Red Raider Thanksgiving Invitational: 2022

If the basketball that was played on Friday night at Greenville High School was an indication of what is to come for the rest of the season, the 2021-22 campaign is sure to be one to remember. For eight teams across South Carolina’s upstate, the season began with the Red Raider Thanksgiving Invitational with all eight looking to start their respective seasons off on the right pair of sneakers. Prep Girls Hoops made it out to the home of the Red Raiders to take in all of the action. Here is a look at senior talents that turned in impressive performances to start their seasons. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-354720" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/31531EBD-9C29-4DA0-B774-252C107E2265-crop-1200x788-1637517902-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124091" first="McCall" last="King"] – Christ Church </strong>– The Friday slate of the Red Raider Thanksgiving Invitational proved to be one where many noteworthy stars shined – and King was no exception. She made plays on defense which included her intercepting passes. King is a skilled ball handler and passer, but look out for her when she attacks the rim as she will do so with ferocity. She has no problems absorbing a bit of contact and finding her way to the free throw line. King was part of the Cavaliers’ starting five and after being held scoreless in the first quarter in her team’s game with Mauldin, finished with an 11-point effort. <strong>Mikiya Sherman – Travelers Rest HS</strong> – Sherman proved to be a big boost to the Devildogs off the bench on Friday in its contest with Region 3A foe Blue Ridge. She drew her fair share of contact and found her way to the free throw line. In fact, she had the first basket for Travelers Rest which came via the charity stripe. Sherman assisted in the defense by trapping opposing ball carriers in addition to getting set to box out following free throws. She received plenty of playing time off the bench for coach Lindsay Baber’s team and concluded her team’s game with a seven-point outing. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-354718" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/11/C6407640-280F-4D66-AC6D-453AFE80DF35-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124101" first="Quadaija" last="Langley"] – Blue Ridge HS</strong> – The Tigers’ resident Lander University commit is who the opposition has to try to contain when playing Blue Ridge – and in the case of Travelers Rest on Friday evening, the Devildogs had very few answers. Langley can play the role of either point guard or shooting guard in addition to being a classic floor general. She is quick and fearless when attacking the rim and also gave her team a lift on defense – including intercepting passes. Langley led the charge for the Tigers with 17 points in what was a commanding Blue Ridge victory over Travelers Rest. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="252637" first="Maggie" last="Strout"] – Blue Ridge HS</strong> – Langley, of course, did not get the job done by herself. Strout was another one of the Tigers starters and she played an integral role in Blue Ridge’s victory. Strout made efficient passes and also managed to get out in transition after stealing the ball. Her defensive efforts included interception of passes and rebounding while she attacked the rim on plenty of occasions in pursuit of high-percentage shots. Strout got to the free throw line on several occasions as well. She finished her game with 14 points and had only one personal four called against her. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="194857" first="Mazari" last="Bennett"] – Woodmont HS</strong> – The Wildcats played one of the tighter contests of Friday’s Red Raider Invitational as they were tied at 15 at the half with Wren, then all knotted up at 26 after three frames. As the team’s primary point guard, Bennett set the Wildcats up in the halfcourt offense, but also managed to get out in the transition game. She assisted on double teams and provided rebounding to Woodmont’s efforts along with converting on a number of 3-point tries. Bennett takes care of the ball as well. She scored 10 points in her team’s game with Wren. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="264984" first="Janaria" last="Lewis"] – Woodmont HS</strong> – Where one senior in Bennett was an anchor of Woodmont’s backcourt, Lewis came up big with clutch plays in the frontcourt. Lewis hauled in a number of rebounds while also managing to drive to the rim. She also absorbed a good bit of contact and would find her way to the free throw line. After being kept off the scoreboard in the first quarter, things picked up for her in the second and third frames where she concluded the game with six points. Lewis also concluded her evening having only been called for two personal fouls.