Region 2-A Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the 2022 calendar now at the month of October, it will not be long before the high school sports calendar transitions from the volleyball and football portion of the ledger to basketball – its signature winter sport.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout the next several weeks, Prep Girls Hoops will provide comprehensive previews of every&nbsp;region&nbsp;in the state, highlighting the players to watch in said&nbsp;regions&nbsp;and giving our predictions on who we believe will finish where.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We began our&nbsp;region-by-region&nbsp;previews with a look at&nbsp;Region&nbsp;1-1A – which mostly features teams in South Carolina's Upstate. Next up is&nbsp;Region&nbsp;2-1A and the teams that compete there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>2023s</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_634899c23f548","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["235394"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Bell first began wearing the green Dixie colors when she was in the eighth grade. She stands at 6-foot-3 and the low post is where she butters her basketball bread. She is also a two-sport athlete that has become very used to the Hornet's hardwood given she also plays volleyball. Bell excels as a shot blocker, does a great deal of work on the offensive and defensive glass and can get her fair share of high percentage shot opportunities. She has also participated in track and field events throughout her athletic career and can translate a number of those attributes over to basketball.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_63489a053f549","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["175383"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Wideman made a bit of news over the tail end of the offseason when she announced she would be committing to Columbia College to continue her track and field career. The Chiefs did qualify for last season's 1A playoffs even though Wideman plays for a team that plays off the grid in McCormick County. She possesses plenty of playmaking ability particularly on the defensive side. Wideman does the little things with efficiency as well such as go after 50-50 balls. She understands how to get in position near the rim and turn passes she receives near the basket into two points for her team.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_63489a353f54a","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["215707"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Between Wideman and her teammate Milton, the Chiefs will be graduating an impressive 2023 class. Milton has participated in track and field events that include the shot put and javelin competitions. She understands how to exploit matchup disadvantages that can give her team an additional edge. She has a near six foot height advantages as she stands at 5-foot-10. Milton and Wideman are returning to a McCormick team that nearly pulled off an upset of Calhoun Falls Charter in last season's 1A tournament. Playing a team like the Chiefs means playing off the grid, but that could change if McCormick makes noise in the 1A tournament.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>2025s</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_63489a843f54b","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["235401"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The Blue Flashes emerged as a team to beat last season and one can certainly expect that 2021-22 success will certainly translate well into this season. She ran on the grassroots circuit this past spring and summer with County Line Elite. Thomas is also a potent scorer and one way she does this is via her proficiency from behind the 3-point line. She can throw defenders off balance with how she finishes at the rim. Thomas also has impeccable ball handling capabilities. As she enters her sophomore season at Calhoun Falls Charter, even bigger things are expected from this rising star.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_63489ad73f54d","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["387010"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Alongside basketball, Sanders possesses a diverse athletic resume that also includes track. Between both sports, she has put together a standout career at the preps level. Sanders primarily plays at the four and is a frontcourt stalwart for the rising power that is the Blue Flashes. This can particularly be seen with the work she puts in on both the offensive and defensive glasses. The play of Sanders ought to be huge in continuing Calhoun Falls Charter's ascent up the 1A ranks. Last season may have been Sanders' first with the Blue Flashes but her skillset is indicative of that of a seasoned veteran.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><em>2027s</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_63489b213f54e","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["387003"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cemu003eu003cstrongu003e(*PGH Preseason Player of the Year*)u003c/strongu003eu003c/emu003ernrnGillam became a name very familiar to Prep Girls Hoops over the spring and summer months with her Greenwood Storm AAU team. She led the team to the 14U Triumph u003cspan class=u0022ilu0022u003eRegionu003c/spanu003e Championship at the Upward Star Center in Spartanburg and hopes to translate that into another noteworthy campaign with the rising Blue Flashes. Gillam manages to make proficient passes to get her teammates involved in the flow of a game. She is efficient from behind the 3-point arc and is a gifted rim attacker. Gillam will have no problems absorbing contact and finding her way to the free throw line.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Prep Girls Hoops predictions:</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Calhoun Falls Charter</strong> - Its talented young core will have the Blue Flashes contending for the next several seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>McCormick</strong> – The Chiefs are moving to&nbsp;Region&nbsp;2-A from&nbsp;Region&nbsp;1-A.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dixie</strong> – Two of the Hornets' victories from last season came at the expense of Whitmire.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Whitmire</strong> – Two of the Wolverines' victories from last season came over Ware Shoals.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ware Shoals</strong> – The Hornets' last winning season came in 2011-12.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->