Lady Red Raider Tournament @ Carolina Academy: Day One Results

With volleyball having completed its playoffs and football in the midst of its, the attention of the South Carolina high school sports fan will soon turn fully to the basketball court. 

The start of a new season means early season and mid-season tournaments commencing across the state. One of those is the annual Lady Red Raider Thanksgiving Invitational hosted by Greenville HS. It used its own venue as well as Carolina HS for the 16 teams that took part in this year’s festivities. 

We at Prep Girls Hoops made the trip up to Carolina Academy for the four games that took place at the home court of the Trojans. Here is our recap of Friday evening’s season-opening action.

Travelers Rest vs. Pickens

The first contest on the four-game card for Friday featured one of the premier teams in the 4A ranks and another team that recently moved down from 4A to 3A. 

It featured the Devildogs from Travelers Rest matching up against the Blue Flame from Pickens. Both Lindsay Baber’s Travelers Rest squad and Rikki Owens’ Blue Flame team made their respective tournaments in 2022-23, but expectations are particularly high for the Blue Flame given the rise up the 4A ranks they have encountered. 

The first contest of the day would see the Blue Flame claiming victory as they defeated the Devildogs by a final tally of 40-24. 

Last Season’s Records

Pickens had a mark of 24-3 last season (9-1 in region) while that of Travelers Rest was 11-13 in 2022-23 (6-2 in region). 

How Things Progressed

It was advantage Pickens early as the Blue Flame began the game with a 5-0 run. An unfortunate injury to junior Pickens center Sadie McKinney halted play midway through the first quarter. The Devildogs got back into the game, but the Blue Flame exited the first quarter leading 11-6. 

At the outset of the second half, it appeared the Blue Flame would put a bit of distance between themselves and their foes from Travelers Rest, but it was still a single-digit margin at half. Pickens led the Devildogs by a tally of 21-13 as both teams went into their respective locker rooms. 

As the defense of Travelers Rest tightened up – so did the scoreboard. The Devildogs had inched ever so closer to the Blue Flame midway through the third quarter before a late run by Pickens upped their lead to seven at the close of the third. With three complete, it was Blue Flame 29, Devildogs 22. 

Pickens held Travelers Rest to only one field goal in the fourth quarter. When all was said and done, the final margin of victory for the Blue Flame would be 16 points as they won the first game of Carolina Academy’s portion of the Lady Red Raider Thanksgiving Invitational. 

Primetime Performers

As the game went on, senior forward Maggie Chambers Maggie Chambers 5'11" | PF Pickens | 2024 State SC played like the upperclassman she is. Chambers led all Pickens scorers with a 16 point effort. As effective a rebounder and scorer in the interior she is, Chambers is not shy about shooting the 3-point shot. 

Ava Owens Ava Owens 5'7" | PG Pickens | 2026 State SC ultimately finished Friday evening’s matchup with a 10-point effort. Owens has no problems handling the ball even amongst a sea of defenders and will deliver strong finishes at the basket. 

Could the Blue Flame field a big three at opponents this season? If senior guard Hannah Campbell has games similar to Friday evening’s, they could. Campbell finished with eight points – seven of which were scored in the first quarter. 

Gabriella Huskey was a bright spot for the Devildogs on what was otherwise a cold shooting night for the 3A team. Huskey led the way with 18 points. Included in those 18 were a trio of 3-pointers. 

Unavailable

Sophomore guard Jadin Dandy Jadin Dandy 5'6" | SF Travelers Rest | 2026 State SC was unavailable for Travelers Rest. 

What’s Next

The Blue Flame advances to the next round of the Lady Red Raider Thanksgiving Invitational on Sunday while the Devildogs will play in a consolation game. 

T.L. Hanna vs. Pendleton

The second matchup on the docket included two teams with similar color schemes – so it would be hard to tell which team is which if their school name, logo or mascot were not displayed on their respective jerseys. 

It included a 5A T.L. Hanna team that had a season to remember in 2022-23 as they earned a berth in the state tournament. As for 3A Pendleton, their 2022-23 was one their players, coaches and fans would rather forget as the Bulldogs were only in the win column on two occasions last season. 

On paper, one would expect the Yellow Jackets to be the favorites – and they played as such as they defeated the Bulldogs with the final tally being a very lopsided 54-19. 

Last Season’s Records

The Yellow Jackets closed the 2022-23 campaign with an 18-10 record and a region mark of 5-3. As for Pendleton, the Bulldogs were 2-20 last season and 0-10 in its region. Pendleton’s lone two wins of last season were against Palmetto and Belton-Honea Path. 

How Things Progressed

T.L. Hanna was the favorite entering this one – and the Yellow Jackets resembled one in the first quarter as they scored the first seven points of the contest. Pendleton was held to only one field goal for the frame and the scoreboard read 14-4 in T.L. Hanna’s favor with eight minutes having elapsed. 

For a good portion of the second quarter, it appeared both Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets were cold from the field as both teams attempted to out-defense the other. The good news for Pendleton is their shots began falling later in the frame. The bad news is so did T.L. Hanna’s. The Yellow Jackets doubled up on the Bulldogs as they led 24-12 at the half. 

The Yellow Jackets turned what had the resemblance of a close game in the second quarter into a rout in the third. T.L. Hanna dominated the third stanza, outscoring Pendleton by a margin of 22-2.

The margin for the Yellow Jackets meant that the fourth quarter featured a continuously turning clock for all eight minutes. 

Primetime Performers

Harmoni Earl Harmoni Earl 5'10" | SF T.L. Hanna | 2027 SC finished as the leading point-getter for the game. She finished with 13 points and she especially keyed T.L. Hanna’s offensive outburst in the third quarter. Getting the rim was a major strong point of Earl’s performance.

Every season, we are on the lookout for freshmen on the verge of breakout seasons. Olivia Freeman is in her freshman campaign and got her 2023-24 started on the right pair of kicks. She also finished in double-digits for scoring with a 10-point performance. 

Tamerah Wynn Tamerah Wynn 5'11" | SF T.L. Hanna | 2025 State SC was another who was integral in the Yellow Jackets’ rout of the Bulldogs. Wynn concluded her Friday evening with a nine-point effort. Included in that were opportunities at the free throw line. 

What’s Next?

T.L. Hanna advances to the next round of the weekend tournament where they will await Pickens. As for Pendleton, up next for it is a consolation game against Travelers Rest. 

Powdersville vs. Dorman

With two games in the books, there were still a pair of contests left to go before Friday’s matchups concluded. 

Similar to the previous tilt between T.L. Hanna and Pendleton, this one also featured a 3A combatant matching up against a 5A assembling. Both of these teams also were in their respective tournaments last season yet the Cavaliers had a bit more success through the 5A field than the Patriots had through the 3A version this past February. 

When the clock reached the triple zeroes after this one, it was Dorman who prevailed over Powdersville with the final score reading 69-38. 

Last Season’s Records

Dorman concluded last season with a mark of 17-10 in addition to going 7-1 in its region. Powdersville finished with a mark of 11-15 (5-5 in its region). 

How Things Progressed

Dorman vs. Powdersville provided arguably the best atmosphere of any of the four games that evening as a raucous Patriots bench and a healthy Dorman contingent made for an amazing aura. The many residents of Cavs nation that were on hand at Carolina Academy had plenty to cheer about as Dorman utilized an effective interior attack to begin the game with an 8-0 run. A late Powdersville surge made it a game – and the Cavaliers’ lead was only three (11-8) after eight minutes. 

It was clear when the second quarter commenced that the Cavs were a different team when they had that interior presence at their disposal and when it was on the bench. When it was on the bench, the door was wide open for the Patriots to trim their deficit. At the half, Dorman had a six-point, 21-15 advantage. 

The third quarter of this one began to eerily resemble the third quarter of the previous tilt between T.L. Hanna and Pendleton – where one team dominated the other. In this case, the third stanza was all Dorman all the time and the Cavaliers lead went from close to commanding.

The fourth quarter left no doubt as to which team would be victorious in this one. One of the premier 5A teams in the state resembled one of the premier 5A teams in the state. 

Primetime Performers

Morgan White Morgan White 6'4" | C Dorman | 2026 State SC led all scorers with 18 points. Powdersville had absolutely no answers for the 6-foot-4 sophomore big. If she had the ball in the interior, it was essentially an automatic two points. 

Adding to the depth the Cavaliers posed in the interior, Nakiyah Kelly Nakiyah Kelly 5'11" | PF Dorman | 2024 State SC contributed 14 points to the Cavaliers cause. If it was not White who was causing problems for the Patriots near the basket, more than likely it was Kelly. 

Where White and Kelly anchored the Dorman frontcourt, Rihanna Wallace Rihanna Wallace 5'4" | PG Dorman | 2026 State SC did the same for the Cavs backcourt. Wallace finished her evening with a 12-point outing. Much of those points were via free throws as she has no problems attacking the rim and absorbing contact. 

Jenna Cothran Jenna Cothran 5'6" | SG Dorman | 2024 State SC finished with nine points. As she is the Cavaliers’ resident 3-point specialist, it is fitting that all of her scoring came by way of the 3-pointer. Cothran added three more triples to her career resume on Friday night. 

What’s Next?

Dorman advances to the next round of this year’s Lady Red Raider Thanksgiving Invitational while the Patriots see themselves in the consolation bracket. 

Hillcrest vs. Wren

Closing out the day’s play was a contest that once again saw a 5A school going up against a 3A school. Unlike the previous two contests, the advantage in this one actually went to the 3A competitor. 

One does not have to go far to remember Wren’s 2022-23 season – the Hurricanes made it all the way to the 3A state championship game where they matched up against Camden. As for the Rams, they had a season to forget as they were only in the win column on two occasions last season. 

This one also went as expected with Wren dispatching of Hillcrest by a final score of 62-25. 

Last Season’s Records

Wren was 26-6 last season (9-1) in region play. Hillcrest was 2-15 in 2022-23 and was 0-8 against region opponents. Both of the Rams’ wins last season came at the expense of Laurens.

How Things Progressed

Remember what we wrote earlier about how T.L. Hanna had a dominant third quarter over Pendleton and how Dorman had a dominant third quarter over Powdersville? Wren had a dominant first quarter against Hillcrest that included plenty of opportunities for the Hurricanes to get out in transition. With one in the books, it was 19-3 Wren.

The Rams showed signs of life in the second frame, but it was not enough to make up for the offensive output the Hurricanes displayed. When both Hillcrest and Wren went into their respective locker rooms for halftime, Wren maintained its commanding lead at 31-14.

The dominance that was displayed by the Hurricanes continued into the third quarter. At this point, it was not a matter of if Wren would win – but what the Hurricanes’ final margin of victory would indeed be.

It was all academic when the fourth quarter commenced. Dominating team with a big lead, game running on a continuously turning clock. When play concluded on Friday at Carolina Academy, Wren was in the win column in emphatic fashion. 

Primetime Performers

Raina McGowens Raina McGowens 5'10" | CG Wren | 2024 State SC led all scorers with 19 points. McGowens was a Preseason Elite Girls pick by the SCBCA and McGowens resembled it on Friday night. She also displayed exactly why UNC-Asheville – where she will play her college ball – had her on her radar. 

Scarlett Howell Scarlett Howell 5'6" | SF Wren | 2027 SC also finished with a double-digit point effort. Howell finished with 10 points. Included in those 10 points were a couple of 3-pointers. Howell had two of the four 3-pointers the Hurricanes made. 

As for Deyana Hayes Deyana Hayes 6'1" | PF Wren | 2024 State SC , she got her senior season started with a an impressive performance. She finished her evening with eight points. Hayes also has no problems absorbing contact and getting to the free throw line. 

What’s Next?

The Hurricanes remain in the winner’s bracket en route to a matchup with Dorman the following day. That sends Hillcrest to the consolation bracket where they await Powdersville.