Blackville-Hilda Hawk Invitational: 2023

The calendar year of 2021 is almost in the books, but not before plenty of South Carolina’s premier basketball players made it to Barnwell County for one last tournament before the calendar turns to 2022. Blackville-Hilda High School hosted the Hawk Invitational tournament which featured eight girls and eight boys teams. Said teams mostly represented schools from the 1A and 2A ranks given Blackville-Hilda itself is a school that competes at the 1A level in Region 3. Prep Girls Hoops made it to the home of the Hawks and took in Monday’s full day of basketball. Here is a look at how the junior class fared. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-370224" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/6407ACD8-3D4E-4080-ABBB-A44C821A225B.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="343091" first="Jalasia" last="Polite"] – 2023 – Estill HS</strong> – There are more than enough polite words that can be used to describe the game of this skilled Gators junior. She will absorb her fair share of contact and find herself at the free throw line as she did a lot on Monday morning when Estill faced off against Williston-Elko. At 5-foot-8, she is also versatile as someone who can play as either a forward or a guard. Polite will make plays near the rim, deflect passes and make things difficult for opposing ball carriers with how well she defends. Polite led all Gators scorers vs. Williston-Elko with 21 points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="206614" first="Ausheona" last="Hammonds"] – 2023 – Barnwell HS</strong> – Hammonds will draw attention and contact, which enables her to get to the line and sink her free throw opportunities. She will be ready to box out in case of hauling in a rebound off an opponent’s missed free throw. Hammonds will attack the rim and find driving lanes to do so while displaying an ability to take care of the ball along with passing ability and a willing to take 3-point shots. Hammonds, who also plays soccer, finished with 10 points in the Warhorses’ win over Allendale-Fairfax. <strong>Kaitlyn Elmore – 2023 – Barnwell HS</strong> – Elmore gives a team lots more in several facets of the game. She was one of the five starters for coach William Hammonds’ Warhorses and was one of only two starters to not have a foul called against her for the game with Allendale-Fairfax. Elmore chimed in with 10 points en route to a Warhorses victory and did so in part because of how well she managed to run the floor in the transition game. Along with basketball, she has also excelled in the track and field realm as well as on the tennis court at Barnwell. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="352014" first="Camron" last="Fields"] – 2023 – Pelion HS</strong> – Fields has made a great deal of prowess in track and field in addition to basketball throughout her high school career. In the Panthers’ contest with host school Blackville-Hilda, Fields made her presence known early by pacing her Panthers with five points in the first quarter. She did so by attacking the rim and via the free throw line. Fields can handle the basketball even against a sea of opposing defenders, comes up big on defense and is active away from the ball. Fields will also turn defense into offense by turning an opposing team’s turnovers into transition buckets. She led all scorers for the game with 14 points. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-370225" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/82C0F862-E4DF-4D31-8AD0-8D25A16F439A.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>Halle Lucas – 2023 – Pelion HS</strong> – The Pelion Panthers’ pair of 2023s is who teams have to contain if they look to score victories over head coach Kenneth Tucker’s bunch. Lucas added 11 points in what was a winning Panthers effort over host school Blackville-Hilda. She also adds a defensive presence as she has no issues playing lockdown defense on whoever she is guarding – including opposing ball carriers. Lucas can drain her shots from either midrange or long range and will drive to the basket. In addition to basketball, she also sports the Panthers’ maroon and gold colors on the volleyball court.