Lady Bishops’ lineup to see new slate of starters

The Bishop England High School girls’ basketball team already has one tournament championship under its collective belt for the 2022-23 season.

 

That’s a nice accomplishment. But what motivates the team are the championships that are earned later in the season, namely region and state championships.

 

The Bishops won the Riptide Invitational, hosted by Charleston Science and Math, to tip off the season with a 2-0 record.

 

Now the Bishops focus on the bigger prizes. The Bishops have been one of the best of the best programs in the Palmetto State since winning their first state crown to cap the 2011-12 season.  

 

Since then, the team has added five more state titles while compiling a 249-37 record during the stretch. The Bishops went 19-7 last winter and reached the Class AAA Lower State Championship before losing to Camden.

 

“The girls come in and want to win,” said coach Paul Runey. “They want to win, not because of what their sisters accomplished or what the team did the season before. They want to win because it’s their time to make a contribution. I don’t think all the success adds pressure.

These kids just want to do the best they can.” 

 

This winter, the Bishops will compete at the Class AA level minus 10 seniors and four starters from the successful squad. The team averaged 56 points a game last winter, but the players responsible for 39 of those points have graduated. Among those graduates, Ally Dominiak, Ella Schar and Princess Scott combined for 29 of those 39 points a game. 

 

Runey welcomed back five players from last year’s team. The quintet has varied experience, but all five are athletes who play at least two sports. That should help offset a height issue. It could be Runey’s smallest team as he begins another chapter in his storied career. He enters this week’s game with a career mark of 759-208, which is third all-time among girls’ coaches in South Carolina. 

 

The most experienced player returning is junior Izzy Woods, a standout lacrosse player whose sister, Lilly, was one of the all-time girls’ tennis players in BE history. Izzy Woods averaged 5.6 points and 2.2 steals per contest last season.

 

Junior Lizzy Tompkins is the other guard. She’s only 5-3, but also shines as a member of the state champion LAX team.

 

The Bishops will count on senior Evelynn Kitchin inside. In this case, getting rebounds might be just as important as points because rebounds lead to those patented fast-break points, a common occurrence during Runey’s tenure.

 

Junior Madison Riley, who competes in cross country and soccer, has hoops skills as well and should be a point contributor.

 

Junior Lilly Hodge will complement Kitchin inside.

 

The Bishops’ top reserves include three promising sophomores: Hanna Rosato, Lissie Van De Erve and Jordan Ingram.

 

The Bishops will compete in Region 6-AA, and the Bishops’ challenger for the region crown should be Timberland. Oceanside Collegiate Academy should be much improved and present a challenge.

 

“We just have to stay healthy and get better every game,” Runey said.