Region 4-AAAA: Aiken vs. South Aiken

Contests between Aiken and South Aiken are much anticipated not only because both are in the same region but because of the local rivalry that exists between the Green Hornets and Thoroughbreds.    The previous three contests between these two teams have gone in the direction of the green and gold. On Tuesday the T-Breds used a stifling defensive effort as well as timely offense to put together a commanding 45-16 victory over the Green Hornets.    “We set our standard on being a good defensive team from bouncing back to (those losses) to North Augusta and Gray (Collegiate),” South Aiken coach Russell Felton says. “And I told them as a group, we've got to collectively take care of the basketball better, defend and rebound harder than we ever did now because any given night, our conference is real tough.”    Records   The victory for the T-Breds improves their record to 11-5 in addition to a 5-2 mark in its region. As for the Green Hornets, they are now at 5-11 and have dropped to 2-5 in Region 4-AAAA. Aiken is also in the throes of a five-game losing streak.    Remember What Happened Last Time?    Aiken fans would likely rather remember what happened the last time it matched up against South Aiken prior to Tuesday's contest. That contest was the final regular season game of the 2024-25 season and it saw the Green Hornets get the better of the Thoroughbreds by a final tally of 59-53 at South Aiken.    Quarter-By-Quarter   That defense for South Aiken wasted no time making its presence felt. That opening eight minutes was not exactly an offensive clinic for the Thoroughbreds, but they were successful in keeping the Green Hornets off the scoreboard, mostly. With one frame complete, South Aiken had established a 7-2 advantage.    Aiken continued to struggle mightily in the second quarter and that allowed South Aiken to only grow its lead. As both teams would enter their respective locker rooms to discuss second half strategy, the scoreboard read 21-4 in favor of the T-Breds.    “The only way we're going to win a game is through defense,” Felton says. “Because we're young. We're extremely young. But I tell them all the time. No matter how young you are, you still can defend, you still can give effort, energy and enthusiasm. And that's why they're taking a conscious effort to try to really understand the smaller details to be a better defensive team.”   What was a 17-point edge for the Thoroughbreds at the conclusion of the first half would grow into the 20s as the third stanza was in the books. Through three frames, South Aiken's lead over Aiken was 32-10.    At this point, it was no longer a question of if the T-Breds would earn the victory over the Green Hornets, but what the point margin would be. That point margin would be 29 points for South Aiken's fifth region victory of the season.    Fun Fact   Tuesday night was the third time South Aiken had held a team under 20 points this season, but the first time it happened on its home court. The other two occasions were on the road in early December against 3A Silver Bluff and 2A Strom Thurmond.    Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/01/IMG_6704.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1674638" style="width:558px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Green Hornets defense had very few answers for the heroics of freshman guard Isabella Bottom. She concluded Tuesday night's contest with 14 points. Out of those 14, 10 took place in the first half. Felton praised Bottom's upside following Tuesday's contest against the Green Hornets.    “She played JV as an eighth grader last year,” Felton says of Bottom. “She was the leading scorer on the JV team last year. I didn't want to pull her up early because I wanted her to grow into the role that she has. She's a natural scorer who wants to score the ball in the basket, play hard defense, get downhill and she can shoot the three a little bit too.”    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/01/IMG_6707.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1674647" style="width:546px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Thoroughbreds also benefitted greatly from the 10 points that were placed on the scoreboard courtesy of senior Semaj Faulkner. She is one of two team co-captains on this year's South Aiken assembling.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/01/IMG_6709.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1674652" style="width:544px;height:auto" /></figure>   There are two eighth graders on this year's T-Breds team. One of them is Kaleigh Harris and she also helped her team to the tune of eight points. Harris is establishing herself as a stalwart for South Aiken's frontcourt.    Up Next   South Aiken will be back on the court on Friday as the Thoroughbreds travel to the Midlands to take on Brookland-Cayce. Aiken will look to turn things around that same day as it hosts another Midlands region foe in Airport.    “That's going to be a tough one on the road,” Felton says. “(Brookland-Cayce) played us tough here (in December). We won by eight points, we missed about 24 or 25 free throws. But I think, as a whole, our effort's got to be hard defensively…we've got to really keep them in front of us, contest shots and really just play sound defense when we go down there. They're well-coached.”    Other Region Scores:    North Augusta def. Midland Valley 64-17   Gray Collegiate def. Gilbert 74-38   Airport def. Brookland-Cayce 40-34

Contests between Aiken and South Aiken are much anticipated not only because both are in the same region but because of the local rivalry that exists between the Green Hornets and Thoroughbreds.