SCISA 2A Championship: Cathedral Academy vs. St. John’s Christian

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The winners of last season's 1A SCISA state crown came back for more as the Generals looked to claim championship glory in the final 2A boys matchup of the season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year, it was Clarendon Hall who the Generals dispatched in an overtime thriller to leave Sumter with championship hardware. The Generals hoped to do the same against their opponent this go-round – St. John's Christian.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this clash of [program_tooltip program_id='2078736' first='[program_tooltip program_id='2078736' first='Lowcountry' last='']' last=''] schools, a thrilling victory belonged to St. John's Christian Academy as it defeated Cathedral Academy with the final score being 55-52.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The win brings the Cavaliers' record to 18-14 to close the season while that of the Generals concludes at 22-13.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>What Happened Last Time?</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cavaliers and Generals split their two matchups they played this season. St. John's Christian claimed the first contest between the two teams at their home court on Jan. 24 with the final being 58-55. When the scene shifted to Cathedral Academy's home court, the result was a 73-62 win for the Generals on Feb. 10.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>How Things Progressed</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rubber match between these two teams began with an up-tempo feel as both teams were successfully placing points on the board. Cathedral Academy was a bit more successful than St. John's in doing so in the first quarter as it was a 13-9 lead for the Generals after eight minutes.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cavaliers managed to pull ahead late in the second quarter. St. John's Christian embarked on a run that gave it a 20-18 advantage – and prompted a timeout from Cathedral Academy. At the break it was 22-20 in favor of the Cavaliers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game's uptempo nature combined with an ability for both Cathedral Academy and St. John's Christian to exchange baskets made for an entertaining contest that particularly shined through in the third quarter. Eight minutes was needed to determine a champion and the Cavaliers held a 43-39 advantage going into those final eight minutes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. John's Christian began to put a bit of distance between itself and the Generals as the Cavaliers opened up a seven-point lead midway through the deciding stanza. A pair of free throws by Cathedral Academy knotted it all up at 52 prior to a buzzer-beating three by the Cavaliers that sealed the deal for a 2A championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1818103,"width":414,"height":271,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5450-crop-3226x2118-1677367046.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5450-crop-3226x2118-1677367046.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1818103" width="414" height="271" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leading the early scoring charge for St. John's Christian was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1135978' first='Brock' last='Ray']</strong>. The seven-foot big concluded his afternoon with 18 points and All-Tournament honors. The Cavaliers were looking to establish Ray early and the Generals had few answers for him near the rim.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1818105,"width":412,"height":270,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5320-2-crop-2333x1532-1677367159.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5320-2-crop-2333x1532-1677367159.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1818105" width="412" height="270" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the contest wore on, the Cavaliers were the beneficiaries of a second-half surge courtesy of <strong>Shy'Juan Grant</strong>. He finished with 13 points. Grant is a skilled ball handler with veteran instincts and a knack for getting to the basket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1818118,"width":416,"height":273,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5226-crop-2447x1607-1677367271.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5226-crop-2447x1607-1677367271.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1818118" width="416" height="273" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is closing out one's career with an exclamation point – then there is what senior <strong>Clark Moreaux</strong> did in the closing seconds of the game. He not only tallied 11 points, he nailed a buzzer-beating triple in the fourth quarter to send the Cavaliers fans home happy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1818126,"width":417,"height":274,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5270-crop-1833x1204-1677367379.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5270-crop-1833x1204-1677367379.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1818126" width="417" height="274" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1669879' first='Wallace' last='Hester']</strong> finished with 10 points and was also one of the All-Tournament honorees. Hester is not shy about attempting 3-pointers but is versatile with an ability to play a number of positions on the court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1818136,"width":416,"height":273,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5378-crop-2089x1372-1677367474.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5378-crop-2089x1372-1677367474.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1818136" width="416" height="273" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1565179' first='Carter' last='Goodwin']</strong> was the leading scorer for Cathedral Academy. He placed 13 points on the board and led the Generals' efforts from downtown. Goodwin drained three of the five attempts Cathedral Academy had from deep. Gresham earned All-Tournament honors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1818141,"width":423,"height":278,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5246-crop-2298x1509-1677367607.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5246-crop-2298x1509-1677367607.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1818141" width="423" height="278" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1982066' first='AJ' last='Gresham'] </strong>also had himself a big game with an 11-point effort. He was the other Generals representative who garnered All-Tournament honors. Gresham stands at 5-foot-10 and does not shy away from contact that can give him opportunities at the charity stripe. He drained a pair of clutch free throws that tied the contest up at 52 going into the final seconds.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>So Long, Seniors</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1565179' first='Carter' last='Goodwin']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1565178' first='Joel' last='Simmons']</strong>, <strong>John Griffen</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1565177' first='Jarrell' last='Caviness']</strong> are among the seniors who are graduating from the Generals. <strong>Ryan Pierce</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1669879' first='Wallace' last='Hester']</strong> and <strong>Clark Moreaux</strong> are graduating from the Cavaliers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>All-Tournament Team</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1818163,"width":423,"height":278,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5563-crop-2975x1953-1677367872.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_5563-crop-2975x1953-1677367872.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1818163" width="423" height="278" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1135978' first='Brock' last='Ray']</strong> – St. John's Christian</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1669879' first='Wallace' last='Hester']</strong> – St. John's Christian</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1565179' first='Carter' last='Goodwin']</strong> – Cathedral Academy</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>A.J. Gresham</strong> – Cathedral Academy</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1490167' first='Robert' last='Clark']</strong> – Andrew Jackson Academy</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1814459' first='William' last='Felder']</strong> – Calhoun Academy</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->