She Got Next Christmas Classic: Morning & Early Afternoon
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Following the exciting She Got Next Thanksgiving event that occurred in the Midlands at White Knoll HS, the second of this year’s three marquee A1 Hoops Report gatherings is taking its act near its base in Greenville. A pair of…
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Continue ReadingFollowing the exciting She Got Next Thanksgiving event that occurred in the Midlands at White Knoll HS, the second of this year’s three marquee A1 Hoops Report gatherings is taking its act near its base in Greenville.
A pair of 5A schools in J.L. Mann HS and Mauldin HS served as sites for this year’s She Got Next Christmas tournament. It was fitting that these schools are hosting a major girls basketball event given both the Patriots and Mavericks are looking like teams to beat among this year’s 5A field.
We at Prep Girls Hoops also made the drive up Interstate 26 for the day of festivities at the Patriots home court. Here is a recap of the morning and early afternoon contests that emanated from J.L. Mann.
Greenwood vs. Gaffney
The She Got Next Christmas Tournament wasted no time getting to business with its 14-game schedule. One of those featured a pair of teams from the West Bracket.
While Gaffney was not part of last season’s She Got Next Christmas festivities, the Eagles were. Greenwood opened last season’s tournament by being sent to the consolation bracket by Mauldin, then losing to Greer before defeating White Knoll.
Gaffney came into this season’s She Got Next Christmas tournament at 4-3 while Greenwood has been one of the early stories of the season. The Eagles have began the season at 11-0 and have already bested their 10-win showing from last season.
The first winner of this season’s She Got Next Christmas event was the Eagles who defeated Gaffney with the final being 45-33.
What Happened Last Time?
Gaffney and Greenwood last got together in 2021. In December of that year, Gaffney pulled off a 61-50 victory to dispatch of Greenwood.
Quarter-By-Quarter
Things began in auspicious fashion for Gaffney as they had a lead of 7-2 at one point in the first quarter prior to a 6-0 Greenwood to close the opening frame. Through one, the Eagles had an 8-7 advantage.
Greenwood looked to carry that momentum from the end of the first quarter into the second period. The Eagles outscored Gaffney by a margin of 15-9 in the ensuing frame. At half, the battle of the G’s was going 23-16 in Greenwood’s favor.
One could color the opening moments of the third stanza in Eagles black and gold. Greenwood embarked on a 10-2 run to begin the frame, prompting a Gaffney timeout. The Eagles would take a 35-24 edge into the fourth quarter.
The free throw line appeared to be a sixth woman for Greenwood in the fourth quarter – and the clock appeared to be a seventh. When the clock hit the triple zeroes on the first contest at J.L. Mann, it was a win for the Eagles.
Primetime Performers
With 17 points, Ty Johnson Ty Johnson 5'9" | SF Greenwood | 2026 State SC led all scorers. While she typically plays as a small forward, she made a number of cuts to the rim off feeds from her guards that caused problems for the Gaffney defense.
If looking to defeat Greenwood – which no team has done as of this writing – one has to keep Cameron Oliver Cameron Oliver 5'5" | PG Greenwood Highschool | 2026 State SC in check. She finished with 12 points and did a great deal of her damage from the free throw line.
With 11 points, Danielle Oliver Danielle Oliver 5'6" | PG Greenwood | 2026 State SC also greatly aided the Eagles’ efforts. She is listed at 5-foot-4 and, as is the case with Cameron, will operate primarily as either a one or two guard. She too also scored nearly half of her points from the free throw line.
A pair of nine-point scorers keyed the efforts for Gaffney. The first was Shiriah Harris Shiriah Harris 5'10" | PF Gaffney | 2026 State SC , a 5-foot-10 forward who is a 2026. Out of the nine points she did score, seven of those occurred in the first half.
Izzabella Sarratt Izzabella Sarratt 5'8" | CG Gaffney | 2025 SC also finished with a nine-point effort. A midrange jump shot is part of her overall offensive arsenal and she also has no problems attacking the rim. Free throw shooting is another one of her strong areas.
What’s Next?
The Eagles would match up against the winner of the other West Bracket contest between Daniel and First Baptist – which was won by the Hurricanes. Gaffney would await the Lions in the consolation bracket.
Goose Creek vs. Wade Hampton
Following Gaffney and Greenwood taking the court, the 4A vs. 5A theme continued with the next contest on the schedule.
Entering Friday’s play, the Generals and Gators both had identical 6-5 records. Neither team was part of last season’s She Got Next Christmas proceedings, but were placed in the South Bracket alongside 5A T.L. Hanna and 1A Carvers Bay. The Yellow Jackets and Bears would do battle later in the day at Mauldin.
On paper, this game would be favorable to Wade Hampton given the added travel factor for Goose Creek. This matchup would go the way of the Generals as they earned the first South Bracket victory of the day – a thrilling 62-58 overtime triumph over the Gators.
What Happened Last Time?
It was 2017 when the Generals and Gators last met. That was in March at the 5A state championship game that year when Goose Creek prevailed by a margin of 54-34 over Wade Hampton.
Quarter-By-Quarter
Even though Wade Hampton threw an early surge at Goose Creek, the Gators managed to weather that storm and stay within striking distance. With one quarter in the books, the Generals had a 17-14 lead on the Gators.
Goose Creek applied a great deal of defensive pressure on Wade Hampton in the ensuing eight minutes – and it led to the Gators offense finding a groove. With two in the books, it was Gators 32, Generals 29.
The evenly matched nature of this contest continued into the third quarter with both Goose Creek and Wade Hampton tallying 12 points apiece. With one frame remaining, the Gators’ lead over the Generals was still three – 44-41.
Midway through the fourth, it appeared the Gators may have been closing in on a victory before a late run by the Generals capped by a buzzer-beating layup would mean four minutes of free basketball. Goose Creek and Wade Hampton were all knotted up at 53 with regulation in the books.
Overtime periods come down to which team makes more plays through the four minutes. Wade Hampton made more of the plays and, as a result, completed its comeback for the 62-58 win over Goose Creek.
Primetime Performers
Leading everyone in the scoring department was Reagan Buff Reagan Buff 5'7" | PG Wade Hampton | 2026 State SC . The Generals’ star sophomore concluded her afternoon with 29 points. Among those 29 were six successful tries from behind the arc.
Quinasia Abercrombie Quinasia Abercrombie 5'9" | SF Wade Hampton | 2024 State SC played the role of closer for Wade Hampton. She finished with 23 points – including nine in the first quarter. Abercrombie made the buzzer-beating layup that sent the contest to overtime and drained two free throws to make it a two-possession contest late in overtime.
Aiyanna Moses Aiyanna Moses 5'2" | PG Goose Creek | 2026 State SC led the scoring efforts for Goose Creek with a 13-point effort. She plays typically at the one. Among the strong areas of her game are ball handling and drawing contact to get to the free throw line.
Adding depth off the bench for the Gators was a seventh grader. Madeline Dates Madeline Dates 5'2" | PG Sedgefield M.S. / Goose Creek | 2029 SC concluded her game with a 12-point performance. Included in Dates’ outing were a pair of successful 3-pointers. She is listed at 5-foot-5 on the Goose Creek roster.
With 10 pints, Saniya Sanders Saniya Sanders 5'5" | PG Goose Creek | 2025 State SC also gave a boost to what was a potent Gators attack. Sanders is one of four juniors Goose Creek has as part of its 2023-24 rendition. She also had a pair of 3-pointers – two of the eight the Gators had for the game.
What’s Next?
Wade Hampton’s win meant they would await the victor of the other South Bracket contest between T.L. Hanna and Carvers Bay – a contest that went the way of the Yellow Jackets. The Gators would be sent to the consolation bracket alongside the Bears.
Military Magnet vs. Boiling Springs
The She Got Next Thanksgiving Tournament featured three matchups between defending state champions – Camden (3A) vs. North Augusta (4A), Camden vs. Heathwood Hall (SCISA 4A) and North Augusta vs. Military Magnet (1A).
Games involving Gray Collegiate (defending 2A champions) and Mauldin (defending 5A champions) were also featured.
One of those champions made the trip up I-26 to J.L. Mann HS as the Eagles prepared to play the first of two games that day. The first opponent was 5A Boiling Springs.
Last season at the Thanksgiving Tournament, Military Magnet suffered a pair of losses – to South Pointe and Keenan. This year, at the same tournament, the Eagles were defeated by Heathwood Hall but defeated North Augusta. Gray Collegiate and Military Magnet were placed in the East Bracket along with Pickens and co-host J.L. Mann.
The Bulldogs were not part of last season’s She Got Next events, but have reeled off five victories so far this season. Only two more and Boiling Springs will match its total from last season.
This one would go the way of Military Magnet with the final being 63-40 over Boiling Springs.
Quarter-By-Quarter
If the first quarter was any indication, it appeared that this one between the Eagles and Bulldogs would come down to the wire. Early on, Military Magnet would lead – as is the case in many of the Eagles’ contests – but it was only a six-point, 16-10 edge over Boiling Springs.
That drastically changed in the second quarter as it was virtually all Eagles, all the time. Military Magnet scored the first 18 points of the game before that run was snapped by a Boiling Springs 3-pointer. At the half, the Eagles were in command by a margin of 38-16.
While the Bulldogs did display a few more signs of life in the third quarter, there was still too much distance between them and Military Magnet. With one quarter remaining, Military Magnet’s lead was 50-29.
Given the gap that was between the two teams, it became a matter of what the final margin of the Eagles victory would be. The answer to that question would be 23 as Military Magnet was victorious in its first of two contests that day.
Primetime Performers
Dream Watson Dream Watson 5'3" | PG Military Magnet | 2025 State SC had herself another Dream Watson Dream Watson 5'3" | PG Military Magnet | 2025 State SC -type game as she led all point-getters for the Eagles with a 20-point outing. She is particularly tough to contend with when she attacks the rim and on the defensive end of the floor.
Contributing 16 points to the Eagles’ cause was Sabri Mitchell Sabri Mitchell 5'9" | SF Military Magnet Academy | 2025 State SC . All of her scores were of the two-point variety and 5-foot-10 frame particularly makes her effective in terms of scoring and rebounding.
Another Eagles offensive onslaught featured Jada Davis Jada Davis 5'6" | CG Military Magnet | 2025 SC as a key catalyst. The Military Magnet junior 10 points to her team’s total. Her showing on the offensive end included a pair of made 3-pointers – two of the four the team made.
The bright spot for the Bulldogs was Sarah Ezell Sarah Ezell 6'1" | SF Boiling Springs | 2024 State SC . One of three team captains listed on the Boiling Springs roster, she led all point-getters with 23. While she possesses the height of a three, four or five, Ezell also displays the handles of a guard.
Cardinal Newman vs. Berkeley
A Midlands SCISA 4A combatant vs. a Lowcountry SCHSL 5A assembling was next on the docket for the day at J.L. Mann.
The Cardinals have already had an improved 2023-24 from their rebuilding season last year where they won only one game – at the expense of Northside Christian. Cardinal Newman had a tough time at last season’s She Got Next Christmas Tournament, suffering losses to Woodland, High Point Academy and St. Joseph’s Catholic. The defeat to the Knights was only a seven-point decision.
Meanwhile, Berkeley is closing in on besting their 11-win total from last season. The Stags have began the 2023-24 season with an 8-1 mark going into Friday’s play with their lone blemish on their schedule coming against another Lowcountry 5A squad in Ashley Ridge. The Stags were not part of last season’s She Got Next Christmas Tournament.
Cardinal Newman and Berkeley were part of the North Bracket alongside a pair of SCHSL 4A schools in Bluffton and Greer – who would meet later on in the day. The first North Bracket victor would be the Stags as they defeated the Cardinals by a final of 69-40 to run their record to 9-1.
Quarter-By-Quarter
Cardinal Newman managed to score the first pair of points of the first quarter. Berkeley tallied much more. With one stanza in the books, the Stags established a 14-4 advantage over the Cardinals.
That edge grew slightly to 15 in the second frame as the two teams would put together a more evenly matched second period. As both teams went into their respective locker rooms for halftime, the Stags’ lead over the Cardinals was 35-20.
The Stags’ advantage only grew slightly in the third frame, but time was becoming a sixth woman for Berkeley given the size of its lead. With eight minutes left to play, the Stags lead over the Cardinals was 51-34.
At this point, it was not a matter of if the Stags would win but how big the margin of victory would be for Berkeley. That final Berkeley margin of victory would be 29 with the final score being 69-40.
Primetime Peformers
Underclassmen were the story for Berkeley on Friday afternoon. One of them was freshman big Imani Levey Imani Levey 5'10" | C Berkeley | 2027 State SC who led all Stags scorers with 20 points. Levey is listed at 5-foot-11 on the Stags roster and plays at either the four or the five.
An eighth grader – Alaina Carter Alaina Carter 5'5" | PG Berkeley | 2028 SC – was also an integral element of the Stags’ plan for victory against the Cardinals. She finished with 15 points. Carter is 5-foot-5 and plays at either of the two guard positions.
Another guard – Amani McCray Amani McCray 5'7" | SF Berkeley | 2027 State SC – contributed nine points to the cause for Berkeley. McCray is the only other freshman on the team other than Levey. With what the Stags have already accomplished this season, they may be putting the rest of the 5A field on notice.
Berkeley may have been too much for Cardinal Newman as a team, but Teonna Draughn Teonna Draughn 5'5" | PG Cardinal Newman | 2026 State SC appeared to be too much for the Stags by herself. She led all Cardinals scorers with a 20-point performance.
What’s Next?
The Stags headed to the winner’s bracket where they met Bluffton by virtue of its 48-46 win over Greer later in the day.