SACRAMENTO, Calif- Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson have been playing together for a long time. The two played together at Westlake High School, where they won three 6A Georgia state titles. After spending three years apart, they’ve come back together this year at South Carolina and have flourished, both as players and leaders. From Lions to Gamecocks, Latson and Johnson have been dominant, and it’s a big reason why South Carolina is headed to another Elite Eight.
On Saturday in the Sweet Sixteen, Latson and Johnson combined for 46 points in the Gamecocks’ win over Oklahoma. The victory avenged South Carolina’s loss back in January to the Sooners; in that matchup Latson scored just six points while shooting 1-10 from the floor.
She looked like a different player Saturday afternoon, scoring eight of the first 10 South Carolina points. Latson finished the game with 28 points on 7-11 shooting from the floor while knocking down all four of her threes. It was her second-highest scoring game in a South Carolina uniform.
Latson said she woke up feeling good and that her teammates had great confidence in her.
“I was feeling really good tonight,” Latson said in the postgame press conference. “I woke up on the right side of the bed. My teammates and my coaches, they believed in me. I just had to go out there with confidence. That was the game plan.”
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Latson came into South Carolina after three seasons at Florida State, where she was the nation’s leading scorer. Since she came to South Carolina, Latson has had to adjust her role. She still needs to score, but isn’t the main option for the Gamecocks. She has also been battling an injury throughout the season, which has limited her from being her best.
Not only has Latson had to adjust to a new role with the Gamecocks, but she was in unfamiliar territory on Saturday, playing in the Sweet Sixteen. In her three years at Florida State, she never played beyond the first weekend. While it was new to Latson, she felt calm because of the confidence she saw in her teammates. She felt good with her head held high. Johnson was so proud watching her former high school teammate thrive in her first Sweet Sixteen appearance.
“I was just telling her how proud I am of what she did today,” Johnson said of her backcourt mate in the postgame press conference. “I’m so happy. When I see the ball go in for her, I’m like, yes, like my eyes get big. All the things she’s been through, I mean, Ta’Niya is like a hard worker. I mean, we talk a lot not just about basketball about life things. And Ta’Niya, I think, she deserves everything that’s coming her way. I think this is just the beginning.”
The two former Westlake guards were the Gamecocks’ leading scorers on Saturday and matched the Sooners from deep, combining for six three-pointers. However, despite the combined 46 points, it wasn’t even the pair’s best game. Back at Westlake, the two combined for 48 points in the championship game of the Geico Nationals against Paul VI High School.
However, it wasn’t just the offense that was special for the Gamecocks’ backcourt on Saturday afternoon. Their defense was elite as well. Back in January, the Oklahoma backcourt combined to score 45 points. On Saturday, they scored 33 points, including just 21 points from freshman phenom Aaliyah Chavez. Chavez hurt the Gamecocks in the first matchup as she dominated the overtime period in January.
The defense of the South Carolina guards, specifically Johnson, was on full display during the Sweet Sixteen matchup. Johnson was all over Chavez, being very physical with the freshman and making every catch difficult. They focused on making it hard for all the Oklahoma guards and on limiting Chavez’s touches.
“I feel like it’s the fact that she is willing to listen to her coaches, her teammates, and she’s not letting any of the outside noise affect her,” junior guard Tessa Johnson told the IX Sports after the game. “She just wants to get better. She just wants to win. She’s very selfless also, and you can see that she’s trusting the process right now.”
Johnson had one of her better offensive games on Saturday, but during her time wearing the Garnett and Black, she hasn’t always been asked to play that way. During her freshman year, she suffered a knee injury in the Gamecocks second game of the year and missed the entire season. As she grew in the South Carolina system, there were a lot of times when she was the fifth option for the Gamecocks. However, this was something she didn’t mind.
Now in her senior year, Johnson has become the second or third option for this Gamecock squad. She has put up career highs in every scoring category this year. Johnson has also worked hard on her shot, making it easier for her to get the looks Dawn Staley needs her to take.
“I’m super happy for Raven. Raven’s been through a lot,” Staley said of Johnson after the game. “She sacrificed a lot of her beginnings and actually some of her end of her South Carolina career by just being a giver, by just being a winner and making winning plays… We really do need her as a part of taking really good shots. I think the game has slowed down for her enough to where she knows where she needs to implant herself in scoring the basketball for us.”
However, Johnson’s growth has gone beyond just the offensive output. She has become the leader of this Gamecock group this year. She learned how to lead from the likes of Aliyah Boston and Kamilla Cardoso, and now Johnson has stepped into that role. Staley has seen her start to lead beyond the game; she is leading in shoot-around and in the hotel because she wants to win.
You could see Johnson’s leadership on full display Saturday. Throughout the game, she had full control over when the Gamecocks would push or slow down. She and Staley were on the same page for pretty much the entire game on what they wanted to run and what they were looking for, and Staley even wore a shirt by Playa Society with Johnson on it. The gesture made Johnson happy, as it showed the belief Staley has in her point guard.
No matter the situation, Johnson is always leading. When she was on the bench, Johnson was leading. When South Carolina was leading by 20, she was still leading. There was a moment when she was waiting to check in, where she was coaching up sophomore guard Maddy McDaniel. Johnson knows McDaniel will be up next and wants to give her as much wisdom as possible while she still can. She feels it’s her responsibility.
“I’ve been here, what, four, five — five times now. I think experience does matter,” Johnson said after the game. “And I think using my voice goes a long way. They listen… I think we’re being patient in our offense. I think everyone is sharing the ball. We’re making the right reads. Like, first option, you’re always going to have that shot on the fifth, sixth option.”
Johnson said, despite winning their first three tournament games by an average margin of 45, that the Gamecocks still haven’t played their best basketball. She feels they can work on things, but that this is the right time to grow. Staley agreed with her senior point guard that there is still room for improvement, and they both feel that feeding the posts would help when the offense gets stagnant.
Even if there are areas South Carolina can improve, the two former Westlake Lions helped the Gamecocks avenge their January loss and advance to the Elite Eight on Monday.
Latson and Johnson have been so important to the Gamecocks’ success all season, and Saturday showed what they can do when they are at their best. They won a championship together in high school and they are just a few games away from leading South Carolina back to the promise land in their senior years.
Looking for more March Madness stories? Read all our NCAA Tournament coverage at The IX Sports.
