Wilson’s Leonard AAAA Boys Player of Year
By Dennis Brunson
hssr.com Associate Editor
Florence – Wilson High School sophomore Josh Leonard was selected as the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association AAAA Boys Player of the Year.
Leonard averaged a double-double on the season for the Tigers, who posted a 21-9 overall record and reached the Lower State title game in the state tournament. Leonard averaged 21.7 points per game to go with an even 10.0 rebounds. He also led Wilson in steals at 2.3 to go with 2.7 assists.
Leonard’s teammate, senior Tristan Thompson, was also selected to the All-State team. Thompson led Wilson in assists at 3.2 ad blocked shots at 1.2 to go with a 17.9 scoring average, 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals.
Leonard was selected as the Region 5-AAAA Player of the Year, while Thompson was chosen as the Region Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Khristian Bruce was also a first team All-Region pick.
Bruce averaged 8.2 points, 2.1 points and 1.7 steals.
Wilson finished second to Crestwood in Region 5, losing both times for a 10-2 record. However, the Tigers beat the Knights, who were 12-0 in region play, 63-55 in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs. They lost to North Augusta 55-44 in the Lower State championship game.
Wilson beat Lakewood 58-55 in the first round and Bluffton 50-44 in the second round.
South Florence finished third in the region with an 8-4 mark and was 15-11 overall, beating Hilton Head Island 64-54 in the first round of the playoffs before falling to North Augusta 58-38. in the first round of the playoffs. The Bruins had senior Jarius Davis selected to the All-Region first team with Josh Gamble a second-team selection.
Davis was the team’s leading scorer at 14.5 while grabbing 5.3 rebounds and handing out 2.3 assists. He also had 1.5 steals a contest.
Gamble was the assists leader at 3.1 while scoring at a 13.5 clip and pulling down 3.0 rebounds. He also had 1.8 steals.
West Florence struggled as it made the jump from AAAA to AAAAA with reclassification. The Knights were 2-20 on the season and just 1-11 in Region 5.
West Florence had Bryant Graham selected to the All-Region team. He averaged around 13 points a contest.
GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL-REGION PICKS
South Florece eighth-grader Harmony Bostick was selected to the AAAA girls All-State team as well as being named the Region 5-AAAA Player of the Year.
The 5-foot-11-inch Bostick averaged 14.2 points for the Bruins, who finished the year with a 16-9 record. She also led the team in rebounding at 8.1 and blocks at 1.3 to go with 1.7 assists and 2.1 steals.
Junior Allyson Watson was selected to the second team. She averaged 10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and a team high 3.1 steals.
South Florence finished tied for second in the region with Wilson with 8-4 records. Wilson was 19-9 overall, reaching the second round of the state playoffs.
Tigers Sophomore Logan Murray joined Bostick on both the All-State team as well as the All-Region first team. She led the team in scoring with a 19.6 average to go with 3.8 steals, an 8.4 rebounding average and 2.3 assists.
She was joined on the first team by a pair of juniors teammate in Zoey Miller and Leah Spears. Miller averaged 13.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.i assists and 2.9 steals. Spears shared the team assists lead with Miller while leading in steals at 3.9. She also averaged 6.8 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Wilson senior Leanessa Swinton was a second-team selection. She led in rebounds at 10.0 while averaging 8.0 points, 3.0 steals and 1.4 assists.
For West Florence, senior Gabrielle Gunter was the All-Region 5-AAAAA selection. She averaged 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds.
West Florence finished with a 2-18 overall record.
