Poinsettia Classic Palmetto Bracket Day 1 Recap
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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…
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Continue ReadingThe 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. Take a look at a recap of Thursday’s Palmetto Bracket action:
Thursday’s Final Scores:
Greer Middle College 65, JL Mann 59
Cardinal Newman 61, Hillcrest 43
Fort Dorchester 78, Belton Honea-Path 48
Greer Middle College Tops JL Mann In Palmetto Bracket Opener
In the first game of the 2023 Poinsettia Classic Palmetto Bracket, 2A Greer Middle College took on 5A JL Mann. Musa Muriithi Musa Muriithi 6'2" | CG Greer Middle College | 2024 State SC 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 Jeremy Cook Jeremy Cook 5'9" | PG JL Mann | 2024 State SC 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. Jack Pfister Jack Pfister 6'5" | PF Greer Middle College | 2024 State SC 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 Andrew Scales 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. Braylen Silver Braylen Silver 5'11" | SG Greer Middle College | 2025 SC and Titus Shenton 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.
Cardinals Size And Athleticism Too Much For Rams
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. Desmond Harrington Desmond Harrington 6'7" | PF Cardinal Newman | 2027 State SC 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 Elton Smith Jr Elton Smith Jr 6'9" | PF Cardinal Newman | 2026 State SC , who put on a passing display when put in that spot and racked up 7 assists. Seniors Josiah Peeples Josiah Peeples 6'0" | PG Cardinal Newman | 2024 State SC and Evan Carter Evan Carter 6'4" | SF Cardinal Newman | 2024 State SC , 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 Caden Coleman Caden Coleman 6'3" | PG Hillcrest | 2026 State SC had a couple of flashes amongst his 13 Second Half Points and Sophomore Trisitan Smith, who was recently brought up from JV, added some solid play off the bench. Peeples led all scorers with 22 while Harrington and Amarii King Amarii King 6'3" | PG Cardinal Newman | 2025 State SC also got into double digits.
Fort Dorchester Impress With First Round Victory over Belton Honea-Path
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 Cazz Williams Cazz Williams 6'2" | CG Fort Dorchester | 2024 State SC , who is their clear #1 option, made that type of play to go with his 20 Points. Big Man Bryan Bright Bryan Bright 6'6" | PF Fort Dorchester | 2024 State SC also had a good showing with 12 Points and 5 Rebounds. Connor Horton led the Bears with a 10-Point 11-Rebound Double-Double and Brelin Dennis had some nice plays with 6 Points.
Hosts’ Victorious Over South Aiken In Nightcap
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 Ladontae Felton Ladontae Felton 6'2" | PG South Aiken | 2024 State SC 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 Roman Cooley Roman Cooley 6'4" | SF Greenville | 2025 State SC and the shooting of Tucker Scholl Tucker Scholl 6'0" | SG Greenville | 2027 State SC , in particular, stood out. Guards Bryson Drummond Bryson Drummond 6'2" | CG Mountain View Prep | 2025 State SC 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 Tyler Nipper 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.