Region 5-AAA Preview

As we switch the months on our calendars from October to November, the high school sports calendar is also in a state of change as we are close to being underway with the 2021-22 high school basketball season across the Palmetto State. As we get closer to the start of the season, Prep Girls Hoops will be releasing in-depth region-by-region previews, highlighting key players as well as looking ahead to how each team will finish in the region standings. In the last couple of weeks, we released our single-A and double-A previews. We continue with our triple-A outlooks by taking a closer look at Region 5-AAA. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-254236" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/93A19D2C-F9A4-408C-9BD7-E8C7448E3033-scaled-crop-2560x1681-1613048862-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124099" first="Shar’dasia" last="Zeigler"] – Orangeburg-Wilkinson HS – 2022</strong> – Region 5-AAA is one that is plentiful with senior talent. One has to look no further than the Bruinettes standout senior combo guard. Zeigler plays every game with an aggressive edge that provides a boost for her team and can be a tall task for opposing defenses and coaches. She possesses a talent for attacking the rim and particularly emphasizes her defensive play. After this season, Zeigler will stay in the Orangeburg area as she has committed to play her college ball at South Carolina State. Shar'dasia averaged 20.4 ppg last season for the Bruinettes. <strong>Zeigler has been named Prep Girls Hoops Preseason Region Player of the Year.</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="173108" first="Talayah" last="Hamilton"] – Strom Thurmond HS – 2022</strong> – This season has all the makings of a resurgent campaign for Hamilton, not only because of her upperclassman status, but also because she is coming off ACL surgery. Hamilton displays her versatility with her knack for being able to play as either a guard or a forward. She runs the floor well and is able to make many a play around the rim. Hamilton will corral rebounds and draw contact to put her at the line. She averaged over nine points per game in the eight contests she played in last season for the Rebels – as well as over 10 points two seasons ago as a sophomore. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-255753" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/41613BDA-1459-4798-BD9D-012B239649BF.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="255750" first="Zykeria" last="Valentine"] – 2022 – Fox Creek HS</strong> – Valentine played her first season with the Predators in 2020-21 after transferring from North Augusta. Fox Creek is coming off a season where the team qualified for the regional final. Valentine is not only a backcourt mainstay for coach Owen Jacobs’ Predators squad, but also a defensive mainstay. She will collect her fair share of steals which can translate to her running the floor efficiently in the transition game. Valentine can set up herself up to be in position to grab rebounds and can knock down a number of attempts from behind the 3-point line. Zykeria averaged 9.5 ppg last season. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-304214" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/07/1F9C8F93-94E0-4FCE-A4F4-58E7768F3AC7-scaled-crop-1920x1261-1625220038-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="190147" first="Asia" last="Graves"] – Orangeburg-Wilkinson HS – 2022</strong> – Once this season has concluded, Bruinettes coach Cedrick Simpson will have a tall task on his hands to fill the sneakers left by this senior class. Graves knows how to slow a game down and set it at a pace that is comfortable for her and her team. She effectively can run point and allows her team to maintain possession with her ball handling and passing. Graves is a hard-nosed defender and is not afraid to fall to the floor if it means completing a play or diving for a loose ball. She also will excel in the transition game. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-254238" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/1A3F7F90-5E79-4D4F-92C6-CE5E649150EF-scaled-crop-2560x1681-1613048924-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="241662" first="Deondra" last="Jones"] – Strom Thurmond HS – 2022</strong> – As coach Landon Booker enters his seventh season with the Lady Rebels, Strom Thurmond is coming off a season that saw the team go 10-4 in addition to a 6-2 mark in region play. Jones is a spark plug for her team and will haul in her fair share of rebounds. With how she is able to score, Jones is a double-double possibility on a game-by-game basis. She is strong in attacking the rim, defending and finding her way to the free throw line. In addition to her basketball play, Jones also has track and field as part of her athletic resume. Jones averaged 13 ppg last season for the Lady Rebels. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-332964" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/4B04724E-81DE-4CDA-A99B-850495FE245D.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="190146" first="Deondra" last="Darby"] – Orangeburg-Wilkinson HS – 2022</strong> – From one Deondra to another. Prep Girls Hoops last noticed Darby at the Top 250 Expo in Myrtle Beach and was one of our Surprise Showings. Darby will go after the ball on defense. She will go at the rim and a long-range jump shot adds another element to her offensive attack. Darby displays shooting prowess in addition to a high basketball IQ. She excels in the transition game and can be a catalyst for making things happen on both offense and defense. Darby will also absorb her fair share of contact and put points on the board from the free throw line. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="216955" first="Katlyn" last="Chinn"] – Strom Thurmond HS – 2024</strong> – When one emerges onto the varsity basketball scene as an eighth grader as Chinn did two seasons ago, that bodes well for one’s career. Chinn goes at defenders with a fearless mentality which extends into how she approaches defense. Her activity on defense enables her to cause deflections and interceptions of passes. Chinn is a proficient passer and runs the floor well as a key piece of the Rebels backcourt. She can set up her offense to have productive possessions in the half-court game. Chinn will shoot the ball from anywhere on the court – including over taller defenders and is not afraid to dive to the floor and go after loose balls. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="305000" first="Madison" last="McCain"] – 2025 – Fox Creek HS</strong> – This 5-foot-10 big is sure to provide quite the interior presence for the Predators for this season and in the coming years. McCain provides a different dimension to coach Owen Jacobs’ Predators team on what is otherwise a guard-heavy bunch. She will be one of many freshmen across the state that sets the 2025 class to be one to be on the lookout for. Could Fox Creek be setting itself up for an improved 2021-22? The play of McCain looks to be an important element in the Predators claiming a much sought-after winning year in Jacobs’ sixth season as coach. <em><strong>Prep Girls Hoops predictions:</strong></em> Orangeburg-Wilkinson HS – Coach Simpson’s senior class looks to close their high school careers with an emphatic statement. The Bruinettes finished (14-2) last season. Fox Creek HS - The Predators will look to stay on top this coming season. Strom Thurmond HS – The Lady Rebels finished the season at (10-4) last year. Gilbert HS – Four of Gilbert’s five losses last season came against either Orangeburg-Wilkinson or Strom Thurmond. Swansea HS – Both of the Lady Tigers victories last season came at the expense of Brookland-Cayce. Brookland-Cayce HS – The Lady Bearcats last winning season was in 2017-18 when they finished 14-9 (7-3 in region).