Observations from Opening Night in Pelion

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>USE CODE “baxley30” FOR 30% OFF THE FIRST PURCHASE OF ANY SUBSCRIPTION</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Carolina High School Basketball is officially back! My first stop of the 2025-26 Season was the SC Army Guard Invitational in Pelion, South Carolina, which featured Pelion High School, Swansea High School, American Leadership Academy, and Northside Christian Academy. The first matchup was ALA and Swansea, which the Patriots won after they opened up on fire with a 23-2 first quarter. Game two featured the hosts and SCISA foe NCA, where the Panthers' size and athleticism wore their opponents down for a 21-point win. Check out my observations on a few standout players from Opening Night in Pelion:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3100429"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6921c4d7cae80"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Leading off my observations from Friday at the SC Army Guard Invitational is [player_tooltip player_id='3100429' first='Kolton' last='Rogers']. Rogers absolutely filled up the stat sheet in a win over Northside Christian, tallying 11 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. It's hard to miss Kolton's athleticism when watching him for the first time, as I did tonight, because he flies around the floor looking to make plays. However, he also has some polish to his game as he can handle the ball into the post, is a willing passer, and has good touch on short-range shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Daleon Phillips","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Pelion","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6921c4d7cafb0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Another member of the hosts who stood out on day one is Phillips. His effort level was quite impressive, as it felt like every time there was a loose ball, he was the first one on the floor for it. Daleon also had a great hustle play where he stripped the ball from an opponent and threw it off of him as he was flying out of bounds. When he wasn't making those types of plays, Phillips also chipped in with a pair of floaters and a driving and-1, displaying his skill in driving closeouts. He finished with 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2173670"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6921c4d7cb039"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Richburg and the Patriots got off to a fast start in their opening game of the season. Justin knocked down a pair of first-half threes and finished 3-6 from behind the arc. He also showcased his complete offensive game with a confident mid-range pull-up, some work on the glass, and a very intelligent backdoor cut that led to an and-1. Richburg's size was a major asset for his team on the defensive end, as he was used at the top of a 3-2 zone that featured frequent trapping. Justin went for a game-high 20 points to go with 4 steals and 4 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2815871"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6921c4d7cb0b2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the more under-the-radar big men in the state right now is [player_tooltip player_id='2815871' first='Braxton' last='Redding']. He is a very skilled post who is starting to learn how to use his size to overpower defenses. Redding did just that against Swansea on Friday, converting on three and-ones for 9 points. What was just as impressive as the trio of finishes through contact was his perfection from the free-throw line that showed signs of untapped potential as a shooter. No matter how good he is on offense, Braxton will have to become more aggressive on the glass and as a rim protector to be the best player he can be.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3100438"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6921c4d7cb113"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Rounding out my observations from Opening Night in Pelion is one for the future. Murray is one of the rare talents who can not only play on Varsity as an 8th Grader, but can start and play real minutes for his team. It truly is too early to tell if his best position is the 1 or the 2, and he had good stretches in both spots despite the loss. He is very comfortable driving into bigger bodies where he can dump off to teammates or float over shot-blockers, but he is also a natural jump shooter who went 3-4 from three in game one. Keep an eye on this youngster for the Crusaders this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->