Bluff enjoying a hoops resurgence 1/12/2009 11:49 PM
By KENTON MAKIN Staff writer
Silver Bluff High School has always shown a great deal of fight on the gridiron; in 2009, basketball at the Bluff seems to have a feisty bite of its own.
Silver Bluff's Bulldogs have jumped out to an 11-1 start - included in that streak is Friday's 64-32 victory over Ridgeland High School. Ridgeland's Jaguars earned a runner-up finish in region play last year.
Meanwhile, the Lady Bulldogs have won 28 of their last 33 regular-season games. On Friday, it was business as usual for coach Robbie Mc-Kenzie's team as Silver Bluff shut down the Lady Jags in a 69-15 rout.
The success of both teams have increased expectations in Petticoat Junction. The last time either team won a state title was the 2002-03 season when former University of South Carolina standout Brandon Wallace paraded the post and carried the 'Dogs to a Class AA championship.
"Going into the season, I thought we would be better this year than last; after we practiced for a couple of weeks, I saw that we would be a good bit better," Silver Bluff boys' coach Drew Jernigan said. "We've come together, won some close games on the road, and this start is really beyond what I was hoping for. I'm very pleased."
"I've been real blessed with a group that loves to compete and play," McKenzie added when asked about his team. "They've all grown up playing together. (With that kind of chemistry), defenses don't know what's coming at them."
Silver Bluff's girls (9-3, 1-0 Region 5-AA) feature a handful of versatile inside-outside players, great depth and an ability to attack teams on the defensive end.
One of McKenzie's favorite intricacies on the team deals with the relationship of twins Jamie and Kaylin Foreman, a pair of sophomore standouts factoring into the team's success.
"They have their own special relationship, and it's fun to see them interact," McKenzie said. "They're competitive with one another, they get in each other's ear ... but they also see things on the floor that no one else sees."
On the boys' side, Silver Bluff's Theron Stephens, one of the smaller players on the team, provides the biggest matchup problems for opposing defenses.
Last season, Stephens, whose range extends beyond the three-point arc, and the Bulldogs struggled when teams focused on No. 45.
Ridgeland tried a similar tactic with its box-and-one defense on the senior Stephens Friday but to no avail.
"We have a good corps of senior leaders, and a lot of (student-athletes) that played through the fire last year," Jernigan said. "We returned 10 of 12 players ... I think that's a big part of (our success)."
Tonight, both teams face a worthy opponent in Wade Hampton High School. Hampton's boys have won the region the last two years; meanwhile, Hampton's girls simply give Silver Bluff fits every time out.
"They're one of the teams we have to worry about (in region play)," McKenzie said.
REGION 5-AAAA
Lexington and Richland counties currently have a stranglehold on region play - albeit not by much. Lexington High School's boys (13-2, 4-0 regionally) enjoy a single-game lead over North Augusta High School (5-2, 3-1 regionally) and Aiken High School (8-5, 2-2 regionally). Aiken enjoyed a 57-47 victory over Richland Northeast High School last Tuesday; RNE was once ranked eighth in Class AAAA. Despite a tournament ban, North Augusta's Yellow Jackets continue to impress; Irmo's lone loss of the season came at the hands of Al Young's troops. On the girls' side, Dutch Fork enjoys a 4-0 start to region play, good for a single-game lead over coach Aubrey Pompey and Aiken's Lady Hornets (10-3, 3-1 regionally). Both Aiken teams will enjoy a homestand that will carry over into four of the next five games.
REGION 5-AAA
Prior to their first region battle on Jan. 23, Midland Valley High School and South Aiken High School face a tough week of region play ahead. Midland Valley will take on Dreher High School, which defeated South Aiken's boys 66-54 Friday, and Swansea High School this week. South Aiken will battle Brookland-Cayce High School and Airport High School.
REGION 3-AA
Both of Strom Thurmond High School's basketball teams sit atop the region standings in the early going. Thurmond's girls (10-4, 1-0 regionally) are tied with Saluda High School and Gilbert High School at 1-0, while Thurmond's boys (4-6, 1-0 regionally) are tied with Saluda and Batesburg-Leesville High School. The Rebel teams will take on B-L and Newberry High School this week.
REGION 4-A
Ridge Spring-Monetta, Fox Creek, Williston-Elko and Wagener-Salley high schools all have something in common - they're looking up in the region standings at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High School. On the girls' side, H-K-T and Blackville-Hilda High School are unbeaten in region play; on the boys' side, H-K-T and North (11-0 overall) will meet tonight in a battle for region supremacy.
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