Region Play Week 0: High Point vs Oakbrook & Woodruff vs Chester

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the South Carolina High School Basketball Scene begins to wind down from Holiday Tournaments we now shift our focus to the most important time of the year: Region Tuneups and Region Play. I had the chance to cover one of each this week: a cross-town matchup between SCHSL A High Point Academy and SCISA AA Oakbrook Prep and the SCHSL Class AAA Region IV Opener between Woodruff High School and Chester High School. <strong>Take a look at a recap of Thursday's and Friday's proceedings:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Scores:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High Point Academy 66, Oakbrook Prep 53</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woodruff 69, Chester 50</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable Performers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1621660' first='DeAnthony' last='Ross'] - 18 Points and 6 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2315223,"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/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-4.29-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-4.29-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2315223" style="width:424px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2203997' first='Michael' last='Mallory'] - 11 Points 9 Rebounds, and 4 Assists</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1679972' first='J'sean' last='Sanders'] - 10 Points and 7 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2314654' first='Chris' last='Copeland'] - 12 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 5 Assists </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2315222,"width":"426px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-4.28-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-4.28-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2315222" style="width:426px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1734781' first='Zenai' last='Davis'] - 14 Points and 12 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1225594' first='Brad' last='Caldwell'] - 14 Points and 6 Assists</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2315214,"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/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-4.20-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-4.20-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2315214" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1363756' first='Chris' last='Wilkins'] - 13 Points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2315208,"width":"426px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-4.23-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-4.23-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2315208" style="width:426px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1578613' first='Happy' last='Lea'] - 13 Points and 7 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2315410,"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/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-9.55-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-9.55-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2315410" style="width:424px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1582604' first='Nickolas' last='McConnell'] - 5 Points, 6 Rebounds, and 7 Assists</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sedorrien Pendergrass</strong> (Chester) - 16 Points and 10 Rebounds</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2315411,"width":"422px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-9.57-PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Image-1-5-24-at-9.57-PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2315411" style="width:422px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Late Run Sparks Grizzlies Win Over Knights</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The High Point Academy Grizzlies hosted the Oakbrook Prep Knights on Thursday night as the two teams put the final touches on things before they begin Region Play. It was a true game of runs, as Oakbrook Prep opened the game on a 12-0 run. [player_tooltip player_id='1225594' first='Brad' last='Caldwell'] had 9 of the Knight's first 16 points including a deep 3 at the buzzer. His ability to get paint touches off the dribble was key to their early success. He has a nasty crossover and is a strong finisher but can also read defensive rotations and find open shooters. Nzuri Biggar is the Knight's shooter and he made a couple of early ones. One of High Point Academy's top scorers, [player_tooltip player_id='1621660' first='DeAnthony' last='Ross'], found his form in the second quarter to help get the Grizzlies back into the game. His length and skill make him a tough match and he had back-to-back buckets to tie the game midway through the quarter. Oakbrook Prep regained the lead and held it until High Point Academy went on a 20-1 run and held the Knights without a field goal over the last 5:00. [player_tooltip player_id='2203997' first='Michael' last='Mallory'] was the catalyst to the Grizzlies' comeback. His defense caused havoc late in the game and they turned it into better looks in transition on offense. With this win, High Point Academy goes a game over .500 as they move into region play with several important games coming up soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Woodruff Top Chester to Open Region Play</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woodruff High School and Chester High School opened play in Class AAA Region IV on Friday Night in Woodruff, South Carolina. Both teams returned a good amount of production from last season and have some talented unsigned seniors to keep an eye on. One such prospect is Chester's <strong>Sedorrien Pendergrass</strong>. He had an active start to the game and got some early buckets off of offensive rebounds. Woodruff went on a quick 6-0 run after the game was tied 4-4 to gain control in the early stages. The Wolverines started using more ball pressure in the second quarter and reaped the benefits with their transition offense. <strong>Demais Witherspoon</strong> - who hit 3 of the Cyclones 4 total 3s on the night - came off the bench and hit 2 late to cut into the lead before halftime. Woodruff continued to get good looks in the third quarter, but they stopped falling. They missed several layups and had some sloppy turnovers which allowed Chester to gain momentum. Pendergrass continued to dominate the paint and had 8 points in the period alone. However, Woodruff started hitting shots again and held Chester without a made Field Goal for the first 7:00 of the 4th Quarter and rebuilt their lead to an insurmountable amount. Pendergrass led the game with a 16-point 10-rebound double-double, followed by [player_tooltip player_id='1578613' first='Happy' last='Lea'] with 13 Points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->