Daniel Christmas Tournament: Day 1 Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 Daniel Christmas Tournament began at Daniel High School in Central, South Carolina, on Wednesday, December 20th. Many of the top local programs were in attendance including Liberty, Seneca, Union County, Walhalla, Daniel, Palmetto, Greenwood, and Collins Hill. <strong>Take a look at a recap of the opening day</strong>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wednesday's Final Scores:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seneca 93, Liberty 35</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Union County 58, Walhalla 49</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Daniel 78, Palmetto 52</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Greenwood 59, Collins Hill (GA) 49</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Seneca Dominates Liberty In Tournament Opener</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2303199,"width":"425px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-20-23-at-8.40-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-20-23-at-8.40-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2303199" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bobcats Offense had a very bright start to the opening game of the 2023 Daniel Christmas Tournament. They quickly went on an 11-0 off the tip and would go on to win the first quarter 30-7 with all 8 players scoring. Their ability to get second and third opportunities on the offensive end was impressive, particularly from Sophmore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2670880' first='Jermaine' last='Miller'] (Pictured). </strong>8 of Miller's 13 total rebounds came on the offensive glass which he matched with 14 points for a strong double-double. Seneca's Guards also had some success forcing Liberty turnovers and getting out in transition. [player_tooltip player_id='1268064' first='Cameron' last='O'Kelley'] led all scorers with 20 points and added 4 steals, while 8th Grader <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2339844' first='Jeremiah' last='Hunter']</strong> had 11 points and 6 assists. [player_tooltip player_id='2173662' first='Dawson' last='Owen'] had a strong second half for the Red Devils, finishing with 17 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>27-Point 3rd Quarter Boosts Yellow Jackets to win over Razorbacks</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2303200,"width":"425px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-20-23-at-8.30-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-20-23-at-8.30-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2303200" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much like Seneca did in Game One, Walhalla had a lot of early success on the offensive glass. Junior <strong>Witt Austin</strong> was at the forefront of that success with 8 points and 6 rebounds in the opening quarter. Union County was better in the second quarter and trailed by 7 at halftime but they exploded in the 3rd quarter to take a lead that they would not relinquish. Their defensive intensity drastically improved and they were more physical around the basket. They put up 27 points in the period alone and completely flipped the game around. They did have a size deficit to the Razorbacks, especially during the [player_tooltip player_id='1419747' first='Daniel' last='Hutto'] minutes, but the Yellow Jackets put an emphasis on getting in transition and executing their sets in the second half which helped them seal the victory. Walhalla's <strong>Ander Hunnicutt</strong> led all scorers with 13, followed by Union County's <strong>Nathan Koepke</strong> (Pictured) with 12. Kopeke was one of the keys to the second-half comeback, racking up 5 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hosts Top Palmetto in Game Three</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2303201,"width":"425px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-20-23-at-8.26-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-20-23-at-8.26-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2303201" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The theme of defensive intensity continued with Daniel in Game Three. They are a very deep team and all of their players are solid on both ends of the floor. 13 Lions scored in their first-round victory over the Mustangs in Round One. [player_tooltip player_id='1847523' first='Jackson' last='Conley'] (Pictured) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2306323' first='Erik' last='Lipsey']</strong> were two of Daniel's key options off the bench. Lipsey is one of the top perimeter defenders in Class AAA and can also create plays on the offensive end, finishing with 8 Points and 3 Assists on Wednesday. Conley brought a big offense boost off the Lion bench and put up 16 points and 5 rebounds. Junior <strong>Xae Stokes</strong> was very good for Palmetto and had a game-high 22 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Greenwood Impressive In Nightcap Win over Collins Hill</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2303203,"width":"423px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-20-23-at-8.29-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-20-23-at-8.29-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2303203" style="width:423px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 4A Greenwood Eagles matched up with the lone out-of-state team in Collins Hill (Suwanee, Georgia) in Round One Friday Evening. Collins Hill led at halftime after a couple of very good shooting periods, in particular from Guard <strong>Austin Richards</strong> who had 10 points first-half points including a buzzer-beating 3. But, in the 3rd Quarter, Greenwood Big Man <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2412585' first='CJ' last='Terrell']</strong> took over the game. Perimeter shooting, interior finishing, shot-blocking, rebounding, and even charge-taking; you name it, Terrell did it in the second half for the Eagles. I was impressed with his performance, but [player_tooltip player_id='1766178' first='Jeremiah' last='Brooks'] also had a very nice game for Greenwood. Terrell had a 22-point 10-rebound double-double and Brooks knocked down 5 3s to boost Greenwood to a 59-49 win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->