Poinsettia Classic Palmetto Bracket Day 1 Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 Poinsettia Classic continued on Thursday, December 28th, at Greenville High School with 8 games: 4 in the Carolina Bracket and 4 in the Palmetto Bracket. All 4 of Thursday's Palmetto Bracket games were in the first round of the tournament, making for some interesting matchups. <strong>Take a look at a recap of Thursday's Palmetto Bracket action:</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thursday's Final Scores:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Greer Middle College 65, JL Mann 59 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cardinal Newman 61, Hillcrest 43 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Dorchester 78, Belton Honea-Path 48 </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Greenville 57, South Aiken 32<a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewBaxleySC/status/1740577567906910315"></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Greer Middle College Tops JL Mann In Palmetto Bracket Opener</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2308690,"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-12-29-23-at-10.24-AM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-29-23-at-10.24-AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2308690" style="width:423px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the first game of the 2023 Poinsettia Classic Palmetto Bracket, 2A Greer Middle College took on 5A JL Mann. [player_tooltip player_id='1160580' first='Musa' last='Muriithi'] opened with 8 first quarter points including a ridiculous buzzer beater just a few steps in from halfcourt and right in front of the Patriot Bench. However, it wouldn't be as easy for Muriithi for the remainder of the game. The JL Mann defense began forcing chaos for him, led by their Senior Guard [player_tooltip player_id='1106008' first='Jeremy' last='Cook'] who took the assignment. Cook did a terrific job of taking Muriithi out of his scoring rhythm and preventing him from getting back into one. [player_tooltip player_id='1127746' first='Jack' last='Pfister'] had a solid performance and picked up some of the scoring slack for the remainder of the half. The two-man game between Pfister and Muriithi was very successful and it was where Musa got the majority of his 9 Assists. Freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2630768' first='Andrew' last='Scales']</strong> was very active for the Patriots in the second half and his tip-in put JL Mann up 1 at the end of the 3rd Quarter. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2346058' first='Braylen' last='Silver']</strong> and <strong>Titus Shenton</strong> made big plays for the Blazers down the stretch and were two of the four in double-digits as GMC advanced to the Second Round. Scales finished with 16 Points and 13 Rebounds for JL Mann. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cardinals Size And Athleticism Too Much For Rams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2308692,"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-12-29-23-at-10.25-AM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-29-23-at-10.25-AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2308692" style="width:423px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was the first chance I got to see the Cardinals at full-strength this season since they were down to just 5 players in the Impact Sports Invitational Championship Game. And they did not disappoint. Their combination of talent and organization is a rare breed and makes them one of the top teams in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='1487225' first='Desmond' last='Harrington'] had a big start to the game with 4 quick points and a block that helped Cardinal Newman begin to grow their lead. They ran a lot of their offense through [player_tooltip player_id='1383660' first='Elton' last='Smith'], who put on a passing display when put in that spot and racked up 7 assists. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1160754' first='Josiah' last='Peeples'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1340384' first='Evan' last='Carter'], who are the Cardinals leading scorers with each over 15 Points Per Game, did a great job of picking their spots to attack. Hillcrest's [player_tooltip player_id='1624061' first='Caden' last='Coleman'] had a couple of flashes amongst his 13 Second Half Points and Sophomore <strong>Trisitan Smith</strong>, who was recently brought up from JV, added some solid play off the bench. Peeples led all scorers with 22 while Harrington and [player_tooltip player_id='1220039' first='Amarii' last='King'] also got into double digits. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fort Dorchester Impress With First Round Victory over Belton Honea-Path</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2308694,"width":"424px","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-12-29-23-at-10.26-AM-1.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-29-23-at-10.26-AM-1.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2308694" style="width:424px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Fort Dorchester Patriots have been off to a terrific start to the season, coming in ranked 9th in the SCBCA Coaches Poll with a 7-2 record. And since they are down in North Charleston, this will likely be my only time seeing them until the playoffs. Let's just say I'm a fan of what they have. The Patriots had 12 players get into the scoring column but what's more impressive is their overall team play. All of their guys play unselfishly and will make the extra pass to go from a good shot to a great shot. Even [player_tooltip player_id='1041183' first='Cazz' last='Williams'], who is their clear #1 option, made that type of play to go with his 20 Points. Big Man [player_tooltip player_id='2165468' first='Bryan' last='Bright'] also had a good showing with 12 Points and 5 Rebounds. <strong>Connor Horton</strong> led the Bears with a 10-Point 11-Rebound Double-Double and <strong>Brelin Dennis</strong> had some nice plays with 6 Points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hosts' Victorious Over South Aiken In Nightcap</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2308695,"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-12-29-23-at-10.28-AM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/Image-12-29-23-at-10.28-AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2308695" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Greenville High School was in action in the final game of Thursday at the Poinsettia Classic. They jumped out with a sequence of runs and led 17-3 at the end of the First Quarter. The Red Raiders played some solid defense, but South Aiken struggled to score and take care of the ball at the start of the game and [player_tooltip player_id='1112902' first='Ladontae' last='Felton'] scored 9 of their 11 points in the opening half. However, Greenville did do a good job of capitalizing on the Thoroughbreds' mistakes by getting out in transition. The athleticism of [player_tooltip player_id='1892485' first='Roman' last='Cooley'] and the shooting of [player_tooltip player_id='2027918' first='Tucker' last='Scholl'], in particular, stood out. Guards [player_tooltip player_id='1239534' first='Bryson' last='Drummond'] and Kameron Smith also had some good defensive play and pretty passing. South Aiken played better in the Second Half but never really got back into the game. Felton finished with 15 Points and 2 Blocks while <strong>Tyler Nipper</strong> added 9 Points. Greenville was led by Cooley with 16 Points and 12 Rebounds and Scholl with 12 Points on 4-8 3-Point Field Goal Shooting. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->