Region Play Week 3: Byrnes vs Gaffney & Westside vs Easley
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Another packed week of High School Basketball in the State of South Carolina! This week I was in Duncan, South Carolina for a meeting at the top of Class AAAAA Region 2, and in Anderson, South Carolina for a rivalry…
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Continue ReadingAnother packed week of High School Basketball in the State of South Carolina! This week I was in Duncan, South Carolina for a meeting at the top of Class AAAAA Region 2, and in Anderson, South Carolina for a rivalry game between two Class AAAA Region 1. Take a look at a recap for those two games:
Final Scores:
Byrnes 93, Gaffney 66
Westside 70, Easley 58
Notable Performers:
Evan Enos Evan Enos 6'8" | PF Byrnes | 2025 State SC – 27 Points & 6 Rebounds on 7-9 3FG
Will Fowler Will Fowler 6'1" | PG Byrnes | 2024 State SC – 18 Points, 6 Rebounds, & 3 Assists
Kayzzin McDowell Kayzzin McDowell 6'2" | SG Byrnes | 2024 State SC – 11 Points, 6 Rebounds, & 6 Assists
Markell Hollis Markell Hollis 6'3" | SF Gaffney | 2024 State SC – 33 Points
Rickey Littlejohn III Rickey Littlejohn III 5'9" | PG Gaffney | 2027 State SC – 11 Points, 4 Rebounds, & 5 Assists
Josh Williams Josh Williams 6'0" | CG Westside | 2024 State SC – 19 Points on 7-11 FG & 5 Steals
Zeke Marshall Zeke Marshall 6'5" | SF Westside | 2025 State SC – 14 Points & 5 Rebounds
K’majay Jenkins K’majay Jenkins 6'5" | SF Westside | 2027 State SC – 11 Points, 9 Rebounds, & 8 Assists
Dreyton Jackson Dreyton Jackson 5'6" | PG Easley | 2027 State SC – 18 Points, 4 Rebounds, 7 Assists, & 4 Steals
Ethan Crews – 17 Points
RJ Stack RJ Stack 6'5" | PF Easley | 2027 State SC – 8 Points & 5 Rebounds
Byrnes Rout Gaffney To Take Full Control of Class AAAAA Region 2
Coming into the night, there were two undefeated teams in Class AAAAA Region 2, and neither of them was the defending State Champion Dorman. Those two teams were Byrnes and Gaffney, who both beat the Cavaliers in the last week, and they meet for the first time on Tuesday Night. The Rebels had a good start to the game, including getting 10 points from Evan Enos Evan Enos 6'8" | PF Byrnes | 2025 State SC and 8 points from Will Fowler Will Fowler 6'1" | PG Byrnes | 2024 State SC in the first quarter, but a 15-0 run in the first 4 minutes of the second quarter gave them a stranglehold on the Indians. The scoring from Fowler and shooting from Enos continued during that run, but the facilitating and playmaking of Kayzzin McDowell Kayzzin McDowell 6'2" | SG Byrnes | 2024 State SC and Kanife Hill were just as important to their success. Hill finished the night with 8 assists while McDowell finished with 11 points to go with his 6 assists. Gaffney’s Markell Hollis Markell Hollis 6'3" | SF Gaffney | 2024 State SC had an offensive explosion in the second half, but the Indians weren’t able to ever make it a close call down the stretch. Hollis scored 27 points in the half in what was a high-volume scoring exhibition. Hollis, along with Freshman Guard Rickey Littlejohn who had an up-and-down game, were some of the keys to Gaffney’s success in region play so far. However, the lasting theme from tonight’s game was Byrnes’ multitude of scoring options – in particular Enos who had one of the best shooting performances I have seen all season long putting up 27 points on 7-9 shooting from behind the arc.
Freshman Impress As Westside Defeat Easley
Both Westside and Easley came into the night with hopes of a win to stay within reach of the 1 Seed in Class AAAAA Region 1. The Green Wave’s first two field goals came off baseline-out-of-bounds sets but the Rams had a couple of quick answers. Neither team was able to create much separation in the first quarter and Easley was unable to capitalize on a 3:00 Westside scoring drought to start the second quarter. The Rams offense started to click into gear after Zeke Marshall Zeke Marshall 6'5" | SF Westside | 2025 State SC ‘s high-flying slam added some life to the home crowd. Starting in that period, they did a much better job of breaking down the Green Wave’s 2-3 zone, with K’majay Jenkins K’majay Jenkins 6'5" | SF Westside | 2027 State SC frequently popping to the free throw line and making an incisive pass to baseline cutters. For Easley, Dreyton Jackson Dreyton Jackson 5'6" | PG Easley | 2027 State SC was terrific on the night. His ability to make reads, score the ball, and create turnovers on the defensive end was on full display. One of their favorite actions is a Read DHO where Jackson will evaluate the defensive coverage and hand it off to a curling wing or keep it for an open layup. At the start of the third quarter, Ethan Crews scored 10 points in the first 3:20 of the half to help cut an 8-point lead to 1. But again, the Rams answered to reestablish some control of the game. Jenkins was superb again that stretch, scoring 4 points out of an 8-0 Westside run. The lead stayed at a comfortable margin for the Rams for the rest of the game, as they moved to 5-1 in Region 2 only behind the undefeated Greenville Red Raiders. Josh Williams Josh Williams 6'0" | CG Westside | 2024 State SC and Zeke Marshall Zeke Marshall 6'5" | SF Westside | 2025 State SC , who are each ranked in their classes Top-50 and are also a stellar duo on the football field, had a great night scoring the ball with 19 & 14 respectively. Freshman K’majay Jenkins K’majay Jenkins 6'5" | SF Westside | 2027 State SC also had an impressive night with a near triple-double of 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.