Camden HS vs Irmo HS

What looked could be a blowout after the first quarter became a competitive game in the end, but it still went the way of Camden as the Bulldogs defeated the Irmo Yellowjackets by a final score of 50-47. The first half was the classic “tale of two quarters.” Camden jumped out to an early 18-7 lead only to see Irmo close the gap to one (24-23) at the half. It was tied at 32 at the end of the third quarter. Bulldogs coach Natalie Jeffcoat said her team did not play its best game and it was “fortunate” that Camden got the win. Irmo coach Monica Williams gave her team credit for its second-quarter rally – one that occurred with one of its star players, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124108" first="Maliyiah" last="Mason"]</strong>, on the bench for much of the frame. Williams also noted that star eighth grader [player_tooltip player_id="239026" first=<strong>"Michaela" last="Fairwell</strong>"], who tallied 14 points in the Yellowjackets’ 74-23 victory last Friday vs. Lugoff-Elgin, was unavailable for Tuesday’s game. She hopes Fairwell will be back for Irmo’s rematch with the Bulldogs at Camden on Thursday. Prep Girls Hoops was on hand at Irmo for this contest between two of South Carolina’s premier teams. Here is a look at who stood out on Tuesday night. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="171798" first="Joyce" last="Edwards"] – 2024 – Camden High School</strong> – Yeah…she is only a freshman, but is, as Coach Jeffcoat called her, the engine that fuels the Bulldogs offense. At 6-foot-2, she is simply difficult to defend, particularly around the rim. Get her the ball near the basket and it is almost an automatic two points. Edwards is also adept at shot blocking, ball handling and rebounding – either on the offensive or defensive glass. She already had 10 points by the end of the first quarter and finished with 23 for the game because of another 10 she put up in the fourth quarter. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-254148" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/8651F592-6EE2-486B-9FD1-07F08136148F.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124108" first="Maliyiah" last="Mason"] – 2023 – Irmo High School</strong> – Someone who already has had plenty said and written about her and who continues to impress. Mason is one who is very tenacious in her play and can drain shots from anyplace on the court. That could be around the rim, in midrange or from behind the arc, she can put points on the board. Mason may have finished with 18 points for this game, but eight of those 18 came in the fourth quarter – including three made free throws. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-254153" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/5224FAF8-0450-4ADB-A446-6AB80FE1516B-scaled-crop-2560x1681-1612993894-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="175354" first="Imani" last="Wyatt"] – 2021 – Camden High School</strong> – At this stage of the season, senior are looking to impress one final time as they transition to the college ranks. Wyatt provides a great deal of defensive help with her ability to force opponents into turnovers as well as with a blocked shot here and there. She also displayed her ability to be a consistent scorer as she had at least one field goal in every frame on Tuesday night. With a minute to play, she scored a clutch basket for the Bulldogs that gave them a 50-47 lead, Camden’s eventual margin of victory. Wyatt scored 12 points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="254017" first="Andrea" last="Collins"] – 2024 – Irmo High School</strong> – The Yellowjackets’ gifted freshman provided a great example of why coaches love it when they have deep benches. Collins came off of that bench and provided timely assistance when it was needed – particularly in the realm of 3-point shooting. She finished with 11 points, but drained at least one trey in every quarter outside of the first. Collins also managed to attract contact to get to the free throw line – and made her two tries from the stripe in the fourth quarter. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="254155" first="Tateyoina" last="Harris"] – 2023 – Camden High School</strong> – On many occasions, it is not only about what players do with the ball in their hands, but how they play away from the ball. Harris not only plays well away from the basketball, but she is a proficient rebounder and shot blocker. She attracted plenty of attention from the Irmo defense, and she turned that into several tries at the free throw line as she made at least one shot from the line in all four quarters. Harris concluded her evening with seven points – five of which were from the stripe in addition to her one field goal in the first quarter. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="231030" first="Jay’Lah" last="Smith"] – 2021 – Irmo High School</strong> – There was not much offense in the first quarter for Irmo, but Smith drove to the basket in that first quarter to put the Yellowjackets on the board. She will bring the ball up the floor to set up a half-court offense, can give a team rebounds and is an effective passer in finding open teammates. Smith also possesses a midrange jump shot plus a proficiency in drawing contact and converting from the free throw line. Defensively, she will get opponents to commit turnovers. Smith scored six points with four of those scores coming by way of free throw opportunities.