2021: Diamonds Classic

The first weekend of December 2020 saw many premier teams and players representing private and independent schools in South Carolina travel to Spartanburg for the first-ever Diamonds Classic. The day-long outing, which was held at Spartanburg Christian Academy hosted 12 teams for six games and included a number of players – from both South and North Carolina. As basketball onlookers know, this is an area plentiful in talent and it was on full display in Spartanburg. Prep Girls Hoops was on hand to observe many of these standouts and take in the festivities. Here is a list of names from this year’s class that shined in the South Carolina upstate. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-235107" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/AEF99BCB-93AE-4DB4-984C-65059D42CF85-scaled-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="235092" first="Marianna" last="Converse"] – Spartanburg Day School</strong> – Let the converse-ations begin. She is a solid senior forward that as of now is the only six-footer listed on the Griffins roster. Converse will get in the paint to make two-pointers near the basket and possesses ability to battle for rebounds. She can also make those buckets near the rim after getting out in transition, displaying her versatility. Spartanburg Day played Lake Norman Christian to begin the day-long marathon of basketball in Spartanburg. Converse compiled 14 points enroute to what was an emphatic Griffins win. Converse has also played tennis while she has attended Spartanburg Day. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="171750" first="Abbie" last="Bishop"] – Spartanburg Christian Academy</strong> – AB hoped to C a Spartanburg Christian Academy victory on its home court – and that is just what happened. The Warriors grinded out a 58-54 win over Arborbrook Christian and Bishop was a major factor that paid dividends. Warriors head coach Wendy Duke particularly has to like what she sees out of Bishop in terms of her ability to make tough shots – whether they are close to the rim against defenders or from long range. She scored 13 points, but 11 of those 13 points came in the second half – including a couple of third quarter triples. Bishop is headed to North Greenville University (NCAA D2) next season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="235102" first="Mackenzie" last="Spivey"] – Spartanburg Christian Academy (pictured on front)</strong> – Talk about veterans galore. On the entire Spartanburg Christian Academy roster, only four listed are not seniors or juniors. Spivey is one of the seniors and her experience serves as a boon to teams like the Warriors that are flowing with 2021s and 2022s. She will sink the mid range jumper and also find her way to the rim. Watch out for her on defense because she will also poke the ball away and has developed her passing game. Spivey scored 17 points and among those was five free throws that she made in the fourth quarter in addition to game MVP honors. <strong>Sam Toney – Spartanburg Christian Academy</strong> – A combination point guard and shooting guard, Toney brings a high basketball IQ and awareness to her Warriors team. Early on in the game with Arborbrook Christian, she noticed that she mishandled a ball for a split second and quickly recovered. Toney is also a force on defense as she will steal the ball and intercept passes. She will make tough shots as well. While she only scored five points for the game, those five came at a critical juncture at the game (in the second half) and included three clutch free throws in the fourth quarter.