Northwestern junior basketball player Kelia Shelton has been on fire.
She scored 42 points Friday in a Region 3-AAAA win over Clover. Shelton hit 11 two-pointers, two 3-pointers and was 14-of-18 from the free throw line. She averages 25 points per game.
Northwestern coach John Bramlett said a lot of folks think of Shelton as only a scorer. Not so. She leads the team with nine rebounds per game. She averages four assists and steals per outing.
"And there is still a lot of room for improvement," Bramlett said. "I believe we haven't seen it all yet, and she's also a very good defensive player.
"We never have to worry about Kelia. We know she's going to work hard and that she's going to do the things we ask of her on the court. She's very intense."
Shelton is 5-foot-8 and plays shooting guard. That's where she'll play in college, Bramlett said.
"So far, Miami of the ACC and Charlotte are recruiting her hard," Bramlett said. "She's starting to get interest from Kansas State, Clemson and West Virginia."
• BIGGIES: Barring any losses before Friday night, two Herald-area teams will be in a pair of the biggest games in the state.
On the boys side, Northwestern travels to No. 3 Gaffney. Going into this week, both are 2-0 in Region 3-AAAA. Trojans coach Mike Gossett saw the Indians play Union last week. He said they are fast, athletic, good shooters and run the court well.
Northwestern has a strong inside game, with Labris Adams, Cordarrelle Patterson and Chris Belton. To win, Northwestern has to get better guard play and control the pace on defense.
And hold on when the Lower Richland girls come to Chester for what could be an outstanding game. Lower Richland is 13-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class AAA. Chester is 12-1 and (huh?) unranked.
Under the new realignment that went into effect this school year, Lower Richland dropped down from Class AAAA after winning three straight state championships under coach Debbie Stroman.
The Lady Diamond Hornets are led by Stroman's daughter, Morgan, rated by ESPN as the No. 33 player in the senior class. Stroman, 6-2, was named South Carolina's Gatorade Player of the Year the last two seasons, and signed with Miami during the early signing period.
Chester has no superstars, but has a talented team led by Micah Wessinger and Jasmine Sanders. The Lady Cyclones won the Class AAA state championship in 2004 under Zeke Washington, now the boys coach at Lower Richland.
• BASKETBALL POLLS:
• THE 100: Fort Mill's Max Simons picked up his 100th career win last Thursday night in the Yellow Jackets' Region 3-AAAA wrestling win over York.
It came a lot easier than Simons had anticipated, but it was hardly the way he wanted it to happen. He got a forfeit.
"Max wanted to wrestle for No. 100," Fort Mill coach Chris Brock said. "But I understand why it happened. York bumped up its 189-pounder because they thought he could beat our guy at 215, and he did.
"It was strictly a wresting move coaches use. I've done it. I understand, but I felt for Max because he wanted to wrestle. Max is a junior and we are expecting him to win two state championships."
Simons is favored to win this year. His strongest competition appears to be Lexington's Kraig Crawford. Simons is 34-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state in the 189-pound weight division. Crawford, who Simons replaced at the top spot, is No. 2.
Brock has had several 100-plus wins wrestlers, such as two-time state champion Andy King. Brock said he's not certain, but that Craig Albers likely holds the school record for wins, with close to 180.
• THE 300: If they win their matches against Lancaster on Wednesday, Rock Hill senior Chase Ballard (145) and Bearcats sophomore Weston Beck (112) will be wrestling for their 100th career victories in a rare Friday night match.
The Bearcats host Blythewood, a match scheduled for last Tuesday rescheduled because of exams.
And the other 100? That goes to senior Josh Tuck (171), who will be given a plaque for recently reaching the century mark.
• WRESTLING POLLS:
