It's been a pleasant trip down "memory lane" so far in the Class 4-A playoffs for the Orangeburg-Wilkinson girls' basketball team.

In two playoff meetings against past championship game foes West Florence and Dutch Fork, the Bruinettes have won by an average of 37 points. Both contests took place in the Bruins' Den where O-W has won 18 consecutive playoff games dating back to March 1998.

Tonight at 7 p.m., the Bruinettes (23-2) take their 12-game winning streak on the road against another past Class 4-A finalist opponent also riding a winning streak in Hartsville (17-6). The two teams faced each other three consecutive times between 1990-1992, with O-W winning in 1991.

The Lady Red Foxes, winners of 11 straight, still have Pat Hewitt at the helm. Meanwhile, Bruinettes' head coach Joshua Staley looks to move the Bruinettes a step closer back to the championship game in his second season.

A victory would advance O-W to the Lower State finals to face either Colleton County or defending Class 4-A champion Lower Richland Friday at The Citadel's McAlister Fieldhouse. It would also snap a four-game road playoff losing streak, the last victory coming in 2000 over then-defending Class 4-A champion Laurens in overtime.

Ironically, current O-W assistant coach Brittany Sumpter was a freshman on that eventual state championship team which went 20-1 when point guard Tasha Cook was in the lineup. These days, the Bruinettes enjoy just as much good fortune with her younger sister and team leading scorer Erika Sumpter. O-W has yet to lose a game this season with Sumpter, who missed six games with an ankle injury, and her presence in Friday's third meeting against Dutch Fork was evident as she finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Defensively is where the Bruinettes have excelled during their recent winning streak, allowing an average of 31.6 points the past 12 games. Senior point guard La'teia Brailey and backcourt teammates Waneeshia Perry and Shawanda Hanton have sparked this effort in harassing and forcing turnovers from the opposing guards.

O-W's backcourt has been further bolstered by the production of Nyashia Bradley, who's provided instant offense and defense coming off the bench. Her 40-foot buzzer-beater in the first quarter against Dutch Fork capped a 14-0 run which broke the game open.

The Bruinettes will face a Lady Red Foxes' team equally devoted to defense led by Kiasiah Ham, who scored 20 points and had nine steals in Friday's 64-54 second-round win over Ridge View, and Jasmine Phillips, who had 17 points and 16 rebounds in the same game.

Post-season girls' basketball play continues on Tuesday when Hunter-Kinard-Tyler faces Great Falls for the fourth consecutive year in the Class A Upper State semifinals, while Bethune-Bowman faces Hemingway. Both contests will take place at neutral sites to be announced today on the S.C. High School League's website (www.schsl.org).

T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by office phone at 533-5547 or by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com. Discuss this and other stories at TheTandD.com.

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