After winter weather hit the area last week, girls basketball teams in Lexington had to adjust and play a shortened schedule with much less practice time. 

This resulted in many teams playing one game, while others rescheduled Tuesday’s contests to Monday or Saturday. 

The delays come right as teams hit the midpoint of the region season. The standings are taking shape and teams are beginning to get a feel for where they will finish. 

The race for the top spot in 5A Region 4 got a bit more interesting after current leader Lexington dropped its first conference game this season, losing to White Knoll 54-52. This came just days after the Wildcats took control of the top spot by beating Dutch Fork. 

Shaelyn Hayes had a dominant performance for the Timberwolves, recording 21 points and 21 rebounds against the Wildcats. It was Hayes' 10th double-double this season and first 20-20 game. 

Entering this week, White Knoll, Lexington and Dutch Fork all have just one region loss. All of the games between these teams, so far, have been close. Eyes will be on White Knoll and Dutch Fork next week as those teams are set to play each other Feb. 4. 

Irmo, Chapin and River Bluff make up the bottom half of the conference and are a combined 2-10 in region play. 

In the local 4A region, Gray Collegiate sits second in the region standings, while Airport, Gilbert and Brookland-Cayce make up three of the bottom four teams. 

The War Eagles won its lone game over Midland Valley 69-20. Kiley Freeman scored 19 points and added six rebounds in the win. Kadence Walker-Lee had a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. 

Airport played two games and went 1-1 to improve to 4-4 in region. The Eagles lost to Aiken before beating Brookland-Cayce by seven. 

Gilbert dropped to 2-5 in region with an 88-8 loss against North Augusta. Brookland-Cayce is still seeking its first region win, entering this week 0-8. 

Swansea is sitting third in its 3A region after earning two wins last week. The team narrowly beat Fox Creek by one before traveling to Silver Bluff and winning 40-27. There are still five games left for the Tigers to try and improve its positioning. 

American Leadership, Batesburg-Leesville and Pelion make up the bottom three teams in their region. The Patriots and Pelion earned their first region win by beating Batesburg-Leesville. Both games were close with Batesburg dropping both by a combined four points. 

The hottest team in Lexington County continues to be Northside Christian. The Crusaders are the only local team still undefeated in all its games this season. 

Northside picked up wins against Augusta Christian and Hammond last week behind strong outings from sophomore Evie Godfrey. She led the team in scoring during both games. 

Chaelyn Tifre’s production has also been important, recording a double-double in each contest. 

The Crusaders were 18-0 to start this week and have a pair of crucial games against Heathwood Hall on the horizon. But first, the team will play Cardinal Newman and Ben Lippen this week. 

Big Performances 

Shaelyn Hayes had 21 points and 21 rebounds in White Knoll’s win over Lexington.

Michaela Fairwell scored 23 points, four rebounds, five assists and seven steals for Dutch Fork in a win over Irmo. 

Kiley Freeman finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Gray Collegiate’s win over Midland Valley.

Jaleya Lytes scored 20 points in Lexington’s win against River Bluff.

Chaelyn Tifre recorded a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double in Northside Christian’s game against Hammond. 

Upcoming Games to Watch 

Lexington vs. Irmo - Jan. 31

Pelion vs. Ninety Six - Jan. 31

Northside Christian at Heathwood Hall - Feb. 3

White Knoll vs. Dutch Fork - Feb. 4

Airport vs. Gray Collegiate - Feb. 4

Last Week’s Scores

Chapin- White Knoll (50-37, L)

Dutch Fork- Irmo (85-39, W)

Irmo- Dutch Fork (85-39, L)

Lexington- White Knoll (54-52, L), River Bluff (70-42, W)

River Bluff-  Lexington (70-42, L)

White Knoll- Lexington (54-52, W), Chapin (450-37, W)

Airport- Aiken (62-54, L), Brookland-Cayce (48-41, W)

Brookland-Cayce- South Aiken (41-37, L), Airport (48-41, L)

Gilbert- North Augusta (88-8, L)

Gray Collegiate- Midland Valley (60-29, W)

Swansea - Fox Creek (41-40, W), Silver Bluff (40-27, W)

American Leadership- Ninety Six (43-35, L), Batesburg-Leesville (32-31, W)

Batesburg-Leesville- Pelion (47-44, L), American Leadership (32-31, L)

Pelion- Batesburg-Leesville (47-44, W)

Northside Christian- Augusta Christian (55-33, W), Hammond (57-24, W)