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

Two dominant guards in Celena Grant and Jhnai Sumter are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The North Augusta Yellow Jackets will challenge the Lower Richland Diamond Hornets at 3:00 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as North Augusta comes in on 25 and Lower Richland on 16.

North Augusta is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They blew 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.

Celena Grant

Steals

02/26/25 vs Gray Collegiate Academy	3
02/21/25 vs Aiken	3
02/18/25 vs Lakewood	3
02/12/25 @ Midland Valley	5
02/10/25 @ Brookland-Cayce	3
+ 2 more games

Grant was her usual excellent self, putting up 12 points in addition to six rebounds and five assists. She is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in each of the last seven games she's played. Ashley Walker was another key player, going 7-for-16 en route to 17 points and five boards.

Meanwhile, Lower Richland strolled past Bishop England with points to spare on Wednesday, taking the game 54-37. Given the Diamond Hornets' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked fourth, while the Battling Bishops are ranked 36th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Lower Richland's win came from a few key players North Augusta will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Sumter, who shot 62% from the field to rack up 17 points and five steals. Another player making a difference was Chi'Nya Isaac, who went 6-for-12 on her way to 14 points and four steals.

Lower Richland's victory was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 25-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 27.1 points. As for North Augusta, their win bumped their record up to 28-1.