It was an important week of girls basketball in Lexington County as many key region competitions unfolded across the area. 

The standings saw some major movement this past week as some of the best teams went head-to-head. After passing the halfway point in the region season, teams will have to play some of their best ball down the stretch to gain separation.

In Lexington County’s big 5A conference, four teams have emerged as region title contenders. Lexington, Dutch Fork, Irmo and Chapin are all playing well and beating each other up in the process.

Entering this week, Lexington and Dutch Fork have a one-game advantage over the Yellow Jackets and Eagles. But with five games to go, it’s still anyone’s title to win. 

Lexington and Dutch Fork began the season as favorites to contend. That has tracked so far with each team sitting at (4-1) in region games. 

The Wildcats won the first game of the head-to-head between the two schools, giving them the tie-breaker for now. The two will play again on Feb. 6. 

Lexington’s loss came at the start of region play against Irmo. The Yellow Jackets were undefeated in region games before losing two last week against Dutch Fork and Chapin. The Wildcats and Yellow Jackets will meet again this Friday. 

Irmo and Chapin each have (3-2) region records. The Eagles lost to Lexington and Dutch Fork but pulled off a three-point win over Irmo last week. 

River Bluff and White Knoll are currently at the bottom of the conference. The Gators are (1-4) while White Knoll is still searching for its first region win. 

Things in the lower classifications remain largely the same. 

In 4A, Gray Collegiate is the only local team contending for a region championship. The War Eagles began the week (7-1) in conference games and (15-4) overall. They sit a game behind North Augusta.

Airport, Gilbert and Brookland-Cayce are a ways down, but still competing for positioning. Right now, there is a four-way tie at (2-6) between those three teams and Aiken. 

Airport made the most progress last week, picking up wins against Brookland-Cayce and Aiken. The Bearcats earned a win over South Aiken to stay with the pack, and Gilbert dropped a pair of games against the region’s top two teams. 

In 2A, the Pelion and Batesburg-Leesville rivalry was renewed for the first time this season. The teams had similar pre-region seasons, but since then, things have been moving in opposite directions. 

Batesburg-Leesville is looking to compete for the conference championship, while the Panthers are still seeking their first region win. 

The game between the two started close before Batesburg-Leesville opened up a bit of a lead. Once ahead, the Panthers never looked back, holding off any push Pelion tried to make. 

Batesburg-Leesville began the week (2-1) in region games, sitting half a game back from first-place Strom Thurmond. 

Pelion started (0-4) and will have a chance to get a win this week with games against Ninety Six. 

Upcoming games to watch

Chapin vs. Dutch Fork - Jan. 30

Lexington vs. Irmo - Jan. 30

Northside Christian at Cardinal Newman - Feb. 3

Brookland-Cayce vs. Aiken - Feb. 3

Last week’s top performances 

Aneya Britt had a 21-point, 19-rebound double-double as Gray Collegiate beat Midland Valley.

Tionna Goodwin scored 16 points and had nine steals in Brookland-Cayce’s win over Northside Christian. 

Sami Stephenson finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks as Chapin knocked off Irmo. 

Avani Adams scored 22 points for Dutch Fork in a win against River Bluff. 

Last week’s scores

Chapin - Irmo (42-39, W), White Knoll (38-33, W)

Dutch Fork - River Bluff (67-49, W), Irmo (66-45, W)

Irmo - Chapin (42-39, L), Dutch Fork (66-45, L)

Lexington - White Knoll (66-38, W), River Bluff (40-37, W)

River Bluff - Dutch Fork (67-49, L), Lexington (40-37, L)

White Knoll - Dreher (55-52, W), Lexington (66-38, L), Chapin (38-33, L)

Airport - Brookland-Cayce (40-34, W OT), Aiken (40-21, W)

Brookland-Cayce - Northside Christian (33-22, W), Airport (40-34, L OT), South Aiken (39-36, W)

Gilbert - Gray Collegiate (74-38, L), North Augusta (80-21, L)

Gray Collegiate - Andrew Jackson (64-1, W), Gilbert (74-38, W), Midland Valley (51-30, W)

Swansea - Silver Bluff (42-28, L), Barnwell (47-25, W), Fox Creek (50-23, L)

Batesburg-Leesville - Pelion (32-24, W)

Pelion - Strom Thurmond (36-28, L), Batesburg-Leesville (32-24, L)

Northside Christian - Brookland-Cayce (33-22, L), Hammond (48-22, L), Heathwood Hall (55-45, L)