North Augusta is a tough out for any opponent – there is a reason why the Yellow Jackets are defending 4A champions. Spring Valley, the 5A Upper State finalists from last season are a tough out as well and Ratchford’s Vikings squad played North Augusta tough. Ratchford and her Vikings may have been on the receiving end of a 70-56 decision to the Yellow Jackets, but her 21 points led Spring Valley in what was a gutsy effort. She is willing to fall to the floor to complete a play in addition to providing a great deal of energy on defense. Ratchford is also confident in her ability to drain 3-pointers and has blossomed into an overall team leader for the Vikings.

We first discovered Ratchford during the 2021 travel season when she was transitioning out of Summit Parkway MS and into 5A Spring Valley. A mainstay of the Palmetto 76ers club program, her development has been a key reason why coach Megan Assey’s Vikings have experienced the success they have in recent years. Ratchford was part of a 2022-23 Spring Valley rendition that advanced to the 5A Upper State Final against eventual state champion Mauldin. Last season, she averaged 11.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 28 contests. Defense and hustle are among the strong points to her overall game.

The Vikings’ rising star guard proved to be not only a tone setter on offense but on defense in her team’s contest with Marlboro County to tip-off the 2022 rendition of She Got Next. Ratchford concluded the game with a 14-point effort as 5A Spring Valley romped to a victory at White Knoll HS’s auxiliary gym. Ratchford managed to get out into the open floor and finished strong at the rim on plenty of occasions. She also had opportunities at the free throw line with the contact she absorbed. Defensively, it was as if there was more than one of her on the floor as she swarmed the Marlboro County offense with all-out hustle and deflected passes.

Prep Girls Hoops became really familiar with Ratchford throughout the spring and summer months of AAU. She has worn the A’ja Wilson Elite 2025 uniform under the Nike umbrella and the team participated on a few events on the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit Triumph Region. Her team was at Peach Games in Atlanta. She can convert on tough shots and comes to the court with a confidence that can permeate throughout a locker room. Defensively, she can create steals and give her team extra possessions in addition to getting herself in position to haul in rebounds. Ratchford may have been sidelined from the Vikings’ playoff run because of an injury, but she is poised to be part of a Spring Valley assembling that looks to put the rest of the 5A field on notice.