Kingstree – Did the Kingstree High School girls basketball team reach its ultimate goal this season? No, but head coach James Price has no problems with the season the Blazers had.
“I felt like we accomplished a lot of great things this season,” Price said. “We captured the first region championship (8-AA) in Blazer history. We went undefeated in region play with an 8-0 record. We finished the season with 20 wins to only four losses and were ranked No. 4 in the state in the final (South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association) regular-season poll.
“Our entire team bought into our “Win The Day” philosophy. That started with great teamwork and dedication to getting better each day.”
KHS reached the quarterfinals of the state playoffs for the second straight year. It beat Cheraw 65-24 and Hampton County 55-30 before falling to Bishop England 56-28.
Leading the way for Kingstree was senior Makayla Dukes. She was named All-State by the SCBCA and was also selected as the Region Player of the Year.
Dukes almost averaged a double-double in an uncommon way. She averaged 14.5 points per game and 9.6 steals. She had 5.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds.
The other two All-Region picks were senior Demia Mosley and freshman Naydia Shaw. Mosley averaged 4.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.8 steals. Shaw did average a double-double with 13.1 points and 10.7 rebounds. She also averaged 2.6 steals.
Other key contributors were senior Saniya Taylor (4.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg), freshman Jaiden McKnight (2.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 3.5 blocked shots) and sophomore Nyla Wallace (2.5 ppg).
Price said defense is definitely what made the offense go. The Blazers averaged almost 24 steals a game.
“Our strengths all season were staying connected on the defensive end of the floor,” he said. “We were at our best when we were competing at a high level defensively that led to easy baskets on the offensive end of the floor.”
Price believes the KHS program is in a great place.
“This is the second year in a row that we made it to the Elite 8 (quarterfinals) of the AA state playoffs,” he said. “We may not have accomplished our goal of winning a state title, but we are definitely a team that will be competing on the state level for years to come.”
KINGSTREE BOYS GO 12-10 IN DUNKIN’S FIRST SEASON
The Kingstree boys basketball team went 12-10 in its first season under head coach Tony Dunkin. The Blazers finished third in the region and lost to Bishop England 60-46 in the first round of the state playoffs.
“The season went pretty much as we expected for the most part,” Dunkin said. “We finished up third in the region behind Marion and Mullins. We lost some close games and learned some valuable lessons.”
Seniors Michael Kelly and Ja’Shaun Dorsey made the All-Region team. Kelly led KHS in scoring with an 11.7 average to go with 4.8 rebounds. Dorsey averaged 6.9 points.
Other key contributors were senior Adarius Hilton (9.6 ppg), senior Antonio Kingcade (9.4 ppg), junior Malaki Matthews (5.2 ppg), junior Ashton Woods (3.4 ppg) and freshman Trumaine Myers (5.6 ppg).
Dunkin likes the direction in which the program is moving.
“I am an old school coach,” he said. “It does not take much for me to get up for a game. I would coach pretty much the same way. I would try to continue to encourage and build up confidence in my players. We are always teaching life lessons to players. Having confidence and allowing these young men to know that in all things that you do, you must work hard and do your best. Life is about the competition and being competitive.
"I feel that the program is moving in the right direction. There will be an abundance of opportunity after losing eight seniors. The future looks extremely bright for the players coming up.”
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