Battle at the Border – Day 1 Results
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The calendar year of 2022 is down to its final days. It also means that the midseason tournament slate of the high school basketball season across the Carolinas is about to transition from said tourneys to the stretch run of…
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Continue ReadingThe calendar year of 2022 is down to its final days. It also means that the midseason tournament slate of the high school basketball season across the Carolinas is about to transition from said tourneys to the stretch run of January.
One of those final midseason tournaments of the 2022-23 season was the annual Battle at the Border event at 2A Landrum HS. The Cardinals’ home court, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, featured two new features that defined this year’s Battle at the Border rendition. The first was Landrum’s new court and the second was a 35-second shot clock.
We at Prep Girls Hoops made the trip up to Landrum for what was the 23rd annual Battle at the Border. Here is our recap of the four girls games that took place.
Woodruff vs. Gaffney
This year’s Battle at the Border tipped off at 10 a.m. and began with a pair of teams whose win total entering the gathering stood at five.
Woodruff’s first matchup of this year’s Battle at the Border was against 5A Gaffney – a team that has been one to watch in said 5A ranks over the past couple of seasons. The Wolverines themselves have also been used to winning seasons as of late.
The first team to earn its way into the win column for the 2022 Battle at the Border was the Indians as they defeated the Wolverines in emphatic fashion by a final score of 84-26.
Records
The Indians’ season up to this point has included victories over last season’s 4A champions in Westside and the 5A champions from two seasons ago in Clover. Gaffney entered into Wednesday’s action with a 5-3 record. As for the Wolverines, their mark stood at 5-6 that included a win over Chapin.
How Things Progressed
Gaffney wasted no time imposing its offensive will against Woodruff. The Indians began Wednesday morning’s matchup with a 15-0 run to put the Wolverines in a deep hole. Woodruff eventually managed to find the basket on a couple of occasions, but it was 25-5 Gaffney after one.
The second quarter appeared to be a continuation of the first where the Indians managed to maintain its high level of offensive output – and increase its lead in the process. With halftime having arrived, 5A Gaffney held a 30-point, 41-11 advantage.
A reality had to have set in by the third quarter that it was not a matter of if Gaffney would achieve victory – simply what would the point margin would be. The Indians continued to pour on the points in the third stanza en route to a 67-20 lead with one quarter remaining.
Typically, many a team will call it a game when a lead is as big as Gaffney’s was. That was not the case with the Indians as their rout continued into the fourth quarter with the end result being an 84-26 win.
Primetime Performers
Five for the Indians finished in double-digits for points. Freshman guard Korbyn Lydia Korbyn Lydia 5'6" | SG Gaffney | 2026 State SC led all point-getters with 15 points. She stands at 5-foot-6 and was particularly effective from behind the 3-point line as she had three of the eight treys Gaffney made.
Three for the Indians finished with 14. One of those was Leah Page Leah Page 5'9" | CG Gaffney | 2023 State SC , a 5-foot-9 versatile senior guard. She had two of the 3-pointers that were made for the game. Rebounding is another one of her strong points.
Another one of those with 14 points was Shyrique Parker Shyrique Parker 5'11" | SF Blacksburg | 2024 State SC , who is listed at 5-foot-10 and is a 2024. Parker particularly displayed her effectiveness with getting to the rim and also managed to draw a bit of contact.
Also chiming in with 14 was Moriah Little Moriah Little 6'1" | C Gaffney | 2023 State SC . She presents an imposing presence in the paint which enables her to convert on high-percentage shot opportunities and win a great deal of rebounding battles.
Shiriah Harris Shiriah Harris 5'10" | PF Gaffney | 2026 State SC , a freshman, contributed 11 points to the winning effort for the Indians. She is listed as a forward who stands at 5-foot-10. Ball handling and free throw shooting are among her strong points.
The Wolverines were the beneficiaries of seven points each from Sadie Burnette Sadie Burnette 5'10" | SG Woodruff | 2025 State SC and Jensyn Turner Jensyn Turner 5'7" | PG Woodruff | 2026 State SC .
Up Next
Gaffney would advance to the winner’s bracket where their opponent in the next round was Southside. Woodruff would await Chapman in the consolation bracket.
Chapman vs. Southside
This tournament rotated back and forth between two girls and two boys’ games with the second girls’ game of the day taking place right before the first boys contest was to get underway.
That second girls game of the schedule featured a pair of 3A schools – one of which we vividly remember from last season’s Battle of the Border rendition. It featured the Panthers of Chapman HS and the Tigers of Southside HS – one of the premier 3A teams in the state.
That second girls game resulted in the Tigers earning its way into the win column (and the winner’s bracket) as they dispatched of the Panthers with the final score being 48-31.
Records
Southside had began Wednesday’s play at an undefeated 11-0 with wins over Christ Church, Fairfield Central, Gray Collegiate and South Meck on its 2022-23 resume. As for Chapman, they began the season with three consecutive defeats before reeling off four consecutive wins – all coming at the expense of a pair of 2A schools in Blacksburg and Chesnee.
What Happened Last Time
The Tigers and Panthers met last season in the first round of the 3A tournament. It was a very lopsided contest in favor of Southside as the end result was a 78-47 decision and the Tigers made a run to last season’s Upper State Finals.
How Things Progressed
The first quarter of Southside-Chapman at first looked eerily similar to the first quarter of the previous matchup between Gaffney and Woodruff. The Tigers played the role of the Indians as they jumped out to a big lead early – one that Chapman managed to narrow down to 16-7 at the conclusion of the first quarter.
The Panthers had cut its deficit down to as little as five in the second quarter before Southside began to grow its lead once again throughout the frame. The Tigers maintained a 12-point, 28-16 lead as halftime set in.
Both Chapman and Southside put a fair amount of points on the board, but the Tigers were a few points better than the Panthers as they outscored them 13-9 in the third quarter. With three complete, the lead was 41-25 in Southside’s favor.
The final frame was more defensively oriented but victory was within reach for the Tigers. It may have been closer than many a pundit may have predicted this one to go, but this battle of 3A vs. 3A went the way of Southside.
Primetime Performers
Kamya Hatten Kamya Hatten 6'0" | SF Southside | 2023 State SC led all scorers with 13 points. The heartbeat of the Tigers’ offensive attack was what Southside managed to get done in the interior. Hatten was a big part of that output on offense.
Kamari Thompson Kamari Thompson 6'0" | PF Southside | 2023 State SC , who recently scored an offer from Allen University, chimed in with 10 points. She too was an integral piece in what the Tigers got done in the painted area and she also draw contact to get to the free throw line.
Pacing the way for the Panthers was 5-foot-4 sophomore Krislyn Wilder Krislyn Wilder 5'5" | CG Chapman | 2025 State SC as she tallied 12 points. Chapman made four threes for the game and three of those triples departed from Wilder’s hands. She also made three free throws.
Up Next
The Tigers would take on Gaffney in the winner’s bracket while Chapman would await a consolation bracket contest against Woodruff.
Boiling Springs vs. Blue Ridge
Up next on the girls side of the schedule (following the first two boys tilts) was a contest featuring a team that is looking to re-establish itself once again as one of Class 3A’s teams to beat and a 5A school that is experiencing improvement over last season.
That contest was Boiling Springs vs. Blue Ridge. The Bulldogs are only one victory away from matching its win total from all of last season. High school basketball fans across South Carolina will remember the Tigers as the team that gave eventual champion Keenan a major scare in last season’s 3A playoffs.
Would Boiling Springs match its win total from last season or would Blue Ridge up its 2022-23 win total into the double-digits? The answer was the latter as the Tigers reigned supreme over the Bulldogs with the final being 52-41.
Records
As hinted at, the Tigers’ record for 2022-23 was 9-3 entering Wednesday’s action at Battle at the Border. Blue Ridge has earned two victories each over Landrum and Greenville as well as wins over Greer and Wade Hampton. As for the Bulldogs, they had a .500 mark of 6-6 to begin the day.
What Happened Last Time?
It was during the 2014-15 season when the Tigers and Bulldogs last exchanged pleasantries. This also occurred during that year’s Battle at the Border. Blue Ridge defeated Boiling Springs by a final score of 40-35.
How Things Progressed
With timely long range shooting, defensive pressure and a knack for drawing contact and getting to the free throw line, the Bulldogs appeared to display the improvement that has been a hallmark of this season’s Boiling Springs rendition. They led 16-10 after the conclusion of the first quarter.
Through the second quarter one can sense a momentum shift as the Tigers opened the frame with an 8-0 run. When both teams went into their respective locker rooms for halftime, it was 29-22 in favor of Blue Ridge.
With Blue Ridge’s boys team having won earlier that day, the Tigers’ girls team hoped to duplicate that effort to ensure Blue Ridge teams went 2-0 for the day. In recent seasons, one may have seen a Boiling Springs that would have been blown out by the 3A Tigers, but it was only 39-30 in favor of Blue Ridge after three.
The competitive nature of the contest continued in the fourth quarter. Blue Ridge would win by double digits, but it was a 52-41 victory as the Tigers would advance to the winners bracket of the Battle at the Border tournament.
Primetime Performers
Anyah Henderson Anyah Henderson 5'7" | SG Legacy Early College | 2025 State SC finished with 14 points which led all scorers for the game. She particularly impressed with how she managed to deliver strong finishes at the rim and get to the free throw line.
Zikira Henderson Zikira Henderson 5'7" | SG Blue Ridge | 2024 State SC struggled with finding her shot early the game, but eventually did find it and it translated to a 13-point performance to aid the Blue Ridge cause. Among her strong points is her confidence she has in her 3-point shooting.
Claire Skinner gives the Tigers a frontcourt scoring and rebounding dimension to Blue Ridge’s efforts. No. 12 scored 12 points and among those 12 was one of Blue Ridge’s five successful attempts from distance.
The Bulldogs were fueled by a couple of 12-point scorers. One of those was Kylie McMillan Kylie McMillan 5'8" | CG Boiling Springs | 2024 SC , a senior guard. A midrange jumper and the ability to knock down her tries at the free throw line is part of her offensive arsenal.
The other is another senior guard in Amiah Ellis. What made her 12 particularly notable is what she managed to get accomplished from 3-point range. Boiling Springs had seven threes for the game – four of those left her hands.
Up Next
Blue Ridge advances to the winner’s bracket where they will face Carolina Forest while the Bulldogs head to the consolation bracket and a matchup with Landrum.
Carolina Forest vs. Landrum
There have been at least two midseason tournaments that Prep Girls Hoops has attended that have featured a host team being the first team to play – the Blackville-Hilda Hawk Invitational and the Skyhawk Holiday Classic.
Battle at the Border was more of a return to the norm which featured the host school as the last team to take to the court. The Cardinals, a 2A Upper State Finalist from last season, took on Carolina Forest, which had undoubtedly the furthest trek of any girls team to get to Landrum HS.
The end result of this one would see the Panthers prevail over the Cardinals with the final being 58-49.
Records
The contest was set up to be one of the more evenly matched contests on paper. Landrum entered its own tournament as a 6-3 team with two of its defeats coming at the hands of 3A Blue Ridge. The 5A Panthers began play at this year’s Battle at the Border with a 7-3 record with its only blemishes coming twice against 5A Cane Bay and another against last season’s 5A runners-up Summerville.
How Things Progressed
The Panthers placed the first four points on the board before the Cardinals showed signs that they would indeed defend its home court. It was a contest that looked like a top tier 5A team and a top tier 2A team and it would see Landrum leading by a score of 14-13 after one.
Landrum put together offense and defense in the second quarter to outscore Carolina Forest by a margin of 14-6. The Cardinals would enter the halftime period ahead by nine with the score reading 28-19.
Carolina Forest began the second half with a wave of momentum as they managed to erase its deficit the Cardinals had built in the second quarter with a 12-1 run to begin the third. At the end of the third quarter, it would be the Panthers with the edge – a four-point one to be exact as it was 41-37.
It is never a small victory to defeat a team that was in the 2A Upper State Final last season as Landrum was. That is what the Panthers accomplished with the end result being a 58-49 conclusion.
Primetime Performers
With 19 points, freshman Emerie Davis Emerie Davis 5'9" | PF Carolina Forest | 2026 State SC led the Panthers’ scoring charge. A good bit of what Carolina Forest managed to get accomplished occurred in the interior and Davis was a big part of that.
Miracle Mclean, another freshman, added 13 points to the Panthers’ point total. Her versatility enables her to play either one of the three positions in the interior. McLean stands at 6-foot-2 and her first season was last season as an eighth grader and she also excels as a rebounder.
Madison Hoffman Madison Hoffman 5'6" | SG Carolina Forest | 2024 State SC also chimed in with 10. She ran point efficiently for Carolina Forest and also managed to draw contact to get to the free throw line. Hoffman stands at 5-foot-5 and is a junior.
With 21 points, Savannah Brown Savannah Brown 5'11" | PF Landrum | 2024 State SC managed to lead all scorers for the game. While listed as the team’s center, she displays attributes that are indicative of many ones or twos – including 3-point shooting, ball handling and attacking the basket.
The Cardinals were the recipient of a 12-point effort by Kaylee Cortez Kaylee Cortez 5'4" | PG Landrum | 2024 State SC . She runs point for Landrum and makes accurate passes, runs the floor well, can shoot from distance and delivers strong defensive work.
Up Next…
Carolina Forest advances to the winner’s bracket and a matchup with Blue Ridge. Landrum will await Boiling Springs in the consolation bracket.