Region 7-AA: Bishop England vs. Oceanside Collegiate

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early February – the point of the high school basketball calendar where region championships are decided and fans begin envisioning what tournament brackets will look like.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Many marquee matchups across the state will go a long way in determining what those brackets will resemble. One of those took place in the [program_tooltip program_id='2078736' first='Lowcountry' last=''] to decide the Region 7-AA crown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams also entered Friday evening's contest riding a wave of momentum. The Bishops had won four consecutive games and had been victorious in seven of its nine tries away from Bishop England.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, the Landsharks – 2A state finalists from last season – had won seven consecutive contests. In addition, Oceanside Collegiate had not dropped a game against an in-state opponent since a midseason tournament loss in December to 5A Spring Valley.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year's Region 7-AA state crown would be claimed by the Landsharks by virtue of a 45-30 victory over the Bishops.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Remember What Happened Last Time? </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ironically, that last defeat for Bishop England came on its home court against these same Landsharks. Oceanside was on the better end of a 77-59 decision in mid-January.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Quarter-By-Quarter</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early on, it appeared this contest would unfold similarly to the way the opening frame of the girls' contest did – with both teams struggling to put points on the board. Oceanside had a bit more success as time continued to disappear from the first quarter. The Landsharks lead over Bishop England was 10-4 with one in the books.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oceanside continued to pour on the points and widened the gap between them and the Bishops into the double digits. As both teams went into their respective locker rooms to discuss second half strategy, it was Landsharks 25 and Bishops 11.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rout began to be on in the third quarter as Oceanside opened the third quarter with a 12-0 run that was only stunted by a Bishop England free throw. The region championship was within the Landsharks' sights as they led 41-20 after three periods.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a contest that was aired on live television in the Charleston market, the Landsharks looked more than ready for their close-up. Oceanside's win completed a clean sweep for its varsity teams on Friday against Bishop England.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2339799,"width":"452px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_0038.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_0038.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2339799" style="width:452px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Landsharks' scoring parade was spearheaded primarily by sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1206191' first='Jake' last='Thomas']</strong>. He concluded his evening with a 13-point performance. Thomas is listed at 6-foot-6 on Oceanside's roster. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2339800,"width":"452px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_0037-2.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_0037-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2339800" style="width:452px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fittingly on Senior Night, one of the team's three seniors was instrumental in the Landsharks cutting down the nets. That senior was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1444154' first='Travis' last='Stickney']</strong> who is a commit to Hampden-Sydney in Virginia. Stickney tallied 11 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2339802,"width":"459px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_9948-crop-2319x1523-1706950798.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_9948-crop-2319x1523-1706950798.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2339802" style="width:459px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two seniors also did the majority of the scoring for the Bishops. One of those was <strong>Aidan Alexander</strong> who led all point-getters with 14. He has also played volleyball alongside his basketball accomplishments. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2339804,"width":"432px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_9926-crop-2905x1908-1706950966.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_9926-crop-2905x1908-1706950966.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2339804" style="width:432px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bishops also benefitted from the 12 points that were placed on the scoreboard courtesy of <strong>Jack Van De Erve</strong>. He is one of the seven 2024s that is listed on Bishop England's roster. Van De Erve did most of his damage in the second half of play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Change…</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If these two teams match up on the court again in the near-future, it will be in non-region play. The Bishops and Landsharks may be region foes now, but both were affected by the SCHSL's new reclassification for 2024-26.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oceanside will head to 3A while Bishop England will reside in 4A.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Senior Night</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the lion's share of the Landsharks' roster is comprised of juniors and sophomores, Oceanside did have the three seniors to acknowledge between the conclusion of the girls game and the start of the boys' tipoff. Along with Stickney, the other two are Kadin Freeman and Trey Brown.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Up Next…</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The regular season will come to a close for both teams on Tuesday. Oceanside Collegiate will host Timberland while Bishop England will be on the road at Academic Magnet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->