West Columbia’s Gray Collegiate Academy has been ranked nationally (USA Today)  in the top 25 of high school basketball.

As a powerhouse, War Eagle is expected to take on all comers. And the team has done that.

“We have played in Chicago, D.C and Delaware,” said Dion Bethea, Gray’s head basketball coach.

And one of the top players the War Eagle has faced is Zion Williamson of Spartanburg Day. Gray played Spartanburg Day on Dec. 20, in the Chick-fil-A Classic in Columbia.

“He’s really good,” Bethea said of Williamson. “He’s an explosive player.”

Spartanburg Day defeated Gray 73-53 and Williamson had 53 points.

“We did not play our best game,” Bethea said of the loss. “We played passive early on.”

Gray came back and beat A.C. Flora in the consolation game of the Chick-fil-A Classic by a score of 74-70.

“After the loss (to Spartanburg Day) I wanted to see how our guys would respond,” said Bethea.

His team trailed Flora in the second half but came back.

“They did their job,” Bethea said. “We really had to grind it out. We expected them to play hard, but we responded.”

In all Gray has played 10 game and has a 3-7 record. But the competition has been national.

Bethea said his team has gotten a lot of exposure and experience from playing all over the country.

“We’ve had a lot of opportunities to see a lot of different styles of play.”

The War Eagle opens 2A Region III play Friday at powerful Keenan, a team that beat Spartanburg Day in the Chick-fil-A Classic. Keenan is 9-2 and has the second-best record in the conference.

“We have to play hard, play fast, and finish,” Bethea said. He also said his team will have to take care of the ball. “We have to do what we do.”

Bethea said the game with Keenan is an opportunity.

“It’s the first region game and it’s on the road. There is no better way to start,” he said.