Friday's Region Rivalry Games Bring a Feeling of Normalcy During the Most Abnormal Season

Kedar Bodie - Butler

Friday night will mark the first time this season that the high school hoops schedule will in a certain way resemble a non-pandemic Friday in January. I say that because I can spot at least three matchups between local rivals in which the leadership at or near the top of their regions' standings will be on the line. Because of the cancellations that have laced the January slate before this weekend, most region races have barely even gotten a chance to begin. So when Tuesday's results made it clear that Friday's Butler-Laney doubleheader and the rematch (of South Aiken's win over North Augusta Tuesday) between North Augusta and South Aiken's boys would give the teams involved the chance to take an upper hand in their respective races, I felt a touch of normalcy visiting us, which I am very grateful for during this anything-but-normal, pandemic influenced season. Here's a quick breakdown of the rivalry games we will be keeping our eyes and cameras on Friday night:

Butler (5-3, 3-0) at Laney (4-2, 3-0)

Class 2A, Region 4 - Girls

Alteona Collier - Laney

Some people think Laney, winner of three state titles since 2015, will experience a down season. But Eboni Fields, Butler's second year head coach, who starred at Laney before becoming a standout guard for both Francis Marion and the Georgia Soul, our area's professional women's team, knows better than to overlook the mighty Wildcats.

"Laney is playing better," Fields told me Tuesday in a text after Butler's 36-21 win over Putnam County, the fifth straight victory for the Bulldogs. "They started the season off slow, but you can never count them out."

A slow start for Laney means two losses in the pre-region portion of their schedule. Both of those stumbles came at home, the first against Washington County, class 2A's #3 ranked team according to Sandysspiel.com. The second loss was suffered against Cross Creek, class 3A's #5 ranked squad. The loss to the Razorbacks was Laney's first against a Richmond County opponent since 2005, according to Charles McNeil, the voice of the Wildcats for Perry Broadcasting.

Coach Fields, who graduated from Laney in 2006, was in uniform for the Lady Wildcats' famous head coach Otis Smart the last time Laney lost a *region game* against a Richmond County opponent. She shared what she believes it will take for that nearly forgotten history to repeat itself Friday night.

"Our defense is going to be the key Friday," Fields shared. "Also controlling the boards and containing Laney's guards!"

Look to the play of Laney's Alteona Collier and Butler's Jayla Thomas to find out which team will win the battle on the boards Fields cited. Thomas scored 20 points to lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 43-40 win over then #6 Josey last week, the first of two impressive victories for Butler in the last 10 days. As Fields noted, Butler will have its hands full with Laney's Santanna Dennis and Kiara Turner. Dennis, a junior, has been a solid contributor since her freshman season, and Turner, who scored 24 points in Tuesday's 62-58 win over Josey, appears to be one of the next Lady Wildcats in a long line of dynamic guards for coach Smart.

Butler (4-3, 2-0) at Laney (5-3, 3-1)

Class 2A, Region 4 - Boys

Matt Jones - Laney

Both of these teams are loaded with talent, and both have the potential to make a deep run in the post season. Also, both teams need a game like Friday's to continue to build chemistry and grow as a unit after they have had very few opportunities to take the floor this season because of the stop and start nature of basketball activities in the current public health environment. Finally, both teams need a win Friday to keep up with Westside, which also stands 3-0 in league play.

Players to watch:

Laney -

Matt Jones - 6'7" senior

DJ Collins - 6'0" senior

Quan Collier - 6'2" senior

Jordan Stringer - 6'2" senior

James Nipper - 6'3" junior

Butler -

Zabriel Boozer - 6'8" senior

Kedar Bodie - 6'4" junior

Trayveyon Perry - 6'5" senior

Ronnie Striggles - 5'10" senior

Trayveyon Perry - Butler

South Aiken (3-2, 1-0) at North Augusta (3-5, 0-1)

(South Carolina) Class 4A, Region 5 - Boys

Honestly, I didn’t see coming Tuesday’s result, which saw South Aiken topping the two time defending region champ North Augusta. North Augusta features one of the top five players in the area in Colin Rodrigues, an electric athlete, a hard nosed competitor and a future college player. And junior Yellow Jacket Austin Harrell has had an exceptional season shooting and scoring through eight games.

Austin Harrell - North Augusta

But the Thoroughbreds demanded to be noticed Tuesday by knocking off the Yellow Jackets 65-51 behind 31 points by Donavan Hodge and 13 from Jonathan Burns. If South Aiken can complete the week's sweep on enemy grounds, it will be in the driver's seat despite the fact that they will have played only two games, because the entire slate is only eight games long in this five team region.