SCBCA Live: 2028s Ready to be Great

Live period events are among the most anticipated gatherings of the offseason schedule. This applies to either the travel months of April, May or July or camp month in June.    Seeing luminaries from various college programs on hand can be additionally motivating for a high school prospect. That was the case this past weekend at Riverview Park in North Augusta for the recent South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association (SCBCA) Live event.    We at Prep Girls Hoops also made the drive out to the riverfront venue on the South Carolina-Georgia state line for the Friday slate of games. We continue our post-event coverage by spotlighting a few talented rising juniors.     Dunat appears poised to step up into a much bigger role this season for 5A River Bluff. She's earning the playing time – she competed in 24 games last season for coach Jordan Leath's Gators and one can expect an increase in minutes. At 5-foot-11, Dunat has shown prowess as an interior scorer and rebounder. Finishing with strength at the rim is another one of Dunat's strengths as is being an efficient runner of the floor. She plays with a heads-up attitude at all times when she is on the court but it especially can display itself on the defensive end of the floor where opposing ball-carriers can be left prone to turning the ball over.     Heyward would see playing time in all 27 contests for the Bearcats of 5A Rock Hill this past season. As she transitions to junior status for coach Kenny Orr's Bearcats, she is showing signs of embracing a “next woman up” mentality. Her team may have been on the receiving end of a loss to another 5A combatant in River Bluff but Heyward led the Bearcats' efforts with a 10-point performance. Her team connected on four 3-point attempts in that contest – two of them departed from Heyward's hands. She also consistently displayed her toughness with her willingness to find her way to the free throw line.     Wright and her 5A Chapin assembling would be in a tough contest with another 5A squad in Spartanburg. She would lead her Eagles with a 19-point performance on Friday afternoon. Wright knew that she would have a matchup advantage and took full advantage of it with high-percentage buckets. In addition, she would display her offensive versatility with her 3-point shot. Wright primarily played as a big in the contest with the Vikings even though she is listed on Chapin's roster as a three forward. She played in 25 games last season in an Eagles uniform and was one of three from the class of 2028 on last season's Chapin team that was a 5A Division 2 Lower State semifinalist.     Goose Creek is set to be one of the teams to be watch over the next several seasons and Griffin is poised to establish herself as one of the Gators' marquee names. In one of the most anticipated matchups of Saturday's play, Griffin concluded her day with a 10-point performance as the Gators took on defending 4A Upper State champion Westside. Her overall performance included her connecting on a pair of 3-point attempts. Griffin also managed to play solid defense that caused problems for the Rams' attack. In the 22 games she played last season sporting Goose Creek gold and black, she averaged 8.7 points and 2.8 steals per contest.     Instead of a sophomore slump, Lombana encountered a sophomore jump in 2025-26 with Riverside. She appears poised to take another step forward as she transitions to junior status and as the Warriors return to the 4A classification. Riverside would barely get the better of one of the tougher 3A outs there is in Oceanside Collegiate in large part because of Lombana's stellar 3-point shooting. Lombana would connect on five of her attempts from distance. Add in ball-handling skills and one can see why Lombana is set to take on a leadership role for her Riverside assembling.

Live period events are among the most anticipated gatherings of the offseason schedule. This applies to either the travel months of April, May or July or camp month in June.