Which Power Score Top-25 Teams Have the Best Defense?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>USE CODE “baxley30” FOR 30% OFF THE FIRST PURCHASE OF ANY SUBSCRIPTION</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New to Prep Hoops in the 2025–26 season are Power Scores, a data-driven formula that accounts for win percentage, point differential, strength of schedule, and the overall strength of each classification. Every team in South Carolina receives a unique score based on these factors.&nbsp;This week, I'm diving into some of the best defense in the state. These five teams allow the fewest points per game in the Top 25 of the Prep Hoops Power Scores Rankings, and I'll take a little dive into what makes them such a difficult unit to go against.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Goose Creek High School - 1st in Defensive Points Per Game, 4th Overall</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The best defense in the state is Goose Creek. Like Byrnes in last week's Offensive Top Five Breakdown, the Gators have a clear advantage in the defensive points per game metric. At just 38.1 allowed points per game, they are over four points clear of the second-best defense, which is remarkable considering some of the teams they've played. Goose Creek's lone loss this season came over Christmas Break when they played Malvern Prep (PA) in Charleston, but even in that game, they only allowed 58 points. The most they've let up in a game in 2025-26 came in the season opener at Easley, which simply was an anomaly by their standards. After returning home from the first two games in the Upstate, Goose Creek conceded just 29.4 points per game, including three out of four with less than 20. With guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1172573' first='Ja'Quell' last='Brown'], [player_tooltip player_id='2573720' first='Taveion' last='Scott'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2896381' first='Reggie' last='Dozier'], the Gators have the horses to defend at a high level, but Head Coach Blake Hall deserves a ton of praise for getting his group to play how he wants them to year after year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Joseph's Catholic School - 2nd in Defensive Points Per Game, 21st Overall</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Joseph's checks in at #2 with 42.2 defensive points per game. They might not have as difficult a non-region schedule as some of the others in this group, but credit to them for handling business on the court when they should. Some of the numbers that jump off the page with this Knights group include holding Greenville Tech to 22, Travelers Rest to 33 and 22, Gilbert to 25, and Carolina Academy to 28. Their best win, however, was a Warrior Invitational Championship Game win over Chapman, a team slotted just behind them at #22 in the Power Score Top 25 and #10 in last week's SCBCA Poll. The Knights don't have a ton of guys who jump out at you defensively, other than [player_tooltip player_id='1711395' first='Carter' last='Bears'] and his rebounding ability, but they are terrific when bought in and defend well as a unit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dutch Fork High School - 3rd in Defensive Points Per Game, 9th Overall</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There aren't many teams in the state that force turnovers like the Dutch Fork Silver Foxes do. Their three leading scorers, [player_tooltip player_id='1972148' first='Justus' last='Bell'], [player_tooltip player_id='2478755' first='Samajae' last='Govan'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1916765' first='KJ' last='Dupree'], account for 45.9 points per game, but they also average a combined 6.3 steals per game. Govan makes up for over half of that number, as he is tops in Class AAAAA with 3.6 a a night. Bell is a dominant inside presence who cleans the glass and can protect the rim, while Dupree is about as good as it gets for a high-school 6th man. The Silver Foxes allow an average of 43.3 points per game and have held an opponent to 40 or fewer points on eight occasions, including back-to-back region wins with 24 points allowed. A loss to Irmo will prevent them from running away with Region 4, but as long as they handle business in the second matchup, they are still the favorite to win that region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Christ Church Episcopal School - 4th in Defensive Points Per Game, 7th Overall</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christ Church slots just behind Dutch Fork at 4th with 44.9 points per game allowed. The Cavaliers have one of the most impressive wins of any 3A team, taking down the Silver Foxes on a neutral floor in the Panther Classic. Their per-game numbers are hurt by two early-season overtime games: a 71-69 win over Northwestern and a 62-60 win over Bluffton. If you look at just regulation, in-state games, their number drops dramatically to just 40.8 defensive points per game. Christ Church has a plethora of guys who make an impact on the defensive end, starting at the top with [player_tooltip player_id='2361714' first='Jonathan' last='Perry'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1807305' first='David' last='Dixon'], as well as future college football players [player_tooltip player_id='2630460' first='Anthony' last='Atkins'] and <strong>Jude Hall</strong>, all the way down to bench contributors [player_tooltip player_id='2887707' first='Ty' last='Young'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1997563' first='Joshua' last='Butler'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Westwood High School - 5th in Defensive Points Per Game, 5th Overall</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rounding out the top five is the team that is 5th overall in the Power Score Top 25, Westwood High School. You might think offense first when watching guys like [player_tooltip player_id='2078979' first='D'Marcus' last='Thomas'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2447621' first='Jayden' last='Crews'], but the Redhawks' two best players take pride in the defensive end of the floor just as much as the offensive one. [player_tooltip player_id='1303623' first='Cylan' last='McLeod'] has been a perfect two-way fit for this roster, while two-sport athletes like [player_tooltip player_id='2910012' first='Quentin' last='McGill'], [player_tooltip player_id='2632934' first='AJ' last='Veal'], and <strong>Jaylen Donaldson</strong> bring intensity in their minutes on the floor. Westwood got off to an excellent start this season, allowing 40 or fewer points in four of their first six games and opening with 10-straight wins. They currently sit at 18-2, holding teams to 45.6 points per game on the season, so look out for the Redhawks to be one of the last teams standing in Class AAAAA Division 2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:html --> https://prephoops.com/south-carolina/team-database/ <!-- /wp:html -->