Busy week of playoff hoops ahead for local schools

If the Sumter High School varsity girls basketball team is to make a return trip to the 5A upper state championship game this season, it will be taking pretty much the same route it did a year ago.

The Lady Gamecocks, who lost to Irmo 50-47 on Friday to finish second in Region IV like they did a year ago, will be at home in the first round of the state playoffs on Tuesday. They will play host to J.L. Mann, the No. 3 seed from Region I.

SHS, which is ranked sixth in the most recent South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association 5A poll, will carry a 19-5 overall record into the contest. J.L. Mann is 16-7.

The winner of the game will face the winner of the contest between Wade Hampton of Greenville and Region II champion Byrnes. The Lady Gamecocks will travel to Duncan on Friday if they win and Byrnes wins.

The Sumter boys will go into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed from Region IV after losing to Irmo 44-33 on Friday. The 14-11 Gamecocks will be in the lower state part of the 5A playoffs. They will open on the road on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against 17-7 Ashley Ridge, which is ranked seventh in the state.

The winner will face either St. James or Goose Creek on Saturday.

The Crestwood girls thought they'd be playing on Tuesday in the first round of the 4A playoffs against an at-large team. However, no one apparently applied for the spot, so the 20-5 Lady Knights got a bye and won't play until Friday at The Castle. They will face either Beaufort or Airport.

Crestwood, the Region IV champion and ranked sixth, will get another home game if it wins its second-round contest.

The 11-12 Lakewood boys will go into the 4A playoffs as the No. 3 seed from Region IV and get a long bus ride for their troubles. The Gators will play in the upper state and travel to Daniel, located just outside of Clemson, on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game. Daniel is ranked 10th among 4A boys and is 22-5. The winner will face either Eastside or Ridge View.

The Crestwood boys did apply for an at-large berth in the 4A playoffs and were selected in the lower state portion of the bracket. The 9-16 Knights will be on the road against 16-10 and Region V champion North Augusta on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The winner will face either Hilton Head Island or North Myrtle Beach.

The Manning girls, ranked fourth in 3A, opened the 3A playoffs on Monday against Loris. The winner will face either Battery Creek or Strom Thurmond on Thursday.

The Manning boys, who are ranked 10th, will open on the road on Tuesday, but have a short trip , traveling to Region VI No. 2 Lake City for a 7 p.m. game.

The Monarchs are 15-9. while Lake City is 12-10. The winner will face either Sawnsea or Ridgeland-Hardeeville on Friday.

The teams from East Clarendon both finished second in Region VII-2A, and they will have home games in the first round. The third-ranked and 21-5 Lady Wolverines will play host to 13-6 Barnwell, the No. 3 seed from Region V, on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The winner of the game will face either Eau Claire or North Charleston on Friday.

The 10th-ranked EC boys, 18-5, will meet 7-11 Woodland, Region V's No. 3, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The winner will face either Eau Claire or Oceanside Collegiate on Saturday.

Both teams from Lee Central enter the 2A playoffs as the No. 2 seed from Region IV. The seventh-ranked and 15-6 Lady Stallions play host to 12-12 Fox Creek, the No. 4 team from Region II, at 6 p.m. The winner will face either Chesterfield or Christ Church on Friday.

The third-ranked boys will play host to Ninety Six at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The Stallions are 22-4, while Ninety Six, the No. 4 team from Region II, is 10-10. The winner will face either Christ Church of Central on Saturday.

Both teams from Scott's Branch won the Region V-1A titles and thus earned a first-round bye in the state playoffs. The 14-4 Lady Eagles, the defending state champions and ranked No. 2, open at home on Thursday against either Charleston Math & Science or Hemingway.

The Scott's Branch boys, who are 14-6 and also ranked second, will be at home on Friday against either Baptist Hill or Green Sea-Floyds.