One of the more entertaining contests that took place the Friday at J.L. Mann HS was a 4A vs. 4A battle between Bluffton and Greer. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, Heyward put the Bobcats in position to get in the win column as she put 15 points on the scoreboard. The 5-foot-9 senior also assumes team captaincy duties for Bluffton. At her height, one may consider her taller than the average guard and that comes in useful when looking to bolster a team’s rebounding efforts. Heyward also has knack for knowing when to score and when to pass and also is plays tough defense as well.

Tacoya stays around the paint and really isn’t a true post player at all. Heyward is a stat-sheet stuffer with her production. She scores most of her buckets around the paint area on putbacks and layups. Tacoya enters her senior season with 1,174 points, 576 rebounds, 335 assists and 394 steals.

Heyward brings production to the table, and it really doesn’t matter where she plays on the floor. She helped the Lady Bobcats finish (19-6) a year ago in Class 4A.

When thinking about standout 2024s from the Lowcountry, one must not look any further than this standout who represents 4A Bluffton. Similar to Brown, she too also participated in AAU ball with SC Future. Johnson & Wales Charlotte, Lees-McRae and Claflin have all extended offers to Heyward recently. When basketball is on the backburner, Heyward turns her attention to the track and field realm. In 2022-23, Heyward averaged 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, four assists and 3.6 steals to lead her Bobcats to a 19-6 record and the second round of last season’s tournament. She is listed at 5-foot-8, thrives as a combo guard and participated in last year’s SCBCA Girls Elite Camp.

Heyward has picked up some offers this season from Lee’s McCrae (NC) and Claflin University (SC) NCAA D2 schools recently. Tacoya plays down in the Lowcountry at Bluffton HS for the Lady Bobcats. She enters her senior season with 1,174 career points. Heyward averaged 13.3 ppg, 6.9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3.6 steals last season. She guided the Lady Bobcats to a (19-6) under longtime Head Coach Lonnie Roberts.

Heyward ran with SC Future this past summer on the Grassroots Circuit. Tacoya rebounds the ball very well from her position on the floor. She finds her way to be around the ball to constantly make a play on both ends of the court. Heyward can finish with both hands at the rim.

Can the Bobcats make some noise in Class 4A this year?

(*PGH Preseason Player of the Year*)rnThe rest of the Palmetto State high school hoops landscape may be encountered an extra-motivating Heyward given her Bobcats suffered a surprising first-round exit to Darlington. Heyward has also participated in track and field events throughout her high school career. She has accurate 3-point shot from that particular range and can also bring down a good bit of rebounds. In addition, she can get out in the open floor and convert on transition baskets. Heyward will reject a good number of shots and can create extra possessions with how many steals she can rack up. Outside of the loss to the Falcons, the only other defeat Bluffton suffered was to Northwestern.

Tacoya makes winning plays on the floor it seems all the time. Heyward rebounds the ball well from the guard spot, takes a charge, picks up a steal, grabs a loose a ball or just makes a bucket.

She won’t overwhelm you with anything she really does but she’s very effective with her play and production while on the court.

Heyward has found success athletically not only as a basketball player but also in the track and field realm as a sprinter and jumper. Defensively, she is very likely to reject an opponent’s shot and come away with plenty of steals to create additional possessions for her team. She also can grab a good number of rebounds. One of the ways Heyward puts a good number of points on the board is via what she does from behind the 3-point line. She can also come up with big plays in the transition game. Heyward averaged 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.1 steals and four assists last season for 4A Bluffton.

In recent seasons, Bluffton has become one of the more respected teams of the Palmetto State’s 4A ranks – and a great deal of the Bobcats’ recent success can be attributed to its multi-talented multi-athlete who also sprints and jumps in track and field. Heyward can be accurate from behind the 3-point arc and compliments that with her ability to get out in the open floor and convert on transition baskets. She also will haul in her fair share of rebounds. Heyward has proven her worth as a shot blocker and ball hawk on the defensive end of the floor as well.