SCHSL 5A Playoffs: River Bluff HS vs Carolina Forest HS

<p>Prep Hoops made the trip up to Myrtle Beach to take in a SCHSL Class 5A Quarterfinals game. After tonight just 4 teams will stand in each classification. The River Bluff HS Gators came out on the road and just punched Carolina Forest HS in the mouth and never looked back at all. The Gators made things look easy moving onto the programs 1st  Lower State Championship Game with a 71-53 victory over the Panthers. </p> <p><strong>Gators Feed off Energy: </strong></p> <p>The River Bluff HS Gators faithful made the trip down and made it almost a home game for them at Carolina Forest HS. The Gators came out on fire and moved out to a 11-0 lead to start and then onto a 20-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Gators had everything going for them and led 38-11 at the halftime break. </p> <p><strong>Balance Scoring in Win: </strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/528D8B6B-F46D-4529-81DD-69CCDC3AF7DA.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1140278" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/528D8B6B-F46D-4529-81DD-69CCDC3AF7DA-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>The Gators were led in scoring by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="976951" first="Malachi" last="Reeves"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1023700" first="Grayson" last="Renner"]</strong> both with 11 points, <strong>Landon Stills</strong> 9 points and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="927519" first="Myles" last="Jenkins"]</strong> added 8 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. The Gators connected on 8 three pointers from behind the arc. </p> <p><strong>Panthers waited too Long: </strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/8304FE4A-C476-4112-9CE7-95BA28A8D4DF.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1140276" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/8304FE4A-C476-4112-9CE7-95BA28A8D4DF-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Carolina Forest only could manage just 20 points through the first 3 quarters. The Panthers came out and made 9 three pointers in the 4th quarter after scoring 33 points in the final stand. The Panthers finished with 13 pointers made on the night.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="976946" first="Corbin" last="Pack"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="930633" first="Jonah" last="Nesmith"] </strong>finished the game with 17 and 15 points respectively. </p> <p><strong>Moving On: </strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/7B97993C-8D30-48EB-A081-C04114D301B9.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1140279" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/7B97993C-8D30-48EB-A081-C04114D301B9-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>The Gators will return back to the Midlands and play region rival Dutch Fork in the Lower State Championship Game. The Gators (12-4) on the season have split with Silver Foxes this season winning 50-38 and losing 59-55. The Gators lost last season in the playoffs down the road at Conway HS in Horry County. </p> <p>The Panthers finished the season at (16-5) and were Region 6-5A Region Champions this season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="927506" first="Kyle" last="Watkins"]</strong> (Wofford football commit), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="927582" first="Grant" last="Warren"]</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="976946" first="Corbin" last="Pack"]</strong> and <strong>Mark Walker</strong> all played their last games in a Panthers uniform. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>