SCHSL Playoffs: 1A First Round Recaps

Around this time of year, high school basketball fans across South Carolina begin peering at what this year's tournament brackets will resemble – and where their teams will start the playoffs if they do indeed qualify.    Two of the teams that qualified for this year's 1A tournament were Hunter-Kinard-Tyler and Christ Church. The Trojans finished second in its region only behind the runners-up from the last two state tournaments – Denmark-Olar.    As for the Cavaliers, they finished 4-4 in its region but had some close near misses against St. Joseph's Catholic and Southside Christian which finished above Christ Church in the 4-A standings.    One would probably consider Hunter-Kinard-Tyler the favorite going into this contest given the Trojans had only lost one game at home all season – and that was to Denmark-Olar. Christ Church entered Tuesday's playoff get-together having gone 3-7 on the road.    So much for regular season records. The Cavaliers began this year's 1A playoffs with an emphatic 73-36 win over Hunter-Kinard-Tyler.    Remember What Happened Last Time?   Tuesday's contest was actually a rematch of a first round matchup from last year's tournament. That game went the way of Christ Church in an emphatic 57-21 decision.    Quarter-By-Quarter   Christ Church opened Tuesday's contest with a smothering defensive effort that made things difficult for homestanding Hunter-Kinard-Tyler. The Cavaliers also blew plenty of layups that may have made things more lopsided in the beginning. With one complete, the Cavaliers had a 19-11 lead over the Trojans.    Another reason why the Cavs managed to build such a big lead on the Trojans was their accuracy in the offensive rebounding game. As halftime commenced, Christ Church's lead was 35-23.   The game really ceased being much of a contest in the third quarter as the Cavaliers outscored the Trojans by a margin of 23-9. Round number two of this year's 1A tournament was well within sights for Christ Church after three frames.   At this point, it was not a matter of if the Cavaliers would win but what the final point margin would be. Christ Church would advance to the second round against McCormick who earned a 43-15 victory over Great Falls.   Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_1168.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-854946" style="width:479px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='173132' first='Alexandria' last='Bennon'] (1A Girls SCBCA All-State honoree) established herself as a distributor of the ball early on before concluding her evening with 20 points. Efficient ball handling skills, driving through defenses and draining 3-pointers are among the strong points of the veteran's game.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_1161.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-854960" style="width:485px;height:auto" /></figure>   Speaking of veterans, another was instrumental in what the Cavaliers got accomplished on Tuesday night. That was junior Caroline Johnson. She added 14 points to Christ Church's output – including three 3-pointers.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_1163-3.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-854962" style="width:491px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Cavaliers' bench joined in also on the points parade. [player_tooltip player_id='1229363' first='Saddler' last='Fox'] is one of the five freshmen currently on Christ Church's roster. She contributed 13 points to the Cavaliers' cause – mostly from near the basket.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_1161_4c3eae.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-854964" style="width:486px;height:auto" /></figure>   Another of those freshmen was Ryan Hunt who finished with 10 points. Hunt also added scoring depth for the Cavaliers off the bench. She is listed at an even six feet on Christ Church's 12-player roster.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_1078-crop-2236x1469-1707930898.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-854980" style="width:548px;height:auto" /></figure>   Junior guard Tilayzia Youmans (1A Girls SCBCA All-State honoree) would lead all Hunter-Kinard-Tyler point-getters as she placed 12 on the board. These included a pair of 3-pointers and she was particularly effective with getting the rim and attacking the basket through defenders.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_1124-crop-2249x1477-1707931005.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-854984" style="width:549px;height:auto" /></figure>   Hunter-Kinard-Tyler also benefitted from the 11 points that [player_tooltip player_id='1177232' first='Akeira' last='Blue'] placed on the scoreboard. She found plenty of success from behind the 3-point line as she drained three of her tries from downtown.   What's Next?   Christ Church moves on to play McCormick in the second round. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler's season ends with a 17-6 record (11-3 in region).    Reclassification   When Hunter-Kinard-Tyler takes to the court next season, it will still be as an Upper State 1A team in Region 3-A.    Other 1A Scores   St. Joseph's def. Calhoun County 49-14 ([player_tooltip player_id='831267' first='Evie' last='Adams'] 15 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='380650' first='Tiffany' last='Helmer'] 14 pts)   McBee def. Dixie 49-22   Lewisville def. Ware Shoals 39-14   Southside Christian def. Williston-Elko 50-33   Denmark-Olar def. High Point 64-32   C.A. Johnson def. Calhoun Falls Charter 44-30   Carvers Bay def. St. John's 56-27   Bamberg-Ehrhardt def. Green Sea Floyds 56-15   Lake View def. Whale Branch 73-13   Burke def. Scott's Branch 59-28   Allendale-Fairfax def. Lamar 44-28   East Clarendon def. Cross 61-52   Military Magnet def. Johnsonville 109-11   Latta def. Bethune-Bowman 53-46

Around this time of year, high school basketball fans across South Carolina begin peering at what this year's tournament brackets will resemble – and where their teams will start the playoffs if they do indeed qualify.