The girls high school basketball promises to be an entertaining and competitive one across the East Cooper. As players run laps, sweat through drills and perfect their skills in practice and scrimmage for a late November tip-off, it’s time to review the scouting report of the local talent.
Here is a look at five schools and their head coaches, both new and veteran, and their outlooks for the upcoming season.
WANDO LADY WARRIORS
Over the last 10 years, the Wando High Lady Warriors have been hovering in zones of good and better.
Now, 10-year head coach Jeff Emory thinks the team might be entering its best years yet. “We were 12-13 two seasons ago, but rebounded to 15-13 last year,” Emory said. “And I feel that this group will offer a competitive balance throughout the roster and give us a great deal of positive leadership.”
So far, the Lady Warriors have won two state basketball titles – 1977 and 1980. And it is exactly those kinds of days that Emory is looking to return to soon, returning primary leadership from nine players: Senior guard Isabel Waite, who played in all 28 games last season; All-Region senior point guard Selah George; forwards Mya Andrus and Sadie Andrus; guard Mackenzie Eikenberry; guards Avery Warden and Riley Craft; and forwards Mason Byrd and Grace Wilcenski.
“They have done a great job setting the tone for the season,” Emory said. “This team reminds me of the 2021 team that made it to the lower state title game. We should be deep and talented. And everyone seems to want to beat us.”
That includes nearby Bishop England, Lucy Beckham, Goose Creek and Philip Simmons. “We’ve had very close games with all of them in the past, and the kids all seem to know each other well from those schools,” Emory said. “They are the ones the public and media tend to hype the most.”
The Lady Warriors begin the season Nov. 22-23 in the Charleston Charter Preseason Tournament, of which they are the defending champions. They open regular season play Dec. 3 at home against Bishop England, which Emory considers “a great early test from a premier Lowcountry program.”
“I look forward to the challenge these teams will most definitely provide,” Emory said. “Our goal was to play a strong schedule. Outside of region, we focused on teams that finished in the top half of their regions last year. We also plan to attend the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach during Christmas break. This tournament will bring in teams from all over the country.”
Philip Simmons and Burke follow soon thereafter, along with region play in January against Goose Creek, Stratford, Berkeley and Cane Bay. In Emory’s own words, Wando’s region will be “as tough as it can get.”
“This is going to be a season full of competitive games,” stated Emory. “Berkeley and Goose Creek are always very talented, and Lucy Beckham will play everyone tough. And Stratford, who is just one year removed from a state title game run will most definitely be looking to return to the top. It is my hope that these type of games prepare us for a spot and success in the playoffs.”
LUCY BECKHAM LADY BENGALS
If honesty counts for anything in high school achievement, the Lucy Beckham Lady Bengals basketball team is about to get an upgrade/overhaul unlike anything they have ever experienced before.
And it’s going to come at the order of new head coach Jared Curry, who’s not pulling any punches about what this team needs to succeed. “In terms of setting a tone for the season, my belief is that it is developed in practice,” Curry said. “And so far, ‘toughness’ seems to be the leading indemnity marker.”
If you want more honesty, ask Curry about LBHS home games. “There isn’t one thing about a home basketball game that sets us apart from any other high school,” he said. “There isn’t one characteristic/attribute that I can confidently say ‘this is Beckham, this is who we are.’ It is the opposite of a hostile environment, and strikes fear into no one.”
And if you want it spelled out clearer, consider that Curry thinks that his adoptive son Mark – the team’s inspirational ‘sixth man’ who suffers from Down syndrome – is at this point more fervent about winning than any of the players.
“Mark loves being part of a winning team,” Curry said. “He also loves the crowd, yelling at refs, talking trash and his passion for sport and human connection has taught us infinite lessons. If I can get these girls to care as much as Mark, we will be fine.”
Of course, there is another side to Curry’s outspokenness: despite what he thinks is a deficiency in the school’s and team’s culture, he added that it is all “100 percent going to change.”
“These girls care about each other and want to win,” he said. “And they have been showing signs of mental toughness.”
With everyone coming back from last year following a first-ever home playoff game, Curry intends to use that care to turn the Lady Bengals into one of the Lowcountry’s top girls’ basketball programs – beginning with opening tip Nov. 20 in the Battle of the Lowcountry tournament.
His real work starts immediately afterward, as the Lady Bengals were recently moved up a notch to compete in a new class – AAAAA Region 7. This means playing teams that often must turn away two-to-three times the number of players they keep – such as Cane Bay, Wando, Ashley Ridge, Summerville and Stratford – all of which are on the schedule.
But again, Curry makes no bones about the formidable climb. “Although we are in a more competitive region, there are zero excuses for us not to succeed,” he said.
To this end, he sees another positive sign: the Lady Bengals finished 2-9 in 2021, 10-12 in 2022, 11-10 in 2023 and 13-10 in 2024 – constant improvement from year to year.
And Curry is ready to lead them into a banner-raising era. “Playing on the level I am envisioning for this team is hard,” he said. “But it’s going to happen.”
BISHOP ENGLAND LADY BISHOPS
In his 42 years with the Bishop England girls’ basketball program, head coach Paul Runey has met and beaten nearly every conceivable coaching challenge: starting from scratch, creating a winning culture, feeling the pressure of winning and losing a state title, coping with personal loss while trying to keep up the spirits of the team and lasting long enough to walk a fine line between staying too long and achieving a state record for wins.
But for the 2024-25 season, Runey and his team are facing what could be their biggest challenge yet: maintaining a winner while competing at a much higher-class level.
“We’re technically a 2A school in terms of size but have been bumped up this year to Region 6 AAAA – which means that almost every school we will play against will be at least twice our size,” Runey said. “So, it’s going to be a whole different ball game for us, at least for the next two seasons.”
It could also mean starting over in ways Runey thought were long behind him. For example, under his tutelage, the Lady Bishops have made the playoffs 39 seasons out of 40. The closest he’s come to a losing season was when his 1995 team finished 10-10.
Six of his teams won state titles between 2012-19, a standard that will be hard to match by any future Lowcountry girls’ program. But along with region realignment, the team also lost 7 seniors from last year, with only 7 or 8 veterans returning.
“We’ll have to stay out of foul trouble because I won’t have the depth from previous years,” Runey said, adding that even the early games won’t be easy. “December games are usually just to get everyone going in the new season, but I think December is going to be more challenging than the past.”
Early contests will include the Carolina Invitational with traditionally out-of-state competition. Then comes region play in January. While home games will be tough enough against nearby Wando and Hanahan, the new alignment will bring in Battery Creek, Hilton Head, Beaufort, Bluffton and other unfamiliar teams.
Away games will present an even stronger test, as the Lady Bishops will have to travel much longer distances, such as to Colleton County – 55 miles; Beaufort and Battery Creek – 77-79 miles; Bluffton – 99 miles; and Hilton Head – 109 miles.
Additionally, Runey will have to rely on a small cadre of returning starters: senior guard Hannah Rosato; senior utility Lissie van de Erve; junior center Hadley Irvin; and sophomore utility Olivia Allen. Lily Tawes, Grier Murphy, Lindsey Gieg and Anna Kate Christy will also have to play bigger roles and set a new team standard going forward.
The only question is: Will it be enough for now? “How they play and what they do will determine our success,” Runey said. “And I’m counting on them to get us through an otherwise difficult season.”
PHILIP SIMMONS LADY IRON HORSES
While many high school basketball coaches are sometimes forced to create a winning tradition from scratch, others occasionally have the luxury of bringing one to a team – as is the case with Allen Gethers.
As new head coach of the Philip Simmons Lady Iron Horses, Gethers plans to use his experience to produce a perennial winner – and eventually, a state champion.
“I am genuinely excited about the upcoming season,” said Gethers. “We have a solid group of returners who are eager and prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.”
Those challenges begin early, as the Lady Iron Horses open with 4A Hanahan, 4A First Baptist, 5A Wando and Hanahan again. “These teams are well-coached and will provide excellent competition for us,” Gethers said.
Despite this being his first year at Philip Simmons, Gethers’ transition is expected to be fairly smooth: prior to his hiring, he served eight years as head basketball coach at Timberland High, where his teams made the playoffs seven times. He also won Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
And Gethers also got a break in another respect: Even though Philip Simmons was reclassified to AA Region 6 starting this season, the change means staying closer to home for many away games rather than having to travel 69-104 miles to Beaufort, Hemingway and Horry County.
Region opponents for 2024-25 include Woodland, Burke, Academic Magnet and of course, his previous school Timberland. “Within our region, the competition will be equally strong, as all the teams are also well-coached,” Gethers said. “My current goals for this year and the years to come are to build a successful foundation and program that brings a winning mentality to the community.”
But again, Gethers doesn’t have to go far toward that goal: Last year’s squad went 13-10 overall, finished first place in the region at 8-0 and won a first-round playoff game before losing to Darlington. The 2022-23 team was even better at 20-6, and another 8-0 first-place region finish.
The three previous teams all had winning seasons – combining for a solid record of 57-24. The last time the Lady Iron Horses had a losing season was 2017-18 – the school’s first year of existence – and Gethers doesn’t intend to spend any time on memory lane – mainly because there are too many people at Philip Simmons who want Gethers to take the team to the highest level, which is not a bad problem for any coach to have.
“The one thing I want to change is the culture of the program, ensuring that girls’ basketball is seen as just as important as our other successful programs at the school,” Gethers said. “I also want to emphasize the importance of the offseason, and the hard work required day in and day out.”
OCEANSIDE LADY LANDSHARKS
No state basketball title yet for the Oceanside Collegiate girls’ team and head coach Mandy Harrison. Not even a trip to the finals.
But operating on a philosophy that good things take time, Harrison thinks that beginning with the 2024-25 season, her Lady Landsharks are at the edge of taking their talent and the team’s fortunes to those levels. “We’ve been building since my first season as head coach in 2018,” Harrison said. “Last season was our best so far, going 19-7 and making the playoffs for a sixth time.”
The Lady Landsharks also beat Marion High 46-30 in the first round before falling by 33 to a superior Andrew Jackson High in round 2. Impressive considering that OCA only began operations in 2016. Even moreso, considering that the school came within an inch of closing earlier this year when its charter was revoked by their school district, then overturned.
And dating back to her first season, Harrison’s inaugural squad won just 5 games.
Yet in many ways, her first team was the pace setter for all that have come since, allowing each successive squad to build on previous years. “And we have a solid outlook for 2024-2025,” she said.
A big part of that solidity is centered around six key players:
- Returning senior and leading scorer Ella Mae Schepp, who has received offers to play at the University of West Florida and North Greenville University. “She’s my captain and spark,” Harrison said.
- Four-time senior captain and Clemson lacrosse commit Teagan Scott
- All-state point guard and team leader Josie Hanks
- Dead-eye shooters Henley Hanks and Ella Hunter
- Multi-sport athlete Lauren Hagemeyer, whom Harrison said will “provide athleticism, rebounding and a presence in the paint”
All helped propel the team to winning streaks of 6 and 7 games last season and led them to a No. 5 ranking among all S.C. Class AA high school girls’ teams. And the Lady Landsharks will need every ounce of talent from all six this season to maintain that level, as they don’t really have the proverbial easy opponents. Following November’s Carvers Bay Scrimmage and PCA Showcase, they begin regular play away with Pinewood Prep, Lucy Beckham and Porter-Gaud. Their first home game doesn’t come until Dec. 9 against Marion – which finished 11-10 last season with a playoff loss to Oceanside. “So, we will be tested out of the gate with four solid opponents,” Harrison said.
Then the schedule gets even harder with region play against Orangeburg Wilkinson, a playoff team last season. In non-regional play they will face North Charleston, Northwood Academy, Lucy Beckham and Hanahan, which made it to the second round of the 2024 playoffs.
One glaring omission from the schedule, however, is Bishop England, ranked No. 2 last season, which was moved to Region 6 AAAA. “For the past two seasons, they were our rival game,” Harrison said. “However, we are not scheduled to play them this season.”
By L. C. Leach III
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