Alex Sherrill named Region VII Player of the Year.
By CINDY CROSBY
cindyc4@yahoo.com
The Colleton County High School Cougar Basketball team finished the regular season with a 72-65 win over Hilton Head High School to capture their second consecutive Region VII title under the direction of Coach Matthew Mullins. The Cougars finished the regular season 13-10 and 5-1 in conference play.
The Cougars are seeded No. 1 in their SCHSL AAAA Lower State Playoff bracket and will host at-large opponent Airport High School (12-14, 3-7) Wednesday Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. A win on Wednesday evening would move the Cougars to round two Saturday Feb. 22, where they would face the eventual winner of the Myrtle Beach and Midland Valley match-up.
The Cougars took an early lead in the win over Hilton Head and never trailed in the game. Alex Sherrill led Colleton County scoring 23 points. Stephan Gadson chipped in 15 points. Other scoring included Alston Sherrill 11, Jahlil Ellison 8, Jermaine Parker 8, and Antwan Griffin 6.
Hilton Head was led by Somma with 16 points. Smith added 15 points.
“I am very proud of how the guys played against Hilton Head,” said Coach Mullins. “All season we had a goal of trying to go back-to-back as region champions. The seniors really embraced the idea of not only being the first class to win a region championship last year as juniors, but then doing it all over again as seniors.
“Everyone chipped in tonight too, which was great,” said Mullins. “Alex and Stephan hit some big free throws down the stretch to put it away, Alston Sherrill came in and hit some big shots, Jahlil Ellison grabbed some huge rebounds, while Parker and Antwan helped us get some big stops at the end. I could go on and on. I am just really proud of everyone on this team.
“I am looking forward to the first round of the playoffs,” said Mullins. “We are staying focused on what we do and preparing for Airport.”
Following the Region VII Championship, Alex Sherrill was named Region Player of the Year.
Three players — Alex Sherrill, Stephan Gadson and Jermaine Parker — were named to the Region VII-AAAA All-Region team.
Coach Matt Mullins was named Region VII Co-Coach of the Year along with Coach Chane Brown from Hilton Head.
