1A State Championship: Military Magnet vs. Denmark-Olar

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If there was a motto for this year's 1A state championship, it simply might be “Run It Back.”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That is what both Military Magnet and Denmark-Olar have done this season. Coach Nathaniel Taylor's Eagles and Terrence Jones' Vikings were the final two teams standing in the 1A ranks last season. The more things change, the more they remain the same.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Military Magnet was hoping for the third consecutive season to be crowned queens of single-A high school basketball in the state with the USC-Aiken Convocation Center as the site of all three state triumphs. The Eagles' effort was successful as their matchup with the Vikings resulted in a 54-41 victory.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I'm thankful to those bigger schools – South Pointe, Lower Richland, Keenan and so on and so forth that gave us an opportunity to sharpen our skills,” Military Magnet coach Nathaniel Taylor says after the game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Quarter By Quarter</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the opening tip off, there was certainly a larger contingency of Denmark-Olar backers than those who made the drive from the Lowcountry representing Military Magnet. Those in Eagles red had more to cheer for early as their team began the game with a 5-0 run. The Vikings closed the gap as the first went on and the score displayed a Military Magnet lead of 12-10 at the completion of one quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then came the second quarter surge. The Eagles' lead increased greatly in the second quarter as they outscored Denmark-Olar by a margin of 20-4. What appeared to be a competitive matchup was beginning to resemble another Military Magnet coronation as the Eagles took a 32-14 lead into halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Military Magnet's players wore their home white uniforms in the first half – and gray uniforms for the second half. Whether the Eagles were in white, grey, black (as was the case in last season's championship game) or red uniforms, it was still the same team the Vikings were hoping to figure out. And it was a tall task as evidenced by the 45-27 lead Military Magnet had after three quarters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It appeared to be only a matter of time before the Eagles completed their bid at a third consecutive state championship – plus doing it twice at Denmark-Olar's expense. The Vikings managed to trim its deficit to 12 (46-34) midway through the fourth. Military Magnet all but sealed victory by answering to up the lead to 18 (54-36). Ultimately, the Eagles' third consecutive 1A crown came by way of a 13-point victory.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":609467,"width":352,"height":230,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/03/IMG_9733-crop-2141x1406-1677968257.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-609467" width="352" height="230" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172055' first='Chazmin' last='Bradley']</strong> concluded her game – and her career with the Eagles by leading the team's scoring charge with a 17-point performance. Bradley was 6-15 from the field. She also dished out three assists and collected two steals in 29 minutes of play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":609469,"width":355,"height":232,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/03/IMG_9677-2-crop-2150x1412-1677968348.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-609469" width="355" height="232" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='366548' first='DeJamari' last='Pugh']</strong> gave Military Magnet a major lift off the bench. She was two rebounds shy of a double-double while only logging 14 minutes. Pugh tallied 13 points and brought down eight rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":609471,"width":358,"height":234,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/03/IMG_9473-crop-2419x1589-1677968451.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-609471" width="358" height="234" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='556313' first='Jataya' last='Brown']</strong> also had herself a big game in her final time in an Eagles uniform. Brown finished with 10 points and three rebounds in the 26 minutes of time she played. She also collected a pair of steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":609473,"width":364,"height":238,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/03/IMG_9551-crop-3226x2118-1677968559.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-609473" width="364" height="238" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='335677' first='TaKenya' last='James']</strong> was the leading point-getter for the Vikings in her final team in blue and gold. James finished with 13 points and was 6-8 from the field. She also brought down six rebounds in 29 minutes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":609475,"width":366,"height":239,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/03/IMG_9598-crop-2215x1455-1677968640.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-609475" width="366" height="239" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='252503' first='Ry'Naisha' last='Barnes']</strong> also finished in double-digits points-wise with 11. How she got the 11 was notable as she spent plenty of time at the charity stripe. Barnes was 8-12 from the free throw line and also added six rebounds and three assists to her performance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":609477,"width":370,"height":242,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/03/IMG_9602-crop-2141x1406-1677968746.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-609477" width="370" height="242" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='175346' first='Dy'Neka' last='Roberts']</strong> finished with eight points in what was her last time representing Denmark-Olar. Roberts was also the team's leading rebounder as she brought 14 off the glass. She played 26 minutes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We play basketball – defense for 94 feet. If you can't practice against that, it's going to be pretty tough to compete against it,” Taylor says.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Closing the Book</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Military Magnet has completed another successful championship-winning season with a 25-6 mark while that of Denmark-Olar finishes with a 27-3 showing.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even with his Eagles going back-to-back-to-back, Taylor is already envisioning his 2023-24 Military Magnet rendition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I'm just thankful and looking forward to next year,” he says.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>So Long, Seniors</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Graduating seniors at Military Magnet include <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='171795' first='Kaelin' last='Davis']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='172055' first='Chazmin' last='Bradley']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='124112' first='Rykia' last='Jakes']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='556313' first='Jataya' last='Brown'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='599146' first='Morgan' last='Richardson']</strong>. At Denmark-Olar, they include <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='175346' first='Dy'Neka' last='Roberts']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='175347' first='Aijalon' last='Wroten']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='335677' first='TaKenya' last='James']</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->