Throughout the high school girls basketball season, we’ll recognize the standouts from the previous week’s action with the Lowco Girls Hoops Spotlight presented by 4M Metals.
We select our Starting Five of the top players of the week, along with a few standouts we’re keeping “in the rotation,” as well as a Team of the Week, and highlight the biggest game of the upcoming week. Here’s this week’s installment of the Lowco Girls Hoops Spotlight presented by 4M Metals.
PRESENTING SPONSOR
LOWCO STARTING FIVE OF THE WEEK
Maddie Heathcott, JPII: It was a tough week for the Golden Warriors, who lost to Beaufort Academy and St. Vincent’s, but Heathcott put in two monster efforts. The senior forward racked up 16 points and 12 rebounds against BA and followed it up with 12 points and 18 boards for a second straight double-double against St. Vincent’s. Heathcott isn’t the most imposing presence in the post, but she averages a double-double because she is athletic and sees the game well, putting herself in the right positions at the right times.
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Morgan Scott, MRHS: The Sharks have been forced to put everything on Scott’s shoulders this season, and the sophomore continues to deliver to keep May River in the mix for a playoff spot. Scott collected 21 points, eight rebounds, and six steals in a monster effort to lead the Sharks past Beaufort, and she put up 14 points and five boards in a tough road loss to Colleton County. Scott also continues to make strides as a defender and racked up three blocks in each game last week.
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Madi Washington, BLHS: Washington has developed into enough of a force that she is now drawing more attention from opposing defenses, but she continues to produce. After putting up 10 points and 15 rebounds along with three steals in a win at Lucy Beckham, the sophomore was the primary focus against an upset-minded Beaufort team Saturday afternoon. The Eagles packed the paint and forced the Bobcats to beat them from the outside, but Washington still found a way to make an impact around the basket and finished with nine points and six boards in a defensive struggle.
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Mike’Ala Washington, BA: The Eagles’ star guard was a bit slow out of the gate this season, but she has hit her stride of late and is poised for a major milestone. After averaging 24.5 points in two games this week, including a 32-point effort against Thomas Heyward, Washington needs just eight points to reach 1,000 in her career, a milestone she’ll likely achieve at home Friday against Holy Trinity. When she turns it on, Washington is an elite scorer who can create off the dribble or knock down a 3, and she has been money in the clutch.
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Lynda Young, HHIHS: Young and the Seahawks played only one game last week, but they made the most of it with a thrilling 46-44 road win over James Island to shake up the region standings. Young had a monster night with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and she capped it off with the game-winner at the buzzer to put Hilton Head back in the mix for the No. 2 seed from Region 7-4A. Young has averaged 18 points in three games since returning from injury, and she will be a major factor in how the playoff seeding shakes out.
IN THE ROTATION: Shandi Brown, CCHS; Courtney Campbell, HHP; Ella Clark, HHP; Janiya Ferebee, HHIHS; Tacoya Heyward, BLHS; Tahleea Heyward, BA; Abby Peduzzi, HHCA; Kiara Wilson, BCHS; Quinn Wilson, BHS; Devin Yarde, HHCA
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Hilton Head High Seahawks (1-0 this week; 7-9, 2-3 overall)
The Seahawks sort of dropped off the radar due to COVID-related postponements resulting in an 11-day hiatus, but they returned with an impressive 46-44 road win at James Island on Tuesday to raise some eyebrows around the region. Hilton Head got off to a strong start in November but lost star forward Lynda Young to an injury in the first half at Bluffton on Dec. 17 and lost five of six, starting 0-3 in region play. But with Young back at full strength and a strong supporting cast led by Janiya Ferebee, the Seahawks look like a team that could finish in the top half of the region, and perhaps challenge for the No. 2 spot.
Honorable Mention: Beaufort Academy (2-0, 13-4); Bluffton (2-0, 14-1); Colleton County (1-0, 10-7); Hilton Head Christian Academy (1-0, 12-2); Hilton Head Prep (2-0, 8-5)
GAME OF THE WEEK
Colleton County at Hilton Head High, 6 p.m. Friday
Two games separate second place from sixth in the Region 7-4A standings, and both the Seahawks and Cougars are in the middle of the logjam. Neither has much margin for error, either, with James Island and Lucy Beckham currently holding down the Nos. 2 and 3 spots, so head-to-head matchups between the playoff contenders like this one loom large. The Cougars are ranked in the top 10 in Class 4A in the most recent SCBCA rankings, and a road win over a tough Seahawks squad would help back it up and put a young Colleton team in good position to earn a playoff berth.
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