Five Teams With Elite Continuity in 2026-27

<!-- 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>With high school basketball rosters changing more frequently than ever, continuity can be a major advantage heading into a new season. Returning talent is a big part of that, but so is keeping a roster intact and avoiding significant turnover. These five South Carolina teams enter 2026-27 with plenty of familiar faces and the opportunity to build on what they established a year ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Marlboro County High School - Bennettsville, South Carolina: </strong>The Bulldogs of Marlboro County lead off this list of five teams with elite continuity heading into the 2026-27 High School Basketball Season. They had three juniors in double-digit scoring and only one senior on the roster a year ago. The dynamic duo of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2615504' first='Will' last='Jeffcoat']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2455148' first='Isaiah' last='Whitner']</strong> have excellent chemistry and are definitely one college coaches should look to check out in showcases, but <strong>LaQuincy Leach</strong> also provides a nice dose of athleticism and physicality to this bunch. With 10 juniors on last season's roster, this group of Bulldogs should be a connected, experienced squad ready to make a push for the 2A Region 6 crown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hartsville High School - Hartsville High School:</strong> Although the first thing that will come to mind for most when they think of Hartsville this year will be their senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2314646' first='Kayson' last='Dawson']</strong>, the continuity on and off the court is something that really stood out to me when I was in the gym with them on multiple occasions in June. They did have a couple of key departures to graduation and transfer from a season ago, but their depth and versatility around Dawson will help them over a long year. Other names who will step up for them this season include <strong>Kelly Price</strong>, <strong>Jamyari Scipio</strong>, <strong>Justin Hines</strong>, and <strong>Zi'yon Mason</strong>, but they also have a few young guys who could emerge and carve out roles for themselves. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Crestwood High School - Crestwood, South Carolina: </strong>Keeping it in 3A Region 6, Crestwood High School is another team that returns a lot of important pieces from 2025-26. They had three seniors on the roster a year ago who all played important roles, but they bring back their starting backcourt in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2566640' first='Sheldon' last='Davis']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2712177' first='Jaden' last='Shaw']</strong>, who should carry most of the production load. The Knights also have some intriguing size in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3571216' first='Aric' last='Samuel'] Jr.</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3662363' first='Jonathan' last='Langford']</strong>, and <strong>LeDarian Gaymon</strong>, so they will be able to beat up some teams inside the paint and take advantage of their length on the perimeter in certain matchups. This team will likely go as far as Davis can take them, but if they get a few more pieces to step up off the bench, they could be one of the teams to beat in the Lower State of 3A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Denmark-Olar High School - Denmark, South Carolina:</strong> After a lot of turnover and a slow start to the season a year ago, the Vikings went 8-2 in region play and now come into this year as one of the teams to beat in Class A. A large part of that is the return of Point Guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2420843' first='Christian' last='Rivera']</strong>, who averaged 26.9 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 4.8 SPG in 2025-26, but they also bring back an elite shooter in <strong>Markel Rivera</strong>, who will space the floor, and developing big man in 6'7" <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2958236' first='William' last='Ross']</strong>. This will be the core of their attack on most nights, but guys like <strong>Nyheem Williams</strong>, <strong>Tayvion Pressley</strong>, and <strong>Kendrick Workman</strong> will also be solid pieces with experience this year after only losing three seniors from last season's group. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Crescent High School - Iva, South Carolina:</strong> It's rare when a program has zero seniors on a roster, but when they do, that is definitely a team you want to keep an eye on the following season. However, not only did the Tigers not have any seniors, but they also had two 8th graders: <strong>Karter Nance</strong> and <strong>James Dawson II</strong>. Dawson was their third-leading scorer a year ago behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2642298' first='Philip' last='Deveaux']</strong> (15.5 PPG) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3274266' first='Owen' last='Woods']</strong> (10.6 PPG), a backcourt combination that will cause a lot of teams trouble this year. Mix in a solid collection of veteran big men with <strong>Max Locke</strong>, <strong>Branyon Russell</strong>, and <strong>Amariah Johnson</strong>, and Crescent could be a team to lean on their continuity and surprise some people in 2026-27.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->