Blackville-Hilda Hawk Invitational: First Day Recap – Part 2

The midseason tournament portion of the 2023-24 schedule has almost concluded, but after the Christmas break, teams across the state are getting one more tune-up prior to the start of region play in January.    One of those tournaments saw a number of teams converge on the CSRA at the annual Blackville-Hilda Hawk Invitational. This year's tournament was a bit larger than previous renditions with six girls games taking place that first day as opposed to the usual four that occur.    We at Prep Girls Hoops made the trip to the home of the 1A Hawks for this year's event. A couple of the earlier games would decide who would play Allendale-Fairfax and Blackville-Hilda in the second round. Here is how the second half of girls contests unfolded.    Williston-Elko vs. Blackville-Hilda   Typically at these midseason tournaments, the team that is hosting said tournament is one of the last ones to take the court on a given day. That was not the case at the Hawk Christmas Invitational.    The Hawks have began the season with a 3-4 record. Blackville-Hilda is only one victory shy of equaling its entire win total from 2022-23 when they finished with a dismal mark of 4-17. One of Blackville-Hilda's lone victories from last season happened at last year's Hawk Invitational when the Hawks earned a victory over Pelion. They later last to Barnwell as well as in a rematch with the Panthers to close the tournament.    As for Williston-Elko, they advanced to the date with Blackville-Hilda with the victory over 2A Pelion earlier in the day.    Would it be a 2-0 day for the Blue Devils? The answer was no as the victory went to Blackville-Hilda with the final being 41-26.   Remember What Happened Last Time?   Given the fact that the Blue Devils and Hawks are region rivals, their last meeting was relatively recent. It occurred in mid-January of last season when Williston-Elko earned a 43-23 victory at Blackville-Hilda.    Quarter-By-Quarter   The Blue Devils got the message early on that taking on the homestanding Hawks was nothing like their contest with 2A Pelion earlier that day. It was a low-scoring affair to start – one that Blackville-Hilda led by a tally of 8-6 after one quarter.    The defensive nature of the game continued into the second quarter. The points may not have been coming often for the Hawks, but they were timely. As halftime commenced, Blackville-Hilda led 15-7 following an eight-minute period where Williston-Elko did not score a field goal.   What was a defensive-minded contest then gave away to the classic tale of two halves in the third quarter. At first, it appeared Blackville-Hilda would put substantial distance between themselves and Williston-Elko before the Blue Devils displayed they had a run in them. Following three quarters, it would be Hawks 28, Blue Devils 17.   Williston-Elko's deficit was not large by any stretch of the imagination, but with how they were struggling (for the most part) to put points on the board, it felt a like it was much larger. At the close, the Hawks put a bow on a 41-26 win.    Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7139.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828656" style="width:415px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1002998' first='Eva' last='Sapp'] is one of two team captains for the 2023-24 rendition of Blackville-Hilda basketball. Sapp led all point-getters with 18. Not only can she handle the ball around defenders, but she consistently gets into position to make plays.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7137.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828657" style="width:421px;height:auto" /></figure>   The other team captain is Amonya Smalls and she too had herself a productive evening at the office. She finished with nine points. Among the strong areas of her game is the ability to get to the free throw line.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7133.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828658" style="width:428px;height:auto" /></figure>   It was an eight-point game for Breyanna Williams, a sophomore guard. The Hawks as a team drained three 3-pointers for the game. Two of those triples had departed from the hands of Williams.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7001-1.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828638" style="width:424px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='843526' first='Jada' last='Wilson'] followed up her stellar performance against Pelion with another one against Blackville-Hilda. She tallied 17 points. Included in those 17 were 13 in the second half. Her transition plays can lead to high-percentage shots.   What's Next?   The Hawks would gear up for its next contest with White Knoll the following day. As for Williston-Elko , it would get the winner of the consolation bracket matchup between Pelion and Ridge Spring-Monetta which occurred that same day.    Hunter-Kinard-Tyler vs. Allendale-Fairfax   How the next to last girls game of the day came about also was because of a result in an earlier game that day.    That earlier result was when Hunter-Kinard-Tyler earned the victory over Ridge Spring-Monetta. That earned them a date with Allendale-Fairfax – a team that has once again been among the stories of 1A girls basketball this season in the Palmetto State. Coming into Wednesday's play, the Tigers were undefeated.    Would that last through Wednesday? The answer was yes as the Tigers pulled off an emphatic 55-31 win to dispatch of the Trojans.    Quarter-By-Quarter   Simply put, the first quarter was all Allendale-Fairfax, all the time. Those eight minutes painted a picture of a Hunter-Kinard-Tyler assembling that was simply outmatched by the Tigers. Allendale-Fairfax pitched a near-shutout in the first quarter as they amassed 22 points.   The Trojans had a bit more success with finding the basket in the second quarter, but it was nowhere near enough to match what the Tigers had already accomplished. It was Allendale-Fairfax 31, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 10 at the break.   With three in the books, it became apparent that an Allendale-Fairfax victory was all but assured. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler was finding out the hard way that Ridge Spring-Monetta and the Tigers were night and day. It was 51-22 Allendale-Fairfax with three complete.    With the point margin being so much between the two teams, the final frame featured a continuously running clock. When that continuously turning clock had expired, Allendale-Fairfax was in the win column once again.    Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7142.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828659" style="width:460px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='171804' first='Trinity' last='Mickell']'s evening concluded with a 19-point performance. Since the Tigers had built up such a big lead, she had plenty of time to rest on the bench. Who knows how many she would have had without that bench time.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7145.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828660" style="width:453px;height:auto" /></figure>   A pair of 10-point scorers also aided the dominant Allendale-Fairfax performance. One was No. 1 – Zion Jones who is a senior guard. One of the many strong areas of her game is her ability as a rim attacker.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7147.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828661" style="width:452px;height:auto" /></figure>   The other was MiCayah Carter who is playing in her sophomore season. Carter possesses more experience than the typical sophomore given that she played at the varsity level when she was a seventh grader.   What's Next?   The win for Allendale-Fairfax meant that they would get the winner of Denmark-Olar vs. Edisto – which turned out to be the Vikings. As for Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, they would face the winner of the consolation matchup between Swansea and Edisto the following day.    Edisto vs. Denmark-Olar   The final girls game of the day featured a team that has been among the class of the 1A field and recent years – and looks to still be there.    Denmark-Olar, of course, has been 1A runners-up the last couple of seasons. The Vikings entered Wednesday's play with a record of 6-2 with the lone blemishes coming against Greer and Gray Collegiate – both at the She Got Next Thanksgiving Tournament at White Knoll. The Vikings, as expected, ran the table at last year's Blackville-Hilda Invitational with wins over Edisto, Swansea and Barnwell.    As for the Cougars, they finished with a mark of 1-17. What was significant was the only Edisto victory of last season happened at the Blackville-Hilda Hawk Invitational – a 58-18 victory over Ridge Spring-Monetta. Edisto also suffered a defeat to Swansea.    Would things change or would they stay the same? They remained the same as the Vikings earned another victory over the Cougars with the final being 55-27.    Quarter-By-Quarter   The first few minutes of the first quarter were probably a surprise to not many – a dominant performance by the Vikings. The closing moments probably were as the Cougars showed signs of life. Denmark-Olar's lead over Edisto was only four – 13-9 – with one in the books.    As the second quarter elapsed, both Edisto and Denmark-Olar were having their fair share of problems putting the ball through the basket. It seemed as if another low-scoring contest was in the works as the Vikings went into halftime with a 22-12 cushion.    In the third quarter, Denmark-Olar began to look like the Denmark-Olar we have become accustomed to as of late. The Vikings outscored the Cougars by a margin of 20-6 and took a comfortable 42-18 lead into the fourth.   That comfortable lead would persist for the final eight minutes of the game. What appeared to be a competitive contest was anything but in the second half as the Vikings cruised to yet another victory.   Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7171.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828662" style="width:447px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='843531' first='Joy' last='Johnson'] saw plenty of court time off the bench. Johnson was Denmark-Olar's leading scorer with a 19-point effort. Among the many things she did well was display accuracy from behind the 3-point arc.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7167.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828663" style="width:440px;height:auto" /></figure>   As is commonly the case with Vikings contests, [player_tooltip player_id='175345' first='Aveion' last='Walker'] had no problems getting hers. The Denmark-Olar veteran concluded her evening with 13 points – and once again made plenty of plays near the rim.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7174.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828664" style="width:440px;height:auto" /></figure>   A seventh grader was another reason why the Vikings turned in another one-sided performance. That seventh grader was Amuria Wright who was part of Denmark-Olar's starting five. She finished with nine points.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_7165-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-828665" style="width:435px;height:auto" /></figure>   Here may be a name to watch when viewing future Cougars contests. Ashanti Johnson – a sophomore - finished with eight points. Johnson successfully gave Edisto a much-needed boost off their bench.   What's Next?   Denmark-Olar's next time on the court would be the following day against Allendale-Fairfax. Edisto's next time on the court would be against Swansea.

The midseason tournament portion of the 2023-24 schedule has almost concluded, but after the Christmas break, teams across the state are getting one more tune-up prior to the start of region play in January.