Undefeated! York Prep notches perfect regular season, plus all Rock Hill-area scores
The York Prep boys’ basketball team began its 2021-22 regular season finale on Friday night with a bang.
Literally.
On the game’s opening possession, the No. 1 team in South Carolina 2A basketball ran a beautiful set. It happened so fast, and ended so ferociously, that most fans in the stands had to do a double-take: There were three dribble-drive handoffs around the 3-point line, then a key Kory Davis backscreen, then a perfect alley-oop pass from senior point guard LaDarian McCree — and then it happened.
Bang.
A poster-quality alley-oop finish by 6-foot-7 senior Brenton Elliott.
The crowd roared.
But the fans on hand weren’t surprised.
The Patriots, after all, have been exciting to watch all year.
York Prep (21-0, 10-0 Region 4-2A) defeated Buford 114-47 on Friday night, delivering the Rock Hill public charter school team an undefeated regular season for the first time in program history. And the Patriots did so with a 29-point first quarter and a 48-point first half fueled by dunks, fastbreaks, suffocating full-court defense, 3-point shooting — and just generally by playing as fast as a team can.
Friday was par for the course for most of YPA’s games this season. The Patriots have topped 100 points in five games this year, four of which have come against region opponents, and they’ve defeated some good competition across the Southeast. Among those teams: Providence Day in Charlotte, Legacy Early College in Greenville, Morgantown in West Virginia (the No. 1 team in WVa. when the Patriots played them) and more.
Head coach Larry Davis told The Herald postgame that even in a victory like the one on Friday, there are still plenty of things the team will work to improve upon. Initial defensive positioning, he said. Rebounding.
But even Davis — the demanding head coach who’s seen it all as a player, from a national championship at UNC in 1993 before becoming an all-time great at the University of South Carolina — couldn’t help but shed a smile after Friday’s game.
“I’m happy for the kids,” Davis said. “They’ve worked hard for us since our season was over last year. They’ve committed themselves to the weight room, the early morning practices, the 5:30 a.m. practices. To put that jersey on and go out and perform like they did, it was exciting to see throughout the course of the year. They maintained focused, maintained effort and a sense of togetherness.
“If they can continue that through the playoffs, I think it could be a fun, special year for us.”
York Prep lost in the quarterfinals of last year’s state playoffs at the buzzer to Gray Collegiate. But the team returned a ton of talent from last year’s squad.
Kory and Kendall Davis, two 6-foot guard seniors who are actually the twin sons of head coach Larry Davis, bring a rare athleticism and energy. They’re joined by McCree, a level-headed and talented point guard; DJ Barksdale, a reliable 3-point shooter (who moonlights as a state-championship-winning defensive back for South Pointe High School); Jevon Long, a shifty, athletic guard who earned a football scholarship to Limestone; Elliot and others.
The team boasts six seniors on the team this year — six guys with one last chance to bring YPA its first state championship.
But the future wasn’t the focus on Friday night. The Patriots wanted to enjoy the moment.
“There’s a lot of weight on our shoulders to stay undefeated, but we made it happen,” Kory Davis told The Herald postgame. “Every time we step on the floor, everyone wants to give us our first loss, so we’ve tried to stay focus throughout the season.”
Said Kendall Davis: “Being the No. 1 seed, we have a target on our backs, so we try to come out with a chip on our shoulder every game.”
And it’s working.
The York Prep girls fell to Buford, 55-13, on Friday night. They end their season 5-11 (3-5 in Region 4-2A).
Here’s what else you need to know.
What comes next?
The state playoffs begin next week.
▪ The 5A bracket shows the first round is on Wednesday, February 16 for the boys and Thursday, February 17 for the girls. The second round for the boys is Friday, February 18, while the girls second round is Saturday, February 19.
▪ The 4A bracket shows the girls first round is on Wednesday, February 16, while the boys opening round is on Thursday, February 17. The girls second round is Friday, February 18 with the boys second round on Saturday, February 19.
▪ The 3A bracket finds the boys opening round on Wednesday, February 16, and the girls first round on Thursday, February 17. The boys second round unfolds on Friday, February 18, with the girls second round set for Saturday, February 19.
▪ The 2A bracket has the girls first round on Wednesday, February 16 with the boys opening round on Thursday, February 17. The girls second round is scheduled for Friday, February 18, and the boys second round unfolding on Saturday, February 19.
▪ In 1A, the bracket shows the girls opening the playoffs on Wednesday, February 16 with the boys beginning on Thursday, February 17. The girls second round is on Friday, February 18 with the boys playing their second round on Saturday, February 19.
Visit the South Carolina High School League website for more information.
Other boys’ basketball scores this week
Tuesday
Fort Mill 62, Gaffney 32
Clover 62, Boiling Springs 51
Northwestern 44. Nation Ford 41
Ridge View 78, Rock Hill 52
Lancaster 63, York 45
Catawba Ridge 73, Indian Land 60
Mid-Carolina 53, Chester 46
York Prep 103, Chesterfield 43
Andrew Jackson 66, Pageland Central 51
Great Falls 72, Lewisville 30
Wednesday
Boiling Springs 51, Nation Ford 44
Indian Land 84, York 59
Thursday
Chester 81, Mid-Carolina 60
Great Falls 86, Lewisville 35
Friday
Northwestern 68, Rock Hill 48
Fort Mill 40, Nation Ford 33
South Pointe 80, York 53
Lancaster 76, Indian Land 71
York Prep 114, Buford 47
Andrew Jackson 81, North Central 40
Great Falls 71, CA Johnson 44
Other girls’ basketball scores this week
Monday
Andrew Jackson 68, Pageland Central 17
Tuesday
Clover 37, Boiling Spring 27
Rock Hill 62, Ridge View 26
Northwestern 64, Nation Ford 37
Gaffney 51, Fort Mill 45
Catawba Ridge 63, Indian Land 37
Lancaster 63, York 47
Mid-Carolina 53, Chester 14
Andrew Jackson 54, Central 24
Chesterfield 42, York Prep 21
Lewisville 43, Great Falls 34
Wednesday
Boiling Springs 43, Nation Ford 40
Thursday
Mid-Carolina 66, Chester 42
Great Falls 37, Lewisville 29
Friday
Rock Hill 70, Northwestern 35
Nation Ford 36, Fort Mill 32
South Pointe 45, York 16
Andrew Jackson 60, North Central 24
Buford 55, York Prep 13
Great Falls 35, CA Johnson 20
Boys region standings
Region 3-5A: Fort Mill 7-1/19-5; Clover 7-1/18-7; Gaffney 3-5/9-14; Boiling Springs 2-6/13-14; Nation Ford 1-7/6-18.
Region 4-5A: Ridge View 7-1/15-11; Northwestern 6-2/18-6; Spring Valley 3-5/12-14; Blythewood 3-5/9-14; Rock Hill 1-7/10-12.
Region 3-4A: South Pointe 8-0/13-5; Catawba Ridge 5-3/20-5; Lancaster 5-3/19-6; Indian Land 2-6/6-14; York 0-8/3-18.
Region 4-3A: Keenan 8-0/15-10; Lower Richland 6-2/7-10; Fairfield Central 3-5/5-15; Chester 2-6/5-13; Mid-Carolina 1-7/3-20.
Region 4-2A: York Prep 11-0/22-0; Andrew Jackson 8-3/17-7; Pageland Central 7-4/11-8; Cheraw 5-7/8-18; North Central 3-7/10-8; Chesterfield 3-9/8-12; Buford 2-9/6-15.
Region 2-1A: Great Falls 8-0/14-8; CA Johnson 6-2/11-7, Governor’s School 4-4/7-5; Lewisville 1-7/2-14; McBee 1-7/2-16.
Girls region standings
Region 3-5A: Clover 8-0/17-5; Gaffney 5-3/16-7; Fort Mill 3-5/9-17; Nation Ford 2-6/6-19; Boiling Springs 2-6/6-19.
Region 4-5A: Rock Hill 8-0/21-3; Spring Valley 5-3/15-9; Northwestern 5-3/16-7; Ridge View 2-6/6-15; Blythewood 0-8/0-19.
Region 3-4A: Catawba Ridge 7-1/20-2; South Pointe 7-1/15-7; Lancaster 3-4/11-8; Indian Land 1-6/6-13; York 1-7/6-18..
Region 4-3A: Keenan 8-0/19-3; Lower Richland 6-2/14-4; Fairfield Central 4-4/14-5; Mid-Carolina 2-6/11-9; Chester 0-8/1-17.
Region 4-2A: Andrew Jackson 12-0/19-3; Chesterfield 8-3/15-4; Buford 8-3/9-7; Cheraw 5-6/7-11; York Prep 3-6/5-12; North Central 2-8/6-12; Pageland Central 0-12/1-17.
Region 2-1A: McBee 8-0/13-4; Lewisville 5-3/6-11; Great Falls 5-3/5-10; Governor’s School 0-6/0-8; CA Johnson 0-6/0-11.
South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association final Top-10 rankings
Boys 5A: 1. Dorman, 2. Fort Dorchester, 3. Sumter, 4. Riverside, 5. Cane Bay, 6. Ridge View, 7. Northwestern, 8. Mauldin, 9. Conway, 10. Fort Mill.
Girls 5A: 1. Rock Hill, 2. Sumter, 3. Lexington, 4. Cane Bay, 5. Dorman, 6. Stall, 7. Dutch Fork, 8. Stratford, 9. Summerville, 10. ,Northwestern.
Boys 4A: 1. Irmo, 2. AC Flora, 3. South Pointe, 4. Wilson, 5. West Florence, 6. Greenville, 7. Travelers Rest, 8. Catawba Ridge, 9. North Augusta, 10. Lancaster.
Girls 4A: 1. Westside, 2. North Augusta, 3. Catawba Ridge, 4. Bluffton, 5. South Florence, 6. Westwood, 7. North Myrtle Beach, 8. Aiken, 9. South Pointe, 10. AC Flora.
Boys 3A: 1. Seneca, 2. Orangeburg-Wilkinson, 3. Crestwood, 4. Blue Ridge, 5. Union County, 6. Brookland-Cayce, 7. Dillon, 8. Fox Creek, 9. Powdersville, 10. Oceanside.
Girls 3A: 1. Keenan, 2. Camden, 3. Lower Richland, 4. Southside, 5. Blue Ridge, 6. Emerald, 7. Orangeburg-Wilkinson, 8. Mid-Carolina, 9. Wren, 10. Clinton.
Boys 2A: 1. York Prep, 2. Phillip Simmons, 3. Gray Collegiate, 4. Wade Hampton, 5. Landrum, 6. Christ Church, 7. Woodland, 8. Andrew Jackson, 9. Abbeville, 10. Kingstree.
Girls 2A: 1. Blacksburg, 2. Christ Church, 3. Gray Collegiate, 4. Silver Bluff, 5. Andrew Jackson, 6. Phillip Simmons, 7. Saluda, 8. Chesterfield, 9. Latta, 10. Landrum.
Boys 1A: 1. Calhoun County, 2. Carvers Bays, 3. Baptist Hill, 4. Scott’s Branch, 5. Denmark-Olar, 6. Hannah-Pamplico, 7. Great Falls, 8. Southside Christian, 9. Bamberg-Ehrhardt, 10. CA Johnson.
Girls 1A: 1. Military Magnet, 2. East Clarendon, 3. Denmark-Olar, 4. Lake View, 5. High Point Academy, 6. Calhoun Falls Charter, 7. Cross, 8. Whale Branch, 9. Estill, 10. McBee.
This story was originally published February 12, 2022 at 12:00 AM.
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