SCHSL Class 4A: Upper State/Lower State Championships

When this year's 4A Upper and Lower State finals occur at the Florence Center, it will emanate following the other four classifications determining which teams will have centerstage as state championship participants.    In recent years, the Florence Center was the site for the Lower State finals, but the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) is experimenting with the concept of having both Lower and Upper State games in the same venue.    It is guaranteed we will have a new 4A champion with last season's victor North Augusta suffering defeat in the Upper State semifinal. There are four teams standing and all are worthwhile combatants for this year's 4A crown.   Upper State Final: Westside (24-3, 10-0) vs. Riverside (19-8, 7-1)   Westside   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/11/IMG_5630.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-812562" style="width:422px;height:auto" /></figure>   Westside encountered a bit of a down season in 2022-23 where it lost in the first round of last season's 4A tournament in a 47-28 decision to the eventual champion Yellow Jackets.   Following the retirement of Jackie Roberts, Nicole Hood assumed the reins at the helm at Westside and she has her Rams in position to win its third state championship in four years.    Westside has only lost once to a South Carolina opponent this season. That occurred in late November when the Rams were defeated by 5A J.L. Mann with the final score being 59-52. Entering Wednesday's Upper State final, Westside has won 15 consecutive contests.    Rams' Road to Florence:   Feb. 13 – 87-17 win vs. Airport   Feb. 16 – 68-59 win vs. Wade Hampton   Feb. 21 – 44-30 win vs. North Augusta   Key Players   [player_tooltip player_id='195514' first='Monasia' last='Clinkscales'] tallied 15 points in the win over the Yellow Jackets. Her sophomore campaign has seen her average 9.7 points, 3.9 assists and 3.2 steals in 23 games.   [player_tooltip player_id='268140' first='Ahri' last='Scott'] is envisioning her high school career concluding with a state championship. She has been Westside's leading scorer at 12.1 points in addition to 2.6 steals per matchup.   Teams looking to put Westside in the loss column have to deal with 6-foot-5 [player_tooltip player_id='324541' first='Khalia' last='Hartwell'] patrolling the paint. She has averaged 10.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game.   Standing at 5-foot-11, Makyhia Paul also gives the Rams interior depth. She is averaging 7.2 points, 6.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game.   [player_tooltip player_id='408418' first='Kiki' last='Gregory'] is another of the four seniors that make up this rendition of Rams basketball. She has averaged 6.1 points and three steals a matchup.   Riverside   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/11/IMG_5513.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-812505" style="width:473px;height:auto" /></figure>   It was not that long ago that the name “Riverside” in the Palmetto State high school girls basketball lexicon would have been met with quizzical looks.    Today's Warriors are not one's older sister's Warriors. Coach Brianne Jones' assembling won 20 games last season and has followed that up with another noteworthy showing that has them bound for Florence.    Last season, Riverside was eliminated in the second round in a rout to Pickens. When the Warriors take to the court in 2024-25, it will be once again as a 5A combatant. Riverside was previously a 5A school from 2016 to 2022.    Warriors' Road to Florence:   Feb. 13 – 82-20 win vs. Indian Land   Feb. 16 – 63-56 vs. Pickens   Feb. 21 – 63-61 vs. South Pointe   Key Players   [player_tooltip player_id='371196' first='Kyndal' last='Haroski'] may only be a sophomore, but she has established herself as one of the premier 3-point shooters in the state. Haroski has averaged 17.4 points and 2.2 steals per game.   [player_tooltip player_id='414178' first='Elly' last='Trickett'] is one of the frontcourt stalwarts for the Warriors. She is averaging 12.6 points and seven rebounds a game.   Looking to earn a victory over Riverside means finding a way to contain [player_tooltip player_id='682871' first='Madison' last='Garrido']. This season, she has posted numbers of 14 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 3.1 assists per matchup.   Speaking of sophomores, Sophie Powell has also shined as a 2026 as she is averaging 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals a game.   Last Meeting   Jan. 31, 2012 – 49-41 Westside win   When and Where?   Feb. 28 – 2 p.m. at Florence Center   Lower State Final: A.C. Flora (22-7, 8-2) vs. Ridge View (21-8, 10-0)   A.C. Flora   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/11/IMG_5016-crop-3387x2224-1700081720.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-806830" style="width:511px;height:auto" /></figure>   Just as the Upper State final will feature a pair of teams from the Upstate, the Lower State championship will put two region rivals from the Midlands on center stage.   One of those teams is A.C. Flora. Jacob Thompson's Falcons were Lower State participants last season but suffered defeat at the hands of another Columbia-area team in eventual 4A runner-up Westwood.    The Falcons have now put together back-to-back 20-win campaigns. A.C. Flora was victorious on 20 occasions last season and on 22 in 2023-24. The Falcons will remain in the 4A ranks next season, but will move from a Lower State region to one in the Upper State.    Falcons' Road to Florence:   Feb. 13 – 58-36 win vs. Easley   Feb. 16 – 52-41 win vs. Lucy Beckham   Feb. 21 – 50-37 win vs. Wilson   Key Players   The primary featured player for A.C. Flora is [player_tooltip player_id='185224' first='Terriana' last='Gray'] who is a commit to Alabama A&M. She has averaged 17.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 steals per contest.   Another of the Falcons' signature standouts is [player_tooltip player_id='496281' first='Skylar' last='McCray']. Her sophomore season has seen her average 10.6 points and 2.1 steals a game.   [player_tooltip player_id='670334' first='Madison' last='Mickens'], a junior, has competed in 26 games this season for A.C. Flora averaging 9.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 steals in those 26 games.   [player_tooltip player_id='429827' first='Tamira' last='Delaney'] has played in 19 games this season as a sophomore. She has averaged 8.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.8 steals.   Ridge View   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/11/IMG_5531-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-812512" style="width:473px;height:auto" /></figure>   On the heels of a somewhat surprisingly deep run in last season's 4A tournament, much of the conversation around the Blazers revolved around what they could do for an encore.    Coach Terrence Gibson's team has answered that question emphatically and then some. The last team to place Ridge View in the loss column was the 3A juggernaut that is Wren in mid-January. Since then, the Blazers have embarked on an 11-game win streak.    The upcoming contest with A.C. Flora is also a rematch of a third-round playoff matchup last season that the Falcons won by a lopsided 57-24. Ridge View will move back up to the 5A realm following this season.    Blazers' Road to Florence:   Feb. 13 – 65-26 win vs. Myrtle Beach   Feb. 16 – 55-48 win vs. Hartsville   Feb. 21 – 50-49 win vs. Bluffton   Key Players   Ridge View can defeat teams in a variety of ways. One of those is with the stellar play of [player_tooltip player_id='323653' first='Anasia' last='Harvey'] who is averaging 10.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.   Another way that the Blazers make life difficult for opponents is via [player_tooltip player_id='268137' first='Simone' last='Johnson']. In 28 contests, the sophomore is averaging 9.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.   [player_tooltip player_id='358290' first='Lucia' last='Bailey'] has saved her best for last in her senior season. She has played in 28 games while averaging 8.7 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game.   Another senior is [player_tooltip player_id='358292' first='Destiny' last='Drakeford'] who also plays volleyball alongside her basketball accomplishments. She has averaged 8.5 points and 6.9 rebounds in 27 games.   Last Meetings   Jan. 23 at Ridge View – 45-43 Ridge View win   Feb. 9 at A.C. Flora – 64-47 Ridge View win   When and Where?   Feb. 28, 6 p.m. at Florence Center

When this year's 4A Upper and Lower State finals occur at the Florence Center, it will emanate following the other four classifications determining which teams will have centerstage as state championship participants.