Madison Riley is a busy Bishop England student-athlete

One night, she scores 15 points on the basketball hardwood to lead her team to victory.

 

The next day, she’s taking part in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas football festivities as a member of the all-star cross-country team that relays the game ball through the streets of Spartanburg to the Spartanburg High School football stadium. The game showcases the top 44 seniors in the Palmetto State battle their counterparts from North Carolina.

 

Welcome to Madison Riley’s world. That’s a snapshot of this past weekend for the Bishop England High School standout, who is 5-foot-8 and plays forward for coach Paul Runey’s squad.

 

She’s had a key role in her team’s success. The Bishops began Region 7-AA play Monday night with a road trip to North Charleston. They jumped to a 49-0 halftime lead en route to an 85-11 victory to up their record to 9-1, including 1-0 in the region.

 

Riley’s averaging 7.9 points for the Bishops, hitting 45% of her shots from the field.

 

“She’s a hard-nosed player,” coach Runey said. “Her only fault is that she’s not consistent. When she gets going and she’s on, she looks like a million dollars.”

 

Riley was in Spartanburg thanks to her running skills. She was selected to participate in the football relay after helping the Bishop’s cross-country team claim the Class AA state championship. She finished third overall with a time of 18 minutes and 55 seconds over the 5-kilometer course.

 

Coach Runey, who is third on the all-time list of winningest girls’ high school coaches in Palmetto State history, is trying to build depth as the Bishops look for another deep playoff run. The Bishops have played in nine state championship games, winning six. They lost to Gray Collegiate last March in the title game.

 

“We have some pretty good girls who can fill in or even start,” Runey said. “We have good depth with 15 players on the roster. It’s hard to play all 15 and get extended quality time. I tell them it’s not who starts that matters. It’s who’s in at the end of the game and who is in during crunch time.”

 

The team has three players vying for more playing time – junior Hannah Rosato, sophomore Hadley Irvine and freshman Olivia Allen.

 

BE BOYS & PSHS BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

 

Meanwhile, the Bishop England boys defeated North Charleston, 52-47, Monday night to improve to 7-3, 1-0. Aidan Alexander and Jack van de Erve both scored 22 points as BE ended a two-game skid.

 

The Philip Simmons boys began the week with a 6-4 record. Coach Garrett Campbell’s squad will participate in the Pro Skills Basketball Classic, slated for Dec. 21-22 in Charleston. 

 

The rest of the field includes South Florence, York and Summerville.

 

The Iron Horse girls, who began the season dealing with heavy graduation losses, opened the season with only two victories in eight games.

 

Coach Dustin Williams’ squad is off until Dec. 28 when they compete in the Carolina Invitational, an event that will begin at many venues, including The Phil.