1094085' first='Zaria' last='Coaxum']. She is a two-sport athlete who also plays volleyball in addition to her basketball achievements. Coaxum averaged 9.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 25 games.   Speaking of multi-sport athletes who are part of the 2026 graduating class, that description also applies to Carson Crosby who plays soccer and lacrosse in addition to basketball. Crosby averaged 6.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals last season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1318959' first='Da'Leah' last='LaBoard'] already has a couple of seasons of varsity experience under her belt as she enters her freshman season. As an eighth grader, she played in 23 games in 2024-25 and primarily operates as a two guard.   Hilton Head Island   (2024-25 Record: 7-15, 4-6)   The slow start that the Seahawks had at the outset of last season was a sign of where things were headed for Hilton Head Island.    The lone region victory the Seahawks had prior to the new calendar year occurred against a SCISA participant in 3A Hilton Head Prep. Hilton Head Island turned a bit of a corner once region play arrived but the team still suffered a first-round 4A tournament exit from new region rival Bishop England.    Russell Raniszewski was first named head coach at Hilton Head Island prior to the 2020-21 pandemic year. This will be his sixth year at the helm for the Seahawks.    Key Players:   Lawton Crose is part of the Seahawks' 2026 graduating class. Her athletic schedule is very active between playing soccer and volleyball alongside what she gets accomplished on the basketball court. Crose is listed at 5-foot-6.   Also part of Hilton Head Island's 2026 graduating class is Ava Pankuch who played in 22 games last season. Pankuch was one of the Seahawks' leading rebounders as she brought four per contest.   Olivia Brockway is moving into her sophomore season with the Seahawks after seeing playing time in 20 games in 2024-25 as a freshman. Brockway also plays volleyball in addition to basketball and also helped her team's rebounding efforts by averaging 4.2 per game.   May River   (2024-25 Record: 10-10, 4-6)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/IMG_6766.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1190042" style="width:622px;height:auto" /></figure>   At one point early last season, May River began 2024-25 with a five-game winning streak. One of those victories was at the expense of Hampton County which is one of the tougher teams to beat in 2A.    Prior to region play, the Sharks were at 6-3 – which included another win over the Hurricanes. Region play would see May River prevail over Bluffton on two occasions. May River drew Aiken in the first round of the 4A state tournament and the result was a 72-50 victory for the Green Hornets.    The hiring of Terry Kix as head coach certainly helped the Sharks' region fortunes. “Next woman up” will certainly be a mantra for this season's May River team after graduating eight seniors from last year.    Key Players:   The Sharks are returning its leading bucket-getter from last season. That was [player_tooltip player_id='833033' first='Elizabeth' last='Duncan'] who played in all 20 games last season for May River. Duncan averaged 10.7 points, four rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.   Another returning name from last season is Jordan Green who is part of May River's 2026 graduating class. Green is an important element to the Sharks' efforts in the frontcourt as she was one of the team's leading rebounders from last season.   One other of the team's leading rebounders from last season is advancing into her sophomore season in Brooklyn Macy who stands at 5-foot-11. Macy is a two-sport athlete who also plays volleyball.   Jayden Deets was a sophomore with the Sharks last season and played in 20 games last season. Deets was also crucial in bolstering May River's rebounding efforts as she brought down 3.5 per matchup.   Bluffton   (2024-25 Record: 10-13, 3-7)   One of the steeper drop-offs across South Carolina was experienced by Bluffton last season.    What was a 24-win team in 2023-24 became a 10-win team last season. There are more than enough teams across the state that would love a 10-win season but last season's Bobcats and that 2023-24 team were two entirely different squads.    Bluffton was still good enough to earn a berth to the 4A state tournament because of its region play which included a pair of victories over Colleton County. The Bobcats then had the misfortune of running into South Pointe in the first round of the tournament.    Key Players:   One more time in Bluffton green and black awaits for EmmaKate McMahon as she is entering her senior season with the Bobcats. McMahon also plays soccer in addition to basketball and averaged 8.7 points and 2.5 steals per game.   The 2026 graduating class for the Bobcats also includes [player_tooltip player_id='1055760' first='Tamyra' last='Bolden'] who is listed at 5-foot-3. Bolden saw playing time in 21 games last season and averaged 5.1 points and two steals per game.   Upperclassmen are not the only sources of veteran talent at Bluffton. That can also be found in the form of Arielle Mitchell, a junior who stands at 5-foot-6. Mitchell was one of the Bobcats' leading rebounders, bringing down 5.2 per game.   Another junior name on the Bobcats' roster is Madison Wallace who stands at 5-foot-6. Wallace was also critical in Bluffton's rebounding efforts as she brought down 4.1 boards per game in the 19 games she played.   Colleton County   (2024-25 Record: 6-18, 1-9)   When pondering recent seasons with the Cougars, the 2017-18 version of Colleton County stands out as a bright spot given that year's team won 17 contests that year. In addition, that season's Cougars also played .500 basketball in its region.    The Cougars of 2024-25 did not experience the same success as that team from a few years ago. Colleton County's region record being what it was, it was the lone team from Region 6-AAAA that did not clinch a berth into the 4A state tournament.    If the Cougars are to improve, coach Charles Lindsay's team can start with its games at home. Colleton County may have been 5-9 on the road but finishing 1-9 on its home court will more often than not denote a team's season concluding in early February.    Key Players:   Keyarah Koger is a notable name that is part of Colleton County's 2027 class. Koger does most of what she does in the backcourt at the point for the Cougars. One can expect another impressive season from Koger in 2024-25.

In the grand scheme of things, November represents the beginning of the end of the calendar year. But while November can denote an ending, it also represents a beginning.