The boys basketball season is reaching a key point as teams prepare for winter break and the holiday tournaments that come with it. 

Last week was a successful one for many teams around Lexington County. 10 of the 15 local teams either split their games or had more wins than losses last week. Six teams won all of their games. 

After losing both of its games the week before, the Irmo basketball team bounced back strong and won all three of its games this week to pull its record over .500. The Yellow Jackets won all of those games by double-digits.

River Bluff is another team that won all of its games last week after losing them all the week before. The Gators rebounded with wins over double-figure wins over Blythewood and Airport. 

Gator star Yasir Cromer has been having a phenomenal start to the season with multiple 20 and 30-point performances. Against Blythewood, Cromer had 34 points, breaking his career-high and the previous school record for points in a game. 

Northside Christian went 3-0 last week with wins against Providence Athletic Club, Ragin Prep and Wilson Hall. The Crusaders became the first team to score 100 points this season in its win over Providence Athletic Club. Dalton Gadson scored a team-high 24 points in that game as Northside won 100-59. 

Batesburg-Leesville won both of its contests, beating Swansea 53-43 and Aiken 66-53. The Panthers began this week on a three-game win streak after starting the year 0-4. 

Gray Collegiate and Brookland-Cayce both won their only game last week as region games began for teams in 4A Region 4. The Bearcats dominated South Aiken, winning 96-39. Gray beat Midland Valley 68-32 to even its record at two wins and two losses. 

Elsewhere around the county, Chapin, Dutch Fork, White Knoll and Pelion won games but also had a few losses. 

The Eagles split their two games, beating Newberry but getting blown out by Blythewood. The loss to the Bengals snapped a five-game Chapin winning streak. 

Dutch Fork also split its two contests last week. The Silver Foxes beat Spring Valley 70-47 before losing to A.C. Flora 54-47. 

The team was scheduled for three games this week, including a rematch against A.C. Flora on Tuesday after the Chronicle’s press deadline. The Silver Foxes will also take on Spring Valley and Newberry. 

White Knoll began last week with a loss to Westwood but corrected and picked up wins over Gilbert and Fort Dorchester. The Timberwolves don’t play this week and will be off until they begin holiday tournament action after Christmas. 

Pelion is off to a great start this season, entering the week 7-2. The Panthers won two of its three games last week, beating Newberry Academy and Swansea but losing to Ridge Spring-Monetta. It is the best start in six seasons for the Panthers. 

The rest of the teams in Lexington County lost all of their games last week. 

Defending 5A champions Lexington is looking to find its footing without its stars from last season. The Wildcats began this week a game under .500 after losing four of their last five games. The team can get to .500 this week with a win over Spring Valley.

Airport and Gilbert went a combined 0-6 and dropped their region openers. The Eagles enter this week on a five-game losing streak, and the Indians began this week 1-9. 

American Leadership has lost six of its last seven contests but has come close to winning in many of its games. Last week, the Patriots lost to Eau Claire by 10 points and Fox Creek by six. The team began this week with a three-point loss to North. 

Swansea is the lone winless team, sitting at 0-8 entering this week. The team dropped all three of its games last week, losing to Batesburg-Leesville, Pelion and Lake Marion. The team will have two shots to add a win this week, including a rematch against Batesburg-Leesville. 

Big Performances 

A.J. Edwards scored 15 points in Brookland Cayce's blowout win over South Aiken in a region contest.

Levi Ball had a double-double for Gray Collegiate against Midland Valley, scoring 19 points, 10 rebounds and five steals.

Kolton Rogers had 14 points and 13 rebounds for Pelion against Swansea. 

Peyton Jennings scored 24 points in White Knoll’s 20-point win over Fort Dorchester. 

Jaylan Weaver had 19 points, nine rebounds and five steals for Northside Christian against Wilson Hall. 

Upcoming Games to Watch 

Gray Collegiate at St. Francis Prep - Dec. 19

Brookland-Cayce vs. Easley - Dec. 19

Irmo at Dreher - Dec. 20

Dutch Fork at Newberry - Dec. 21

Last Week’s Scores

Chapin- Newberry (72-61, W), Blythewood (80-38, L)

Dutch Fork- Spring Valley (70-47, W), A.C. Flora (54-47, L)

Irmo- Aiken (64-41, W), Newberry (73-37, W), Spring Valley (52-35, W),

Lexington- A.C. Flora (79-50, L), Ben Lippen (73-58, L)

River Bluff- Blythewood (62-47, W), Airport (62-40, W)

White Knoll- Westwood (62-36, L), Gilbert (58-49, W), Fort Dorchester (86-66, W)

Airport- Ben Lippen (69-56, L), Aiken (70-49, L), River Bluff (62-40, L)

Brookland-Cayce- South Aiken (96-39, W)

Gilbert- Strom Thurmond (55-50, L), White Knoll (58-49, L), North Augusta (89-40, L)

Gray Collegiate- Midland Valley (68-32, W)

Swansea- Batesburg-Leesville (53-43, L), Pelion (44-29, L), Lake Marion (58-42, L)

American Leadership- Eau Claire (48-38, L), Fox Creek (68-62, L)

Batesburg-Leesville- Swansea (53-43, W), Aiken (66-53, W)

Pelion- Newberry Academy (44-38, W), Ridge Spring-Monetta  (45-40, L), Swansea (44-29, W)

Northside Christian- Providence Athletic Club (100-59, W), Ragin Prep (73-46, W), Wilson Hall (70-63, W)