First-Half Season Milestones and Records

With the new calendar year having arrived, we are on the “2026” side of the 2025-26 season.    Most of the multi-team showcase and tournament schedule is in the books and the intensity of play is expected to increase with region play having arrived.    The region schedule can solidify contender status for some teams while others have a second chance to redeem their seasons and possibly catch momentum into tournament play.    The opening half of the season saw a litany of names achieve career milestones or set records with their play. Without further ado, let us take a look at some of those milestones and records that were established in November and December into the first few days of January.     Last month, Shaw achieved not only a personal milestone but a school one as well. The junior star for 2A Kingstree became the first in the program's history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. As of this writing, the Blazers are 9-2 and have won their first three games to sit atop its region. Shaw, as expected, is leading the way for Kingstree as she is averaging a double-double of 18.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in addition to five assists and five steals through the Blazers' first 11 games. Shaw also led Kingstree to winning the recently completed HTC Tournament hosted by 3A Waccamaw. She is a two-sport athlete who also plays softball. The Blazers begin its region schedule on Jan. 6 as they host East Clarendon.     Helmer's 3A St. Joseph's Catholic team had a rough go of things at the She Got Next Thanksgiving Classic which was co-hosted by 5A Division 1 Lexington and 5A Division 2 Irmo. The Knights were on the receiving end of losses to SCISA 4A Northwood Academy and 5A Division 2 Riverside but Helmer achieved program history when she became the program's all-time leading scorer. Helmer is continuing to pad that stat with another season of stellar play. Through 13 games, the Furman volleyball commit has averaged 15.5 points and 1.9 steals per contest. Helmer's Knights are set to commence region play this Friday against Christ Church.     Last month, Haggard was acknowledged for reaching two career plateaus for her time at 5A Division 2 Chapin. Not only did she eclipse 1,000 points as an Eagle but she also reached the 500-rebound mark as well. Following this season, Haggard will put her full attention toward softball as she committed to East Tennessee State. Through 11 games, Haggard is averaging 10.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per contest. Chapin has begun the season at 8-5. The Eagles compete in one of the tougher regions in the state and that region slate commences this Friday when Chapin travels to 5A Division 1 Dutch Fork.     One of the eight teams that took part in the Girls Night Out Showcase which was hosted by 5A Division 2 Goose Creek was 3A Keenan. The Raiders may have been on the receiving end of a loss to defending 1A champion Military Magnet but the sophomore achieved a career milestone when she reached the 1,000-point plateau as a sophomore. Lee-Sutton, who has played at the varsity level since she as a seventh grader, has put up career numbers in 2025-26. She is averaging 23.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 steals per contest. Lee-Sutton's Raiders are set to begin region play next week as Swansea visits The Cove.     The Pee Dee is home to one of the state's premier frontcourt forces in Joseph at 4A Darlington. It was during the middle of last month when she reached the 1,000-point and 500-rebound plateaus for her career. In her senior season sporting the Falcons' signature purple hue, Joseph is averaging 10.6 points, eight rebounds and 2.4 steals. She recently led Darlington to a second-place finish at the Lugoff Chevy Buick Christmas Classic that was hosted by 2A Chesterfield. As of this writing, the Falcons are 10-3 and begin region play against another of the state's tougher 4A outs in Lower Richland.     Following a berth in the 1A Upper State championship last season, Parks' North assembling is back for more in 2025-26. On Dec. 17, the Eagles hosted 4A Gilbert and earned a 66-51 victory on its home court. Parks reached a career milestone as she reached the 1,000-point plateau. Parks is this year's team captain for North and she has led by example as evidenced by the 19.8 points, seven rebounds, 5.6 steals and three assists she has averaged. She is set to make more news this month as she will announce her college commitment on Jan. 15. Her final five schools are Mississippi Valley State, Columbia College, Erskine, Parkland College and Chaminade. North's region schedule starts on Jan. 6 when the Eagles leave their nest for another – that of Blackville-Hilda's Hawks.     Alexander was one of the highest profile transfers of the offseason and is a key reason why the Bulldogs of 4A Camden have opened its 2025-26 campaign with an undefeated 11-0 record. On Dec. 16 at Keenan, the Bulldogs earned a 76-43 victory over the Raiders that saw Alexander reach the 1,500-point mark for her career. A few days later, Camden was on the winning end of a 75-39 decision against 5A Division 2 Lugoff-Elgin that saw Alexander reach 1,000 rebounds for her career. Through the Bulldogs' first 11 games, Alexander is averaging 16.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Alexander committed to Tennessee State over the offseason. Camden begins region play on Monday Jan. 5 against Dreher.     Fortner's 2A Landrum team is heading into region play the way any team would want to – in the throes of a winning streak. That winning streak included winning its Battle at the Border tournament – and at the expense of a previously undefeated 5A Division 1 Spartanburg team to do so. Prior to the win over the Vikings, the Cardinals earned an 83-54 victory over 3A Broome – one that saw Fortner tally 31 points and become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Landrum program. The senior two guard will lead her Cardinals into region battle one more time beginning Tuesday as Blacksburg pays a visit to The Cage.     Lucy Beckham may be one of South Carolina's newer schools, but Watts has wasted no time etching her name into Bengals record books. On Dec. 19, Lucy Beckham earned a 58-37 victory over a tough 4A out in Bishop England. Watts drained a grand total of seven 3-pointers to set a school record. The junior SC Sixers product is a two-sport athlete who also competes in volleyball alongside her basketball achievements. Watts has played at the varsity level since she was an eighth grader. In eight games this season, Watts has averaged 10.6 points and 2.3 steals per contest. The Bengals begin its region schedule this Friday against defending 5A Division 2 champion Berkeley.     The addition of Earl has paid massive dividends for a 4A Westside team that once again has state success on the brain. The Rams took part at the She Got Game Showcase at the Lakepoint Sports Complex in Georgia. Earl reached the 1,000-point mark as Westside earned an 86-61 victory over 5A River Ridge of the Peach State. As of this writing, Earl's play has helped the Rams to an 11-1 record – including a non-region slate that has featured plenty of out-of-state competition. Westside's only loss was in a 56-55 decision to 7A North Meck out of North Carolina. Earl and her Rams begin its region schedule this Friday at Southside.

With the new calendar year having arrived, we are on the “2026” side of the 2025-26 season.