South Carolina – Upper State Finals – Game Preview
Upper State Finals Preview – Battle for a spot in the South Carolina State Championship Game In South Carolina Basketball, the state is broken up by upper & lower state when it comes to Basketball, the winners of these…
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Continue ReadingUpper State Finals Preview – Battle for a spot in the South Carolina State Championship Game
In South Carolina Basketball, the state is broken up by upper & lower state when it comes to Basketball, the winners of these championships will play each other to decide the States top Basketball teams of the 5 Classifications in public schools. I will be looking at the 5 games that will make up the Upper State Championships being held February 28-29 in Greenville, SC.
1A – Friday February 28 – 4:00 PM
Estill High School ( 25 – 2)
VS
High Point Academy (17 – 9)
High Point Academy is the defending upper state champions in this classification and was 1 quarter away from being State Champions last year but fell to a scrappy and determined Scotts Branch team in the finals. Estill has played some great basketball all year and will be tested by the experience of High Point Academy. This young group at Estill is built for the future, they won a State title in 2017 and I am sure these young talented players have been influenced by the 3 State titles in the last 20+ years at the school, lets see if they can add to that legacy.
Impact Players
- Estill – 8th Gr. – 5’5” – Guard – Tamya Hutchinson
- Estill – 2023 – 5’11” – Forward – Nykia Mitchell
- High Point – 2020 – 6’0” – Wing – Taniah Wilkins
- High Point – 2022 – 5’5” – Guard – Adiyah Owens
2A – Saturday February 29 – 11:00 AM
Saluda High School ( 20 – 1)
VS
Christ Church School ( 22 – 5)
Christ Church is looking to stamp themselves as a dynasty in the 2A Classification in Girls Basketball, if they are to repeat as upper state Champions that would be 3 of the last 4 and would give themselves a chance to win their 2nd consecutive State Championship and 4rd in 6 years. Saluda is looking to make a name for themselves with the Region player of the year in Jr. – Guard – Kalisha Hill – Along with some teammates that are hungry to make a name for themselves. This will be an interesting game to see play out, both teams can play fast or slow it down, who will make the most shots to win.
Impact Players
- Christ Church – So. – 6’0” – Guard – McCall King
- Christ Church – Sr. – 5’10” – Guard – Marisa Powe
- Christ Church – Fr. – 5’10” – Forward – Yasmene Clark
- Saluda – Jr. – 5’8” – Guard – Kalisha Hill
- Saluda – Fr. – 5’6” – Guard – Tiara Daniels
- Saluda – Jr. – 5’6” – Guard – Mya Carroll
3A – Saturday February 29 – 2:00 PM
Keenan High School (24 – 4)
VS
Seneca High School (19 – 6)
Keenan comes into this game as the reigning defending upper state Champs at the 3A level as well as the 2018 2A State Champions, Seneca is coming on with some great momentum but it will be hard to slow down this moving train that is Keenan Girls Basketball. Seneca is a team that gets production from multiple players throughout the game and will need them all to get past Keenan team that just put up 100 pts in the previous round to earn their 4th consecutive berth into the Upper State Championship game.
Impact Players
- Keenan – Fr. – 5’7” – Guard – Milaysia Fulwiley
- Keenan – So. – 6’11” – Forward – Jailyn Oree
- Keenan – Jr. – 5’9” – Forward – Ashari Lewis
- Seneca – Sr. – 5’5” – Guard – Kaliah Kendrick
- Seneca – Sr. – 5’10” – Forward – Tadaija Brown
4A – Friday February 28 – 7:00 PM
South Pointe High School (26 – 2)
VS
Westwood High School (25 – 4)
This is a rematch of last year’s upper state Championship game and will be the 6th time these teams have played each other over the last 2 seasons. Familiar foes to say the least, they are in the same conference and they both are very familiar with how each other plays. I believe this game is going to come down to rebounding and even though Westwood has the size advantage, that is not the only thing that goes into rebounding. This game will be very close and with South Pointe and Westwood having impact Seniors on the floor, it will be about who wants it more.
Impact Players
- Westwood – Sr. – 6’3” – Forward – Nyah Leverreter
- Westwood – Sr. – 5’6” – Guard – J’Amari Frederick
- Westwood – Fr. – 5’7” – Guard – Jessica Woods
- Westwood – Jr. – 5’9” – Guard – Malayziah Etheredge
- South Pointe – Sr. – 5’7” – Guard – Jamia Blake
- South Pointe – Sr. – 6’0” – Forward – Randi Neal
- South Pointe – Jr. – 5’11” – Guard – Trinity Adams
- South Pointe – So. – 5’7” – Guard – Najah Lane
5A – Saturday February 29 – 5:00 PM
Clover High School (27 – 2)
VS
Irmo High School (24 – 3)
This game will feature some of the best athletes that South Carolina Basketball has to offer – Clover Jr. – Guard – Aylesha Wade – Is a force on the basketball court and will be a problem to contain. Irmo – Fr. – Forward – Maliah Mason – Can control the paint & the backboards, also holds an offer to USC from Dawn Staley. The other players are going to be the ones to determine the outcome of this game and this will be 2 teams trying to play at their own pace – Clover will try to slow it down and Irmo will like to go fast especially in transition.
Impact Players
- Irmo – Sr. – 5’6” – Guard – Ehrial Wagstaff
- Irmo – Sr. – 5’8” – Guard Jayla Lovett
- Irmo – Fr. – 6’1′ – Forward – Maliah Mason
- Clover – Jr. – 5’6” – Guard – Aylesha Wade
- Clover – Sr. – 5’5” – Guard – Mariana Ballard
- Clover – Jr. – 6’1” – Forward – Janelle Carter