After hours spent sifting through stats and considering insight from coaches, the inaugural RBC Heritage All-Lowco Girls Basketball Team is complete.

No one knows a player better than her coach, so coaches’ assessments of their own players were the top consideration when compiling this list. Stats don’t lie (except when they do) so numbers carried significant weight. Finally, opposing coaches often are capable of providing an unbiased comparison of players from rival teams, so that input helped to sort out the pecking order.

In many cases, this is an exercise in splitting hairs. The difference between some players on the five-player first team and those on the five-player second team is minuscule, as is the divide between the second team and those who earned honorable mention. The same could be said for the narrow margin separating those who made the list from the players who just missed the cut.

In basketball, more than in other sports, SCISA competition is on par with the quality of public school play, so you will see a strong private-school representation here.

Ultimately, this is a culmination of opinions, and yours may vary. Just remember that in order to put someone else *on* the list, someone has to come *off* the list. Awards should mean something, and limiting the size of the team to 25 players in an area of 12 high schools seemed like a fair place to draw the line while retaining an appropriate level of prestige.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Frederick Toomer, RHHS — There were plenty of impressive coaching performances in the area, including big jumps for young programs at John Paul II (Karen Floyd) and May River (Jermaine Bigham) and deep playoff runs at Hilton Head Christian Academy (Kenny Conroy) and Beaufort Academy (Lillian Aldred), but the dominance Toomer oversaw at Ridgeland-Hardeeville was tough to beat. The Jaguars dropped their first two games in a preseason tournament in Savannah but lost only once more before a 57-50 setback to Newberry in the Class 3A state championship game.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Quanajia Drayton, Sr., G, RHHS — Drayton was the best player on the area’s best team, and she’s arguably the most well-rounded player in the Lowcountry. A natural point guard, Drayton can play any position on the floor and controlled the game at both ends. Even when she struggled with her shot – she was 7-for-21 in the state championship game but still finished with 17 points – she found a way to be productive and keep the Jaguars in the game.

FIRST TEAM ALL-LOWCO

Jasmine Campbell, Soph., F, HHCA — 11.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg
HHIHS transfer was a monster inside; season-ending injury derailed Eagles’ playoff run

Tkai DeVore, Soph., G/F, JPII — 18.9 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 5 spg, 2.1 apg
Area’s most dominant private-school player led Golden Warriors to 22-6 record

Quanajia Drayton, Sr., G, RHHS — 18 ppg, 7 rpg, 6 apg, 5 spg
Player of the Year guided Jaguars to Class 3A state championship game

Ta’Quasia Lampkin, Sr., F, BCHS — 13.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.3 spg, 2 apg
Savannah State signee was a force for the Dolphins

Judaah Mitchell, Sr., G, BLHS — 12.2 ppg, 2.1 apg
One of area’s best shooters and an excellent perimeter defender

SECOND TEAM ALL-LOWCO

Tatyana Aiken, Soph., G, BLHS — 11.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.4 spg

Brielle McCarthy, Soph., G, HHCA —10.8 ppg, 4 apg, 4 spg

Miley Ray, Soph., G, HHIHS — 10.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.7 spg

Chynna Sneed, Soph., F, MRHS — 11.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg

Karolina Struharova, Sr., F, BA — 13.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.7 spg, 3.2 apg