Round One Reports: Union County and Wren Advance

USE CODE “baxley30” FOR 30% OFF THE FIRST PURCHASE OF ANY SUBSCRIPTION   Playoff basketball has officially arrived in the Palmetto State, as the South Carolina High School League tipped off the 2026 postseason earlier this week. First-round action featured Classes 5A Division I, 3A, and 2A on Monday, followed by 5A Division II, 4A, and 1A matchups Tuesday. My assignments included Union County's home win over West-Oak and Wren's impressive road victory at Laurens. Here's a look at six players who delivered standout performances during round-one action:   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />    As senior guards tend to do this time of year, [player_tooltip player_id='2306328' first='Eric' last='Gray'] put his team on his back when they needed it most. He stepped up with 16 second-half points, looking as aggressive as I have seen him in person. West-Oak simply didn't have a consistent answer for him defensively, as it felt like he could get to the rim or the free-throw line whenever he wanted. Gray also displayed some terrific defensive instincts, strength through contact on both ends of the floor, and an excellent balance of passing with his efficient scoring. Eric finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals in the win.     On the opposite side of the age spectrum for the Yellow Jackets, their freshman big man also stood out in their first-round win as he went for 10 points. Defensively, Eli was great, racking up 3 blocks and 2 steals while making several more passes and shots more difficult because of his size. He looks like he is starting to figure out how to be effective in his body, and right now, that looks like being a strong rim protector and a consistent inside finisher. Gough had a few important transition finishes across the game, showing a desire to run the floor.     Kershaw is another part of Union County's bright young core who is already shining this season. He was a pure defensive menace on Monday night, creating tons of ball pressure with a desire to be active and effective. Keyshawn has quick feet and hands, which make him both hard to beat off the dribble and hard to pass around. He has some improvement to make offensively, particularly at the free-throw line, but he did show some flashes of speed and skill when he was able to play freely in transition. Kershaw's impactful 9 points and 3 steals went a long way in the Yellow Jacket's first-round win.     [player_tooltip player_id='2125308' first='Beau' last='Brannon'] led the way for Wren in their huge win over Laurens on Tuesday. He had a game-high 25 points, but what was most impressive was his combination of variety and efficiency. Brannon scored at all three levels through contact and some solid defense. He is comfortable playing off the catch on the perimeter, where he can shoot or attack with two to three dribbles, but with his size, he can also work inside with post-ups or as the middle man versus a zone. Beau went 3-5 from deep in this one, but when you combine the shooting with all the other impactful things that he does, it is easy to see why he is such a good player.     Another standout junior from the Hurricanes' first-round win is Dreyton. Jackson had as pure a Point Guard line as you will see: 14 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals. However, when you watched the game and factor in the situation, what he did was almost more impressive. Dreyton ran the Wren offense to near perfection, getting them through all their sets and capitalizing on holes in the opposing zone, all while minimizing turnovers and bad shots. Jackson isn't just a passer, though, he is also quite capable of hitting floaters and mid-range jumpers around bodies. Wren will have to go on the road again in the second round, but they will have the guard advantage if Dreyton is able to match this performance with another big night on Saturday.     Rice rounds out my standouts from the opening round. One of the things that should excite Wren fans about a run this season is that they return their three best players next season. That includes Kamden, who is one of the best freshmen in the state, and happened to play one of his best games this season in their 38-point first-round win. Rice stepped up with 17 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals in it, impacting the game with aggressive offense and active defense. Although he hit a couple of jumpers early, he still never settled, consistently taking the right shot or making the right pass within the flow of the offense. Early playoff games can go a long way in the development of young players, so it was great to see Kam step up to the moment on Tuesday.

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