Sumter – With Cam Scott leading the way, the Lexington High School Wildcats have been at or near the top of the High School Sports Report AAAAA boys basketball poll most of the season.
The Wildcats started off 20-2 and were undefeated in Region 4 at 5-0 with just three region games left.
Scott, selected as one of the Elite players in the state regardless of class or classification by the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association in the preseason, has had a tremendous season. He is averaging 22.7 points, 5.9 rebounds 2.2 assists and 3.2 steals and had connected on 69 3-point attempts.
“I like to be the energy maker when our team gets down,” said Scott, who will be playing collegiately at Texas. “I like to make plays offensively and defensively, to get us in the game by getting rebounds, getting in passing lanes, getting deflections, and maybe getting some steals.”
“He loves (to work at his game) when he is here at home,” said Lexington head coach Elliott Pope of Scott. “As long as that travels with him to Austin, Texas, he will be fine.”
Lexington also has one of the Top 5 seniors in AAAAA listed by the SCBCA in Jaxon Prunty.
White Knoll and River Bluff, ranked 15th, were battling for the No. 2 spot from the region and the home game that goes with it.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the region races.
REGION 1
This is a battle between sixth-ranked T.L. Hanna and unranked Mauldin. Both were 4-1 in region play, Hanna 18-5 overall and Mauldin 11-10.
Mauldin turned it into a tied with a 74-63 win over the Yellow Jackets on January 26. Hanna beat Mauldin 68-54 earlier in the season.
Hanna has one of the Top 5 seniors in Jaquarious Patterson.
Eleventh-ranked Woodmont is battling for third with J.L. Mann.
REGION 2
Byrnes, ranked third in the state, was in an enviable position. It was 5-0 in region play and 19-4 overall.
It had a 2-game lead on defending state champion Dorman, which it plays on February 2. The Cavaliers are ranked seventh but were third in region play at 3-2.
Fourteenth-ranked Gaffney was in second at 3-1.
Byrnes, led by Top 5 senior Will Fowler, had reeled off eight straight victories.
Dorman is led by another Top 5 senior in Christian Andrews.
REGION 3
This has developed into a 2-team battle for first place between fifth-ranked Blythewood and 12th-ranked Clover. Blythewood was 17-5 overall and 5-1 in the region, while Clover was 12-9 and 4-2.
Blythewood beat Clover 54-43, but it lost to 13th-ranked Fort Mill 58-48 in its region opener. The Bengals returned the favor on January 26 with a 51-46 triumph.
Fort Mill and Nation Ford were 3-3 in region play and battling for third. However, grabbing second place is not out of the question.
REGION 5
This is St. James’ region to lose. It has climbed to fourth in the state with a 9-game winning streak, an 18-1 overall record and a 5-0 region mark with three games left.
Sumter was the only other team in the region that still had a shot at taking down St. James. The Gamecocks were just 10-11 overall, but 3-1 in region action.
St. James handed Sumter its only region loss with a 55-42 road triumph. The Gamecocks will get another shot at the Sharks on February 6 in Myrtle Beach.
REGION 6
Ninth-ranked Cane Bay is in the driver’s seat for the region title, but eighth-ranked Berkeley isn’t far behind.
Cane Bay was 15-8 overall and 4-1 in region play, while Berkeley was 15-7 and 4-2.
The Cobras beat Berkeley 51-37 in the first meeting of the season, but that was followed by a 52-50 loss to Wando to leave the door open for Berkeley.
Cane Bay plays host to the Stags on February 6.
Wando is 3-3 in the region and Goose Creek is 2-2 with two games left against Cane Bay and road games against Wando and Stratford.
REGION 7
Summerville, ranked second in the state, is in good shape in the region with a 4-0 mark and an 18-2 overall record.
The Green Wave are led by Yannick Smith, the standout wide receiver who has signed with East Carolina. He was also selected at one of the Top 5 seniors in AAAAA for basketball.
Summerville handed West Ashley its only loss in five region contests, winning by an 80-70 score. The teams face off again on February 2.
West Ashley, ranked 10th, finds itself in a good position to secure second if it can’t overtake Summerville. Sixteenth-ranked Ashley Ridge was 3-3 inside the region.
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