Region 7-AAAAA Preview: No Lag in These Stags

Is it November Yet?    This is a common question that gets asked by many a high school basketball player, coach and fan soon after the previous season concludes with state champions being crowned.    The answer to that question as of this writing…is yes. It is November.    Throughout the last few weeks, Prep Girls Hoops has released in-depth, comprehensive previews of every region in the state, putting a microscope on the teams and players that fans will keep in mind from November to March.   Only two previews remain – and the first of those two takes us to the Lowcountry and Region 7-AAAAA. It is a region home to the defending 5A Division 2 champions.    Berkeley (Division 2)   (2024-25 Record: 24-4, 9-1)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/03/eZy-Watermark_09-03-2025_09-00-34-3420PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1213473" style="width:698px;height:auto" /></figure>   Ring them. Crown them.    As of this writing, the last time Berkeley had dropped a game was on Jan. 14 – against archrival Goose Creek of all teams. The Stags ran roughshod through opponents ever since.    That run for coach Crystal Peace and her Berkeley assembling continued into the 5A Division 2 state tournament. After being one of the eight teams that earned byes into the second round, the Stags' run to its first-ever ring started with Lucy Beckham before getting revenge on those Gators of Goose Creek to advance to the Lower State championship.    Berkeley then dispatched North Myrtle Beach to clinch a berth to state and embarked on a 10-2 run against Greenwood to claim the 60-54 victory and its first-ever state championship.    Key Players:   The Stags are also returning nearly their entire team from last year. One of those returning players is [player_tooltip player_id='768684' first='Alaina' last='Carter'] who played in all 28 games last season. Carter averaged 12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals last season.    Coming back for her junior campaign at Berkeley is [player_tooltip player_id='365237' first='Amani' last='McCray'] who finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds in last year's state game against Greenwood. McCray averaged 8.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest. She played in 26 games in 2024-25.   One of the headliners of Berkeley's senior class is [player_tooltip player_id='357553' first='Aiyanna' last='Moses'] who, like Carter, saw playing time in all 28 contests last season for the Stags. Moses averaged 7.8 points, 3.1 assists and three steals in those 28 matchups.    Another of those headliners of the Stags' 2026 graduating class is [player_tooltip player_id='357552' first='Demi' last='Gray']. Gray bolsters the backcourt for Berkeley and averaged 7.6 points and 1.7 steals in the 26 games where she saw playing time.    Also among this year's Stags senior class is [player_tooltip player_id='662508' first='Madison' last='Thomas'] who announced that she will play her collegiate ball at Coker following this season. Thomas averaged 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals last season.    A key name in the frontcourt for Berkeley is [player_tooltip player_id='651705' first='Imani' last='Levey'] who is beginning her junior season with the Stags. In the 26 games she competed for Berkeley last season, Levey averaged 6.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and a steal per contest.    Berkeley's 2026 graduating class also includes [player_tooltip player_id='1228655' first='Natalia' last='Madison-Ladson']. She gives depth to the frontcourt for the Stags. Her time playing grassroots ball has included a stint with [program_tooltip program_id='713840' first='Charleston' last='Raptors'].    A sophomore to be on the lookout for at Berkeley is [player_tooltip player_id='672400' first='Kennedy' last='Caldwell']. She adds plenty of depth to what is already a deep backcourt for the Stags. Caldwell has played at the varsity level since the seventh grade.    Another 2028 to be on watch for is [player_tooltip player_id='990020' first='Kaelynn' last='Caldwell']. Playing primarily at the four, she adds depth to the frontcourt for Berkeley. Caldwell stands at 5-foot-9 and played in 15 games last season.   Wando (Division 1)   (2024-25 Record: 21-5, 8-2)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/04/eZy-Watermark_30-03-2025_05-40-17-5920AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1225796" style="width:702px;height:auto" /></figure>   Prior to last season, the last time Wando had won 20 games in a season occurred in 2010-11. That season saw the Warriors – as a 4A team before there was a 5A classification – advance to the quarterfinals of that year's tournament (which was won by Spring Valley).    Last season's Warriors qualified for one of the eight byes in the 5A Division 1 championship but suffered an early exit by virtue of a 55-45 victory by way of Ridge View.    A cavalcade of seniors graduated from last season's Wando assembling – 10 in total. This meant coach Jeff Emory had to make a splash during transfer season.    Key Players:    And that Emory did. [player_tooltip player_id='451803' first='AVA' last='RUSH'], whose career has included stints at Oceanside Collegiate and SCISA 4A First Baptist, will play her final high school season with the Warriors. Rush, who committed to Division I East Carolina during the offseason, averaged 12.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.2 blocks to lead the Hurricanes to the SCISA 4A championship game.   Also among Wando's 2026 graduating class is [player_tooltip player_id='280466' first='Malaya' last='Mazyck'] following a career that has seen her play at the varsity level since the eighth grade. She played in 26 games last season and averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, four assists and 2.6 steals a game.    One can expect an increased role for sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='989336' first='Makenna' last='Reynolds'] given all of the seniors that graduated from last season's team. Reynolds played in 26 games last year for the Warriors and averaged 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.3 assists per contest.    [player_tooltip player_id='1263372' first='Isabella' last='McKevitt'] is establishing herself as one of the Palmetto State's brightest young talents. McKevitt saw playing time in 26 games last season with the Warriors. She has played with Team L.E.A.D. during AAU and recently joined [program_tooltip program_id='783909' first='Palmetto' last='76ers/A'ja Wilson Elite'].    Goose Creek (Division 2)   (2024-25 Record: 14-11, 6-4)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/12/eZy-Watermark_15-12-2024_04-50-08-9470AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1111439" style="width:670px;height:auto" /></figure>   Two seasons ago, Goose Creek was tied with Berkeley atop Region 6-AAAAA with identical 6-2 records but the Gators being one game better in the win column (19-9) than the Stags (18-6) earned Goose Creek the region championship.   The 2024-25 season was very different for the Gators as they finished behind both Berkeley and Wando in region. Goose Creek began the playoffs the hard way – by playing in the first round. The Gators defeated Myrtle Beach in the first round then dispatched Socastee in the second before being eliminated by the Stags with a berth in the Lower State championship up for grabs.   Two seniors graduated from coach Jabari Deas' team last season – including its team captain.    Key Players:    [player_tooltip player_id='429831' first='Madeline' last='Dates'] impressed at many of the events she was at during the offseason and is ready to translate that into an eye-opening freshman season at Goose Creek. Dates averaged 15 points and 1.1 steals in 22 games lats season.    [player_tooltip player_id='659984' first='Celeste' last='Griffin'] put together an impressive freshman season in 2024-25 for Goose Creek. She took to the court in 24 games last season and averaged 8.5 points and 1.7 steals in those 24 contests.    Entering her junior season with the Gators is [player_tooltip player_id='992659' first='Jaliaya' last='Jacobs']. She played in 23 games last season at Goose Creek and thrives in the backcourt as either a two guard or at the point. Jacobs averaged 6.6 points and 1.6 steals last season.    Another freshman talent also made waves in her eighth-grade season in 2024-25 with the Gators. That 2029 was [player_tooltip player_id='429832' first='Aubrey' last='Downey'] who adds depth to the Goose Creek backcourt. Downey averaged 6.3 points per game.    A 2028 name to keep an eye out for with Goose Creek is [player_tooltip player_id='1111510' first='Jada' last='Meeks']. She is listed at 5-foot-8 and can give a team productive minutes either as a forward or at the wing. Meeks played in 22 games last season.    Lucy Beckham (Division 2)   (2024-25 Record: 10-13, 4-6)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/eZy-Watermark_21-11-2024_07-22-48-9630PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1060709" style="width:657px;height:auto" /></figure>   When taking a look at Region 7-AAAAA, it is essentially the same as Region 6-AAAAA for the last few years. That is except for one primary exception.    The one primary exception is Lucy Beckham, which is the lone team that moved up from 4A to 5A in this region. Lucy Beckham is one of the newest schools in South Carolina and the Bengals have won double-digit games in a season every season except one.    That was its first season of existence – which also happened to be the 2020-21 pandemic year. The Bengals defeated Irmo in the first round of last season's 5A Division 2 tournament, then fell to Berkeley in the second round then graduated four seniors.   Last season was Jared Curry's first as Lucy Beckham head coach.   Key Players:   Among the notable names returning for the Bengals is [player_tooltip player_id='1104724' first='Vivian' last='Watts']. She is beginning her junior season with the Bengals after playing in 19 games last season. Watts, who competed with FBC Reign on the travel circuit, averaged 8.4 points and 1.3 steals per game.   The graduating class for Lucy Beckham includes [player_tooltip player_id='1060696' first='Lindsey' last='Meslow'] who took to the court in 22 games last season. Meslow, who primarily operates in the frontcourt, averaged 7.5 points per game.    That graduating class for Lucy Beckham also includes [player_tooltip player_id='378102' first='Molly' last='Seifert'] who thrives in the backcourt as a two guard for the Bengals. Seifert played in 16 games last season and averaged 7.2 points and a steal per matchup.    One other name from that 2026 graduating class is Athena Dews who was on the court for 17 of Lucy Beckham's 23 games. She led the team in rebounding last season, hauling in 7.4 boards per game.    Stratford (Division 1)   (2024-25 Record: 9-18, 3-7)   It was only three years ago when Stratford was involved in the 5A state championship game against Mauldin at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center.    That contest went the way of the Mavericks.    Last season began promisingly for the Knights as evidenced by a 4-2 start that included wins over Woodland, C.A. Johnson, Colleton County and Timberland. The defeats were against Eastsidde and SCISA 4A Northwood Academy.    Stratford won five games the rest of the season, but three of those victories occurring in region (Cane Bay twice, Goose Creek once) got the Knights a 5A Division 1 state tournament berth. The Knights suffered an early exit at the hands of Spring Valley.    Last season was the first for Camille Toliver – who also coaches girls' track at Stratford – at the helm for the Knights.    Key Players:   Stratford may have graduated five seniors but one returning player is Averi Johnson who was a freshman for the Knights last season. Johnson first played at the varsity level as an eighth grader. She averaged 6.4 points and 1.7 steals per game.    The Knights' 2026 graduating class includes Harleigh Mosley. She is a multi-sport athlete who also plays soccer in addition to her basketball accolades. Mosley was one of Stratford's leading rebounders, averaging 3.1 per game.    Cane Bay (Division 1)   (2024-25 Record: 3-22, 0-10)   One of the relatively newer schools in the Palmetto State, it was not that long ago when Cane Bay won 23 games in a season. As of this writing, that is still the Cobras' high water mark for victories.    The only victories the Cobras mustered last season occurred against 2A Andrews on Dec. 4, against 2A Woodland and against SCISA 4A Wilson Hall on Jan. 2. The wins over Andrews and Wison Hall occurred at home.    Following that win over the Barons, Cane Bay then went on a 13-game losing skid and were on the outside looking in of the 5A Division 1 state tournament. The slimmest margin of defeat for the Cobras was 17 – which occurred in back-to-back games against Stratford and Lucy Beckham.   Five seniors graduated from coach Ira Owens' team last season.

Is it November Yet?