Basketball Game Preview: Lower Richland Diamond Hornets vs. North Augusta Yellow Jackets

Two dominant guards in Jhnai Sumter and Celena Grant are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Lower Richland Diamond Hornets will take on the North Augusta Yellow Jackets at 3:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Lower Richland sitting on 16 straight wins and North Augusta on 25.

Lower Richland is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They strolled past Bishop England with points to spare, taking the game 54-37. The Diamond Hornets pushed the score to 43-21 by the end of the third, a deficit the Battling Bishops cut but never quite recovered from.

Jhnai Sumter

Steals

02/26/25 vs Bishop England	5
02/21/25 vs Darlington	4
02/18/25 vs Gilbert	5
02/11/25 vs South Florence	2
02/07/25 @ Lakewood	2

Lower Richland's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sumter, who shot 62% from the field on her way to 17 points and five steals. Sumter has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last five times she's played. Chi'Nya Isaac was another key player, going 6-for-12 to rack up 14 points and four steals.

Meanwhile, North Augusta was fully in charge on Wednesday, breezing past Gray Collegiate Academy 49-20. The Yellow Jackets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 20 contests by 20 points or more this season.

Lower Richland better keep an eye on Grant. She was instrumental in North Augusta's win, putting up 12 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashley Walker, who shot 44% from the field en route to 17 points and five boards.

Lower Richland's win was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 25-1. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.7 points over those games. As for North Augusta, their record is now 28-1.