Northwood Academy Girl’s Rake In Special Honors After Outstanding 28-2 Basketball Season
Charger's head coach Ginnell Curtis, who won her 200th game at the school during the season, has been named the HSSR-SCISA Co-AAAA Girl’s Coach of the Year.
By Billy G. Baker
Publisher
Summerville—It is truly amazing when you study the quality basketball teams that the Northwood Academy Chargers (28-2) girls’ team defeated during the 2025-26 basketball season, only to have a knee injury take out one of their best players in the SCISA AAAA finals against rival First Baptist at the Sumter Center on February, 28.
Despite the injury, the Chargers doubled up and kept the game very close the entire way losing in the end, 64-60.
The Chargers beat Berkeley (55-53), and the Stags went on to win their second straight Div. II AAAAA state title. They beat Keenan (53-38) and the Raiders played for a AAA girl’s state title this season. The Chargers beat Div. I AAAAA Wando (36-32) and they went on to play for the state title. They beat Oceanside Collegiate (75-46) and the Sharks played for the AAA Lower State championship against Keena.
Then the team they beat twice during the regular season, First Baptist, (65-59, & 62-44) took full advantage of the Chargers playing short when senior guard Jada Bates went down with a knee injury mid-way through the season period. At the time Bates scored 13 points and was playing the best game of her senior season at the time.
By all accounts, when you throw in games with the Bolles School from Jacksonville, Florida, a 71-61 loss, and wins over Bishop England (59-24), Stratford (75-18), and Ashley Ridge (80-39) one has to ask this question. Did any girls’ team, public or private, play a harder schedule during the 2025-26 season? The answer is “probably not.”
It is for this reason that the HSSR is proud to announce that head Charger coach Ginnell Curtis, who won her 200th game at the school during the season, has been named the HSSR-SCISA Co-AAAA Girl’s Coach of the Year. We are also naming talented junior guard Maliyah Birch, the Co-HSSR-SCISA AAAA Player of the Year.
Birch had an awesome junior season averaging 19.7 points a game including 6.9 rebounds, five assists and 4.7 steals a game.
In addition, Jada Bates has earned a well-deserved spot on the HSSR-SCISA AAAA girl’s all-state team. Bates averaged 16.9 points a game, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.9 steals a game. Freshman guard Kylee Clark has been named to our statewide all-rookie team comprised of players from both public and private schools. Clark averaged 9.3 points, five rebounds, 3.8 steals and 2.4 assists a game. Clark herself played with a braced-up knee in the state finals after being injured very late in the season.
After the game to First Baptist, Coach Curtis told this reporter, “When you lose a player like Jada Bates, who was our second leading scorer, and second in steals, it changes your game plan for sure,” said Coach Curtis. “I just hate that she got hurt for her own well-being.
“When she went down, we picked each other up,” said Coach Curtius. “We could have folded at the time we kept playing hard. We also had our number four (Kylee Clarke) who played with a braced up torn mimesis, and she had flu-like symptoms all day, and she played her tail off too.
“I feel like the refs were one-sided but that is a story for another day,” said Coach Curtis. “I am so proud of my girls for pushing through despite the adversity. Everybody in the gym knew who the better team was but we were just unlucky tonight.”
Northwood Academy, despite the setback from the injuries, had ever opportunity to win the game, and the Chargers tied the score at 60 with 1:56 left in the game on a free throw by Alyvia Tocco.
“We had our chances late in the game, but we just did not value our possessions that gave us a chance to win had we converted,” said Curtis. “We should have been more patient.”
When Bates went down, she had already scored 13 points in the game. Junior guard Maliyah Birch, the leading scorer on the team at 20 points a game, stepped up her game, dribbling through double teams with the skill of a: globe trotter” while finishing with 20 points on several key shots in the second half.
“Maliyah has been playing in state championship games since the 8th grade,” said Coach Curtis. “She knew she had to step it up when Bates left with the injury.
“I felt like we deserved to win the championship based on our body of work all season,” said Coach Curtis. “Life can deal you unexpected things and you just have to deal with it under the circumstances. I am so proud of our team putting it all on the line tonight when one of our top players left the game with an injury in the second period.
“Our goal will always be to win the state championship,” said Coach Curtis. “We’ll be back next season.”
In addition to the graduation of Bates, the Chargers will also graduate Alyvia Tocco who contributed 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds a game. Senior forward Isabella Heaton will also be missed after averaging 4.8 points and four rebounds a game. Birch and Clark will get help from the return of freshman guard Lauren Cosman who averaged five points a game.
It truly was an outstanding season for the Lady Chargers, despite not winning the state title. One has to feel strongly that winning the state title next year has an excellent chance of happening for a team that will play anybody anywhere.
