How Mountain View Prep basketball proved time doesn’t matter with SCHSL playoff win

TAYLORS — In the record books, Mountain View Prep is barely 18 months old. On the hardwood, the Stars already play like seasoned veterans.

The school opened its doors in July 2024. Twelve months ago the boys basketball team stepped into the SCHSL playoffs as an unknown quantity and exited quickly, falling 63-56 to Palmetto in the opening round. That taste of early elimination, coach Nick Lagroone said, became the program’s accelerant.

“We knew we didn’t need a decade to build something special,” Lagroone reflected after Mountain View’s 49-30 dismantling of St. Joseph’s Catholic on Feb. 23 in the Class 3A quarterfinals at Greer Middle College. “We needed buy-in, reps, and a refusal to accept the idea that ‘new’ equals ‘behind.’”

The Stars turned a tight first half into a rout with a 21-2 third-quarter blitz, holding the Knights to a single field goal over the final 16 minutes. Senior guard Ma’Ori Henderson scored 13 of his team-high points after intermission, while junior two-sport standout Mak Anderson—best known as the school’s star quarterback—chipped in 10 and hounded St. Joseph’s ball-handlers on the perimeter.

“When I traded shoulder pads for high-tops, I had to check my ego,” Anderson said. “Basketball isn’t about one position leading; it’s about five pieces fitting.”

The victory vaults Mountain View (20-6) into the Upper State finals against Christ Church on Feb. 27, completing a single-season leap from first-round fodder to final-four participant.

Athletic director Hailey Martin, herself in her first year on campus, called the run validation of a culture constructed overnight. “Coach Lagroone laid the foundation last year; these guys believed in it and stacked bricks every day,” she said. “You see it in how they celebrate and how they respond when things go sideways.”

Henderson, one of only two seniors in the rotation, echoed the sentiment. “Playoffs reset everyone to 0-0,” he said. “We wanted to be the bigger dogs, and we’re not done growing yet.”

Lagroone plans a brief celebration before turning the page. “Christ Church has winning in its DNA,” he noted. “We’ll enjoy tonight, then get back to chopping wood.”

In just two years, Mountain View Prep has turned the concept of program-building on its head, proving that in high-stakes postseason play, heart and cohesion can outpace the calendar.