Another week of girls basketball action has concluded around Lexington County with many teams improving their records before winter break. 

During the break, many teams will participate in tournaments and get the chance to face unfamiliar competition. 

One of the area's biggest girls basketball tournaments occurs at Lexington High School. The Christmas Classic features 32 teams and will be played on Dec. 21 and 23. 

Lexington, Dutch Fork and Northside Christian will participate in the event along with many others from the Columbia area. The Wildcats, Crusaders and Silver Foxes are some of the hottest teams in Lexington County, with a combined record of 22-1.

Northside entered this week 10-0 after picking up three wins last week against Providence Athletic Club, Laurence Manning and Wilson Hall. Against Providence Athletic, the team earned its most decisive win so far, beating the Panthers 63-15. 

Sophomore Evie Godfrey is in her first season as a Crusader and is already one of the team’s go-to pieces. She led the team in scoring during all three games last week averaging about 23 points per contest. 

Dutch Fork entered this week 7-0 after beating A.C. Flora and Spring Valley last week. The defending 5A Region 4 champions have shown no regression so far this season. 

The Silver Foxes have rematches scheduled against A.C. Flora and SpringValleyy this week and will begin its Christmas Classic run against currently unbeaten Blythewood. 

Lexington is the only team of the three to have a loss on its record. The Wildcats dropped their first game of the season last week in a 43-36 loss against A.C. Flora. The team is still riding high, entering this week 5-1 with a game against Spring Valley before its Christmas Classic opener versus Lakewood.

Elsewhere around the County, White Knoll had a strong week, winning all three of its contests to improve to 6-4 this season. The team won a close one against Westwood, 44-42, before dominating Gilbert and Fort Dorchester. 

The Timberwolves got big performances from a few of its players, including double-double outings from Shaelyn Hayes and Emory Waters-Inman. 

White Knoll is set to take part in the Winborn showcase on Friday with a game against Indian Land. 

Gray Collegiate won its only game of the week, a region contest against Midland Valley. The War Eagles dominated and won 68-22 behind Kadence Walker-Lee’s 23-point, 13-rebound outing. 

That game marked the first win of the season for the War Eagles after losing their first two. 

Irmo and Swansea had successful weeks, going 2-1 to win most of their games. 

The Yellow Jackets pulled themselves back over .500 with wins against Aiken and Newberry. But, the team also suffered an 18-point loss to Spring Valley. 

Irmo looked good in their wins, beating Aiken 34-29 in a low-scoring game before dropping almost 70 on Newberry in a 69-23 win. 

In that game, Abby Livingston put up one of the most impressive performances you’ll see this season. The sophomore recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 15 steals. 

River Bluff and Chapin were the only teams in the county with an even win-loss record last week. The Gators began this week 4-4 after beating Airport before losing to Blythewood. The Eagles were 4-5 but played two more games after the Chronicle's press deadline. 

Brookland-Cayce’s week wasn’t a total wash as the team did earn an 18-point win over Bethune Bowman. The Bearcats lost big to Chester and South Aiken. The team began this week looking to even its region record with a win over Midland Valley. 

Airport, American Leadership Academy, Batesburg-Leesville and Pelion went a combined 0-11 last week. There is still time for all four teams to turn things around. 

Airport entered this week 4-4, despite three losses last week. Gilbert started the week 2-7 but is only one game into region competition. Pelion can get over .500 this week with a win in two of its three games. And while Batesburg-Leesville and ALA have yet to win a game this season, both teams started this week less than five games into the season. 

Big Performances 

Abby Livingston had a triple-double for Irmo against Newberry, finishing with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 15 steals. 

Shaelyn Hayes had a big game for White Knoll against Gilbert, scoring 28 points, 13 rebounds and six steals. 

Kadence Walker-Lee finished with a double-double in Gray Collegiate’s win over Midland Valley, scoring 23 points and 13 rebounds to go along with three assists and three blocks. 

Evie Godfrey had 24 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in Northsidee Christian’s win over Laurence Manning.

Emory Waters-Inman had a double-double in White Knoll’s win over Westwood, scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Upcoming Games to Watch 

Airport vs. Queens Grant (tournament game) - Dec. 20

Northside Christian vs. Gilbert - Dec. 20

Dutch Fork at Spring Valley - Dec. 20

Lexington vs. Lakewood (tournament game) - Dec. 21

Dutch Fork vs. Blythewood (tournament game)  - Dec. 21

Last Week’s Scores

Chapin- Newberry (55-20, W), Blythewood (81-32, L)

Dutch Fork- Spring Valley (72-58, W), A.C. Flora (65-56, W)

Irmo- Aiken (34-29, W), Newberry (69-23, W), Spring Valley (54-36, L)

Lexington- A.C. Flora (43-36, L), Ben Lippen (72-34, W)

River Bluff- Blythewood (61-44, L), Airport (36-29, W)

White Knoll- Westwood (44-42, W), Gilbert (64-21, W), Fort Dorchester (45-28, W)

Airport- Ben Lippen (45-36, L), Aiken (37-30, L), River Bluff (36-29, L)

Brookland-Cayce- Chester (54-25, L), Bethune-Bowman (51-33, W), South Aiken (52-26, L)

Gilbert- Strom Thurmond (40-29, L), White Knoll (64-21, L), North Augusta (55-17, L)

Gray Collegiate- Midland Valley (68-22, W)

Swansea- Batesburg-Leesville (42-25, W), Pelion (50-20, W), Lake Marion (50-40, L)

American Leadership- Eau Claire (48-28, L), Fox Creek (52-25, L)

Batesburg-Leesville- Swansea (42-25, L)

Pelion- Ridge Spring-Monetta  (53-30, L), Swansea (50-20, L)

Northside Christian- Providence Athletic Club (63-15, W), Laurence Manning (61-53, W), Wilson Hall (59-42, W)