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The Observer’s 2024 Gaston County girls’ high school basketball preview

jay edwards
·5 min read
Girls’ basketball season opens soon in Gaston County.

Here is The Observer’s look at girls’ high school basketball in Gaston County ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Teams to watch

Bessemer City: The Yellow Jackets boast one of the state’s most dynamic duos in sisters, junior, Kionna Pettus (22 ppg) and senior, Tionna Pettus (23.2 ppg), which gives them a chance to be in any game.

Bessemer City will look to build on a 14-14 season from a year ago, and get above .500 and in better playoff position to make a run.

Forestview: The Jaguars look to build on their first winning season (16-10) since the 2019-20 season with three starters back.

Forestview will to seniors in forward, Molly Forgan (6.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and point guard, Miangel Thompson (8.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.9 apg) as well as junior guard, Amani Neely, to help stay in the top half of the Big South 3A conference standings and in favorable playoff position.

South Point: The Red Raiders return three starters from a team that won 17 games and finished second in the Big South 3A conference to rival, Stuart Cramer, last season. 6-foot, all-conference, forward, Amya Graham (18.3 ppg, 15.1 rpg) will lead the way.

South Point will also need junior guard, Claire Frank (7.4 ppg) and senior forward, Annie Risk (2.3 rpg) to step into bigger roles as starters if the Red Raiders are going to contend for the Big South 3A conference title and put themselves in strong playoff position.

Stuart Cramer: The Storm return four starters from a team that won 24 games, including the Big South 3A conference title season. Big South conference player of the year, junior point guard, Oshauna Holland (28 ppg) headlines the group with senior guards, Alaina Franklin and Hadley Womack (11.3 ppg), and 6-2 sophomore center, Lauren Humphrey (6.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg) also playing key roles. The Storm have the experience to repeat as conference champions and go deep into the 3A state playoffs (advanced to third round last year).

Players to watch

Krista Davis, Cherryville, Sr.: The senior point guard (13 ppg, 4 spg) is one of four starters back for what should be an improved Cherryville team.

Amya Graham, South Point, Sr.: The 6-foot senior is a double-double machine averaging 18.3 points and 15.1 points per game as a junior.

Oshauna Holland, Stuart Cramer, Jr.: The 5-7 junior point guard, Big South conference player of the year put up huge numbers as a sophomore, averaging 28 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 6.5 steals per game, has more than 10 major Division I scholarship offers.

Amani Neely, Forestview, Jr.: The 5-10 junior will play a lead role for the Jaguars after averaging 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.4 assists per game last season.

Kionna Pettus, Bessemer City, Jr.: The 5-10 junior averaged 22 points per game and was the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A player of the year as a sophomore.

Tionna Pettus, Bessemer City, Sr.: The 5-10 senior averaged 23.2 points per game earning all-conference and all-district honors last season.

Brooklyn Swann, Hunter Huss, Sr.: The 5-11 senior can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry, averaging 17 points, 11.3 rebounds, three assists, 3.3 steals and 1.9 blocks per game as a junior.

Players on the rise

Marisiddaiah Crocker, North Gaston, So.: The 5-8 sophomore will be a key player as the lone returning starters for the Wildcats.

Lauren Humphrey, Stuart Cramer, So.: The 6-2 sophomore (6.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg) looks to build on what was a breakout freshman year in the paint.

Jakyra Sadler, Ashbrook, Fr.: The 5-6 freshman point guard will have an immediate impact for the Green Wave.

Preseason all-county team

  • Amya Graham, South Point, 6-0, Sr.

  • Oshauna Holland, Stuart Cramer, 5-7, Jr.

  • Amani Neely, Forestview, 5-10, Jr.

  • Kionna Pettus, Bessemer City, 5-10, Jr.

  • Tionna Pettus, Bessemer City, 5-10, Sr.

  • Brooklyn Swann, Hunter Huss, 5-11, Sr.

Preseason player of the year: Oshauna Holland, Stuart Cramer, 5-7, Jr.

Notes

  • Shawn Rhymer takes over an East Gaston girls’ basketball program that has struggled going 9-33 in the past two seasons.

  • Forestview coach, Kevin Gurganus, needs 16 wins to reach his 200th career, coaching victory.

  • The Gaston Day team is back after not having a varsity team for the last two years. Coach Lulu Brase, who won 146 games at O’Neal School, will lead the program. Brase is a 2009 Gaston Day graduate and former Spartans’ girls’ basketball player who competed on state championship teams in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

  • South Point senior Amya Graham will be the first player to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in Red Raiders’ program history.

Conference predictions

Big South 3A Conference

  1. Stuart Cramer; 2. South Point; 3. Hunter Huss; 4. Forestview; 5. Ashbrook; 6. Crest; 7. Kings Mountain; 8. North Gaston.

Catawba Shores’ 1A/2A Conference

  1. Community School of Davidson; 2. Lincoln Charter; 3. Christ the King; 4. Pine Lake Prep; 5. Mountain Island Charter; 6. Corvian Charter; 7. Bradford Prep; 8. Langtree Charter.

Metrolina Athletic Conference

  1. Concord Academy; 2. Westminster Catawba; 3. Gaston Christian; 4. Hickory Grove; 5. Metrolina Christian; 6. SouthLake Christian; 7. Gaston Day.

South Piedmont 1A/2A Conference

  1. Thomas Jefferson Academy; 2. Bessemer City; 3. Burns; 4. Shelby; 5. Highland Tech; 6. Cherryville; 7. East Gaston.