Girls’ high school basketball preview: Rock Hill girls ready to make statement
Rock Hill girls’ basketball coach Kenny Orr says he’s hoping for a big year because of a strong returning group and several high-level additions.
The Bearcats’ season-opening win over defending 3A state champs Lancaster on Tuesday night backs up that assertion.
“Hopefully this shows people that we are a capable team and that we have some very talented young ladies playing basketball here at Rock Hill High,” said Orr. “It shows we have matured as a program and we are ready to compete with anyone.”
The Bearcats have three returning All-Region players - senior guards Madison Hendrix and Monique Stevenson and senior forward Modesty Fobbs. Orr says these girls have experience, and they are “battle tested.” They also help teach some of the younger girls, and they’ve done well with the transition.
“All of them are high level basketball players,” said Orr.
Two of the newcomers, sophomores Rikoya Anderson and Brooklyn Bailey, showed their worth against Lancaster, combining for 31 of the Bearcats’ 53 points. Hendrix, the team’s point guard, has been impressed so far.
“We have one really good guard and then one really good post, they're definitely going to be game changers,” she said about Anderson and Bailey. “The one's that left, they're basically filling their spots, so basically we didn't lose anybody.”
Both Anderson and Bailey sat out last season after transferring to Rock Hill because of South Carolina High School League rules dictating that players who transfer to a school to play for their AAU coach - Orr in this case - have to sit on the sidelines for a season. But Rock Hill’s coach had few worries about his team’s chemistry when asked about it a week ago, and Bailey - Orr’s daughter - agreed.
“Last year when I came, they just took me in, no problem at all,” said Bailey, who had 13 points in Tuesday’s opener.
Orr believes his team’s ability to score the ball will be better this year. The Bearcats have more depth on their roster, which will help them spread the ball out, and he’s confident that every player will be ready to play at any time.
One of Rock Hill’s weaknesses this year will be its lack of height. They only have one player over 5-foot-10, Fobbs, “and that’s a stretch,” said Orr. “When you have a lack of height, you have to do everything right.”
“We got all kinds of girls that can handle the ball,” he added, something Rock Hill showed Tuesday against a similarly guard-heavy Lancaster club.
Hendrix says reaching the postseason last year helped the team gain experience. The Bearcats hosted and won a playoff game for the first time in almost 10 years. They lost out to the eventual state champions, Spring Valley High School. The win over Lancaster has Rock Hill thinking it can better that achievement this season.
Lancaster ready to defend state championship
Another undefeated season is already out the window for Lancaster, which won 27 straight games last season en route to a 3A girls’ basketball state title. The Bruins beat Dorman and Wren to open the season, but lost to Rock Hill Tuesday night, the team’s first defeat in a year and a half.
Even with eight returning starters, coach Ronnie Robinson knew the Bruins would be hard-pressed to pull off another undefeated season.
“If that happens, it happens,” he said on Monday. “We want to be playing our very best ball at the end. I think this group can handle it; they’ve been handling it pretty well this far.”
The Herald’s All-Area player of the year from last season, senior point guard Malia Rivers, is one of the eight players, and four starters, returning. Rivers has recruiting interest from South Carolina State, Winthrop, North Carolina A&T and others, after averaging 16 points, and about three steals and three assists per outing last season.
The graduation of Mia Flowers and Kaliya Jackson hurt Lancaster’s post depth and experience, but Hayden Thorne returns at center for valuable height. Tuesday’s game against Rock Hill only underscored the fact that the Bruins are now the target, a testament to how far the program has come in the last few years.
“We know what comes with it and it’s a challenge to be ready for each game,” said Robinson. “We’ll give it all we’ve got.”
Rivers back in charge of Northwestern girls for second stint
With John Bramlett moving over to coach the Trojan boys, Lisa Rivers is back as Northwestern’s girls’ basketball head coach; she was the Trojans’ coach from 1995 to 2000. Rivers is a member of the Lewisville High School athletic hall of fame after a decorated playing career for the Lions and also at Francis Marion University.
Players to watch
4A: Madison Hendrix Rock Hill, (senior point guard, 2014-15 All-Region); Modesty Fobbs Rock Hill, (senior forward, 2014-15 Rock Hill Herald newcomer of the year honor); LaDerrica (NaNa) Jones, Northwestern (senior guard, averaged 5.5 ppg in 2014); Jabree McMullen, Northwestern (sophomore forward, 5-foot-10); Meredith Christopher, Fort Mill (senior guard, committed to Elon for soccer); Makala Love, York (junior point guard, 2014-15 All-Region); Renee Carter, Clover.
3A: Malia Rivers, Lancaster (senior point guard, 2014-15 All-State, 2015 Herald All-Area player of the year, 16 ppg); Keyotta Garris, Lancaster (senior shooting guard, point guard); Izzy Clark, South Pointe (senior guard/forward, 2014-15 All-State, All-Region, All-Area first team, 13 ppg, 6 rebs.); T’Keia Williams, South Pointe (senior point guard, 9.1 ppg); Deja Marshall, Chester (senior guard, 15 ppg, All-Area second team); Porcelain Goldsborough, Chester (All-Area honorable mention).
1A/2A: Nia Pressley, Indian Land (2014-15 All-Region, All-Area first team, junior guard, 17 ppg), Alexis Emerson, Great Falls (junior forward, team’s defensive player of the year).
This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Girls’ high school basketball preview: Rock Hill girls ready to make statement."