James Island – Presley Singleton, the varsity girls basketball coach at First Baptist, is downright giddy about the potential of her 2023-24 team.
The Hurricanes have high expectations of competing for a state title this winter as Singleton has assembled a talented cast.
“This is one of the best teams I’ve had since I’ve been here and we have high expectations,” the coach said. “We have a lot of potential but we also know that we have a lot of work to do. There are some really good teams in SCISA and we know we’ll have to improve as we go through the season.”
First Baptist went 7-2 in their first nine games, losing to Riverside and Hammond. The team will be tested over the holidays with a pre-Christmas tournament in Greenville and a post-Christmas event in Charleston.
Singleton says the six-point loss to Hammond, another team in SCISA that looks to contend for a title, was an eye-opener for her team.
“We weren’t ready to play and I saw it early,” the coach said. “I could see it in warmups. We just went through the motions. I hope it was a lesson learned. We have to be ready to play every time we walk on the floor.”
Sophomore small forward Ava Rush, a transfer from Oceanside Collegiate, has been a consistent performer early on. The 6-1 Rush is averaging 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from three-point range and 81 percent from the charity stripe.
Senior guard Yannah Seaberry, who will play collegiately at Limestone, is a third-year starter and averages 13.1 points and 3.1 steals per game. Freshman point guard Gabby Moore, who saw major playing time as an eighth-grader, is averaging 9.3 points and 4.3 assists per outing.
Senior Dior Brown fills a fourth starting spot and is one of the top vocal leaders on the team, according to Singleton.
Kennedi Ray and Maddy Hawes have shared time with several others as the fifth starter. Hawes is averaging 5.3 points per contest. Senior Olivia Acker has provided solid long-range shooting off the bench.
“The key for us is to play as a team in every area,” Singleton said. “Rebound as a team, play defense as a team, score as a team. We don’t have a dominant inside presence like we’ve had in the past so we need everyone to step up. I am excited about our potential as we continue to come together.”
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