Bishop girls' hoops team faces tough non-region slate
The Bishop England High School girls’ basketball team plays a challenging non-conference schedule that includes Wando, Lucy Beckham, Porter-Gaud, Atlantic Collegiate Academy, and Northwood Academy, to name a few.
That should make the Bishops more than ready for the Region 6-AAAA portion of their schedule, which begins in January.
The Bishops were 7-4 early in the season, heading into a Dec. 22 clash against Atlantic Collegiate Academy in Day 2 of the Academic Magnet Holiday Tournament. If there is a surprise this early in the season, it’s the Bishops’ 1-3 record at Father O’Brien Gymnasium.
Past history is proof the Bishops are more than ready when region play commences. The Bishops own a 12-game region winning streak, including 10-0 last winter to claim the 6-AAAA title. But that streak pales in comparison to the 132-game region win streak Runey & Co. compiled from 2011 to 2023.
“We always play the teams like Wando, who through the years have been tough opponents,” coach Paul Runey said. “We try to play the rivalry games as well because those teams are usually good.
“The non-region part of the schedule gives us a chance to find out what the new players can handle,” Runey added. “It also gives us a chance to see where they fit in.”
Runey said this year’s challenge for the team is gaining experience. The squad is young, with only three seniors on the roster. One player who Runey is counting on is Hadley Irvine, one of the top rebounders on the team. But she’s been slowed by tendonitis and will not play until after the first of the year.
The Bishops’ incredible run in region play includes titles in every year from the 2008-09 season through the 2022-23 campaign. The Bishops’ current streak is two titles.
Runey said Beaufort is the team to beat in Region 6-AAAA. The Eagles owned an 8-4 record after an easy win over Whale Branch on Dec. 18.
“Beaufort has a good team. They have to be the favorite to win the region,” Runey said. “All the region games will be tough for us. We don’t have the depth this year. There are times when I have five guards on the floor.”
Olivia Allen, a 5-foot-10 junior, can play guard and forward and is on the court all the time. She leads the team with 14.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 steals, and 3.1 assists per contest while hitting 45% of her shots.
“She’s a good athlete,” Runey said. “She’s a good high school basketball player. She’s a player who does a lot of things well. Hopefully she will continue that down the stretch.”
Ella Runkle is second on the team in scoring with 8.2 points a game, while Hayden Seay scores 6.0 points a contest.
Runey has 836 career wins heading into the Dec. 22 game against Atlantic Collegiate Academy, a school located in Conway, South Carolina. He is second in the state in all-time wins among girls’ basketball coaches. Anne Long has 861 career victories, coaching at Wilson, Boiling Springs, Union, Lower Richland, Dutch Fork, and Spring Valley from 1974 to 2015.