Bates, Birch Hoping To Lead Northwood Academy To SCISA AAAA Girls Basketball Title
Chargers face John Paul II in semifinal on Wednesday
Summerville — No doubt Northwood Academy head coach Ginnell Curtis has put together a very talented girl’s SCISA AAAA basketball team this season as the 27-1 Chargers prepare to play John Paul II (20-3) on Thursday with the winner advancing to play for the state title at Sumter County Civic Center this Friday night.
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Northwood Academy defeated John Paul II (73-45) back in late November and will meet in the semifinals on Wednesday at 6:30 in the civic Center. The other two remaining SCISA AAAA teams are Ben Lippen and First Baptist and they meet Wednesday night.
Coach Curtis scored over 2,100 points as a Hall of Fame player at UNC Pembroke where she played in college. Coach Curtis won her only state title at Northwood in 2017 and her team is heavily favored to win a second title this Friday night.
Just how focused Coach Curtis and the Chargers are at winning the school’s second state title in girls’ basketball since 2017. “Winning the state championship is a huge deal,” said Coach Curtis. “I have competed five times for a state title as a head coach and won only once. We have lost against teams like Cardinal Newman and Heathwood Hall, and we feel like we are due.
“This team plays well together, and they love each other on and off the court,” said Coach Curtis. “We are great supports from the parents and the school administration. It would also be great to win a state title with my daughter (Birch) on the team.”
High School Sports Report covered the Chargers’ dominating win over Pinewood Prep on their Senior Night near the end of the regular season. It gave us a first-hand look at just high well their two talented guards, junior Maliyah Birch and senior Jada Bates complement each other on the court. The duo might be the best two guards playing on any high school team, public or private, in the state of South Carolina this season.
In their 72-13 win on Senior Night, Bates, a transfer from Alabama, scored her 2000th career point during the game. She had 19 points, five rebounds, five steals and five assists against the Panthers.
Meanwhile, Birch had 15 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in the same game.
The duo communicates really well while complimenting the play of each on the court. Coming into the state title game this Friday night, Birch leads the team in scoring 19.4 points, 7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 4.7 steals a game. Bates is averaging 16.8 points, three rebounds, four assists and four steals a game.
We asked Coach Curtis to describe the play of her two outstanding guards. “They have great chemistry on the court and they compliment each other,” said Coach Curtis. “Last year some teams went box-and-one against Maliyah and that would put us in trouble sometimes. This year with Jada we are even stronger and her play provides us more options so teams cannot overplay Maliyah like they did last season.”
Coach Curtis talked about the talents of both outstanding guards, and one has to wonder if they might both end up playing together on the same college team in the near future.
“Jada is super quick, can score inside- and- out and she is very coachable,” said Coach Curtis. “Her coming to Northwood has been a huge blessing to have her. She can play both ends of the court. She has bought into our system really well.”
Coach Curtis said while there are challenges coaching your own daughter, she also feels blessed for the opportunity to coach her. “I have a front row seat to watch her develop and I do challenge her all the time,” said Coach Curtis. “She has been playing year-round basketball for a very long time, and she is a complete combo-guard with excellent ball skills. She is working to get better all the time.”
The HSSR was able to interview both Bates and Birch after the Pinewood Prep game also.
“The move to Northwood has worked out really well for me,” said Bates. “I feel blessed to be an apart of this team. I have been playing basketball since the first grade. My main goal right now is to help this team win a state championship.”
Birch said she enjoys playing for her mother. “It has been a great experience although it can be tough at times,” said Birch. “It is great to know that you have a person in your corner who cares about you as a person and as a player. She has taught me about all I know about the game of basketball.
“Right now, all I am thinking about, is what we can do as a team to get better and win the state championship this season,” said Birch. “Once we finally win a state title it will be like a weight lifted off my shoulders.”
Birch has a strong goal of playing basketball at the next level. “I am working hard to have opportunities to play at the next level,” she said. “The sport of basketball means the world to me. I would not have all the friendships that I have now if it were not for basketball. I love being a part of a team. I love being a good, supportive teammate.”
Several other key members of the Chargers team include third leading scorer freshman guard Kylee Clark at 9.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.8 steals a game. Next on the points index is senior forward Alyia Tocco averaging 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 steals a game. Junior guard Lauren Cosman rounds out the top five scorers at 5.3 points and two rebounds a game.
Northwood defeated Laurence Manning 73-49 in Sumter earlier this week to advance in the SCISA playoffs. In that game Birch had 26 points while Bates tossed into 23 to pace the offense once again. Tocco was the only other Charger in double figures with 11 points.
As a team, Northwood Academy averages 20 steals and 14 assists a game. They are a complete basketball team on both sides of the ball.
