Big South Shootout: Sprayberry HS (GA) vs Keenan HS (SC)

It was a much-hyped, much-ballyhooed matchup, in large part, because of two of the most heralded stars in all of high school girls basketball.  The result was Sprayberry’s Yellow Jackets leaving the Palmetto State and heading back home to Marietta with a 75-65 victory over the Keenan Raiders. Prep Girls Hoops was on site at Keenan HS for what was a very thrilling and entertaining game between one of South Carolina’s premier teams and one of Georgia’s premier teams. Here are a few notes and takeaways from Saturday afternoon’s game. <em><strong>The Headliners</strong></em> Keenan’s basketball stadium was packed to the top row for Saturday’s contest, with a number of Yellow Jackets fans in attendance having made the trip from Marietta in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Two of the reasons for the high attendance were Sprayberry’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="148861" first="Flau’jae" last="Johnson"]</strong> and Keenan’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124104" first="Milaysia" last="Fulwiley"]</strong>. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382177" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/IMG_7197-2-scaled-crop-1873x1230-1643545122-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382179" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/IMG_7203-scaled-crop-2470x1622-1643545203-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Both marquee players were as good as advertised – and then some. Johnson, a 2022 LSU commit and recently named McDonald’s All-American dropped a game-high 47 points. Fulwiley, a 2023 who has led the Raiders to back-to-back 3A SCHSL state championships, tallied 31 points. <em><strong>Other Primetime Performers</strong></em> Johnson and Fulwiley will be the first to tell anyone that the success they have amassed over their careers could not have happened by themselves. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382183" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/IMG_7187-1-crop-1596x1048-1643545464-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="154589" first="Anna" last="Vereen"]</strong> (2023) added 10 points to the Yellow Jackets’ cause. <strong>Janelle McDaniel</strong> (2022) finished with eight points for head coach Kellie Avery’s squad. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382185" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/IMG_7205-2-scaled-crop-2487x1633-1643545550-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-382187" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/IMG_7175-scaled-crop-2049x1345-1643545642-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> On the ledger for head coach Reggie McLain’s Raiders, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="185722" first="Ashari" last="Lewis"]</strong> (2022) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="359840" first="Teirra" last="Griffin"]</strong> (2023) each contributed 10 points. <em><strong>Rescheduled</strong></em> The scintillating basketball that did take place on January 29 was originally slated to emanate the evening of December 28, but was rescheduled because of issues relating to COVID-19. Given the play of both teams and their marquee players, it appeared to be well worth the wait. <em><strong>Records</strong></em> Both teams appear to be on their way, once again, to banner 2021-22 seasons. The Yellow Jackets claim a 14-5 mark along with being a perfect 11-0 in Region 6-AAAAAA competition. Sprayberry has not dropped a game since being on the losing end of a 72-56 decision to Tennessee-based Bartlett. Schools from outside of the state of Georgia account for two of Sprayberry’s defeats with the other being a 77-63 result to Florida-based American Heritage. Keenan, in search of a 3A 3-peat, stands at 17-3 and stands atop Region 4-AAA with a perfect 6-0 mark. The Raiders had been in the throes of a seven-game winning streak prior to the loss to the Yellow Jackets. All three of Keenan’s losses this season have come from opponents located outside of South Carolina. Florida-based Lake Highland Prep (84-54) and Virginia-based St. Paul VI (76-43) have also put the Raiders in the loss column. <em><strong>Up Next</strong></em> Both Sprayberry and Keenan shall resume play in their respective regions on Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets will be at home to host Pope while the Raiders will take to the road as they face Mid-Carolina.