Photo by Maxpreps.com – American Leadership Academy’s Brice Newton to the basket
By Thomas Grant Jr.
As a 2-time All-State swingman, Tyson Bouknight helped Lexington High School win its first state boys basketball title.
Fast forward 30 years later, he’s looking to make history as a head coach at a nearby high school.
With wins this week over Ninety-Six and Pelion, American Leadership Academy will claim the Region 2-2A title. This would be a first for the 3-year-old program Bouknight has built from the school’s inception.
“It’s definitely the point from where I started and a lot of these guys when we opened this school here came with me to play basketball,” Bouknight said. “They’ve all put in the work since the season from last year ended in February and they started in March with weightlifting and conditioning up until the season started. So, they’ve done the work and we just did the coaching and they’ve followed everything we’ve asked them to do.”
Winning the region would give American Legion Academy homecourt advantage through the Class 2A Upper State finals. Given the lack of playoff experience, Bouknight believes this is important as the Patriots seek their own championship ring.
As a member of the Harris ‘coaching tree’, Bouknight is fortunate to have his mentor close to the program. In fact, Harris was at Monday’s practice for devotions and has provided assistance with offensive and defensive skills.
Aside from junior center Braxton Redding, the 14-player Patriots’ roster have all seniors. Bouknight said the team possesses strong chemistry from grown up playing with and against each other.
This has translated into unselfish play on the court exhibited by the starters and contributors off the bench.
“You can tell they love each other as kids and you don’t find that everyday in high school because everybody wants to be the man,” Bouknight said. “A lot of the games we have, we have 12, 10, eight points. Nobody is out there scoring 21, 25 points. We’ve got five people scoring double figures and that’s how we’re successful.”
Swingman Justin Richburg leads the Patriots in scoring at 13.4 points per game. A Gray Collegiate Academy transfer, he quickly bonded with his teammates with his work ethic and coachability.
Guard Brice Newton is second in scoring at 11.4 points per game. Having known Newton since he was five years old, Bouknight described him as an “unbelievable worker” who’s leadership skills are always on display.
On defense, forward Noah Lorick and guard Makel Hillary are the designated ‘stoppers’. Bouknight said their task is to contain the top scorers on the opposing rosters.
When not leading the team in rebounding, the 6-foot 7 Redding is a force in the paint blocking shots. In the 65-49 win over Batesburg-Leesville, he finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocked shots.
Aside from titles, Bouknight believes the team’s biggest motivation is a hunger developed from their experiences at past schools.
“A lot of these kids came from different schools that didn’t want them, let me put it that way,” he said. “They came from the bigger schools around here that said ‘You’re never going to be anything on varsity. You’re not going to start. You’re not going to score these many points. You’re not going to do this. You’re not going to do that. You’re not going to go to college and play basketball.’”
“And just by our coaches and having that faith in them and having the belief that ‘Hey, if you work and do what you’re suppose to do, it doesn’t matter if you’re at this school. It doesn’t matter if you’re at the biggest school in South Carolina. If you put in the work and do what you’re supposed to do, anything’s possible.’”
Region 4/5A race is winding down
The basketball teams for Bouknight’s alma mater look to finish the regular season on a strong note.
The Lady Wildcats need to win their final two games to finish no lower than second place. Last Friday, they had a 11-4 lead on the Lady Silver Foxes on home.
Jaleya Lytes scored eight of her team-high 11 points in the first quarter.
Dutch Fork rallied to take the lead into the second quarter. After Lexington scored eight straight points to tie the game at 21-21, it was held scoreless for close to 10 minutes.
The Lady Silver Foxes went on a 26-0 run that stretched into the third quarter. They went on to defeat the Lady Wildcats 59-36 to take sole possession of first place in Region 4-5A.
Meanwhile, the boys’ basketball team still has an outside shot at second place. Last Friday’s 66-37 loss to the Silver Foxes dropped it into a tie for third place with Tuesday’s opponent White Knoll.
They remained a game behind Irmo, who lost to the Timberwolves 53-51. Tuesday’s winner between White Knoll and Lexington could finish tied for second if the Yellow Jackets lose to either Chapin or Dutch Fork or both games.
