SCISA 2A Quarterfinals: Monday’s Recaps
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This past Friday, the first round of this year’s SCISA 2A tournament occurred with games being split between the Sumter Civic Center, Wilson Hall and Cathedral Academy. Four teams earned automatic byes to the quarterfinals with eight other teams vying…
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Continue ReadingThis past Friday, the first round of this year’s SCISA 2A tournament occurred with games being split between the Sumter Civic Center, Wilson Hall and Cathedral Academy.
Four teams earned automatic byes to the quarterfinals with eight other teams vying for spots in said quarterfinals. This past Monday, the scene shifted as three of the four quarterfinal matchups emanated from Northwood Academy – a school whose own program is vying for the 4A crown this year.
The lone matchup that was at another site was the one between Clarendon Hall and King’s Academy. Clarendon Hall earned a victory over Dillon Christian to claim its berth in the quarterfinals.
We at Prep Girls Hoops were on site at Northwood Academy for Monday’s festivities. Here is our recap of what took place at the home court of the Chargers.
Dorchester Academy vs. Colleton Prep
The first contest on the schedule at Northwood Academy included a team who is completing its second season as a 2A participant and one who has been in the 2A ranks for some years.
The Raiders of Dorchester Academy began this year’s tournament as a three seed and earned a victory over Thomas Heyward to claim its berth in the quarterfinals.
Even though the War Hawks closed out their regular season by losing three of its last four games (all against tough opponents in Cross Schools, Orangeburg Prep and Patrick Henry Academy), Colleton Prep still managed to earn a bye to the quarterfinals.
This one went the way of Dorchester Academy as the Raiders advanced to the 2A semifinals via a 46-31 win over the War Hawks.
Remember What Happened Last Time?
These two teams actually met once last month with the Raiders prevailing over the War Hawks by a margin of 46-32 at Dorchester Academy
Quarter-By-Quarter
Monday afternoon’s opening number had virtually everything one would want out of a tournament contest – most importantly, two evenly matched assemblings. With one quarter complete, Dorchester Academy and Colleton Prep were all knotted up at 11.
That theme of the Raiders and War Hawks being evenly matched continued into the second quarter. As both teams discussed second half strategy at the break, Colleton Prep had the slimmest of leads over Dorchester Academy – 18-17.
Improved fortunes for the Raiders in the third period led to an expanded advantage. Dorchester Academy’s defense held Colleton Prep to only five points that stanza. Eight minutes remained to determine a berth in the 2A semifinals with the Raiders in the driver’s seat by virtue of its 33-21 edge.
And in those eight minutes, Dorchester Academy proved to be successful in holding off their adversaries from Colleton Prep. The Raiders would clinch what would be the first of four berths to this year’s SCISA 2A semifinals.
Primetime Performers
Dorchester Academy brought a healthy contingent of fans with them to Northwood Academy. Thanks to the 14 points of senior Paige Shelton, those fans departed the home of the Chargers with smiles on their faces.
Another reason why those fans went home happy was because of another 14-point performance from another senior. That 2024 was Krystal Judy who also plays softball to go alongside her basketball accomplishments.
Anne Hatcher White, a junior, finished her afternoon having tallied 13 points. Along with playing effective basketball near the rim, she also managed to draw contact and get to the free throw line on plenty of occasions.
Up Next…
Dorchester Academy will match up against Clarendon Hall in the semifinals. The Saints earned a 42-36 win vs. King’s Academy at Wilson Hall.
Beaufort Academy vs. Cathedral Academy
The next two teams that took to the court at Northwood Academy have certainly encountered their fair share of success in recent seasons.
That may not have necessarily been the case for this season’s rendition of the Eagles as Beaufort Academy has yet to reach double-digit victories for the first time since 2015-16. A berth in the quarterfinals is still a berth in the quarterfinals and the Eagles prevailed over Andrew Jackson Academy to claim its spot in the second round.
Cathedral Academy, of course, is the team to beat given they are the defending 2A champions. The Generals concluded the 2023-24 regular season with a 19-6 record and earned an automatic bye to the quarterfinals.
Would the Generals continue its defense of its 2A crown from last season? The answer was yes as Cathedral Academy defeated Beaufort Academy with the scoreboard reading 50-33 at the final buzzer.
Remember What Happened Last Time?
These two teams met on Christmas Day earlier this season. Cathedral Academy placed a lump of coal in Beaufort Academy’s stocking in the form of a 68-33 rout of the Eagles by the Generals.
Quarter-By-Quarter
Cathedral Academy did indeed resemble defending 2A champions in the first quarter as the Generals held Beaufort Academy to only one field goal in the first quarter. With one in the books, the Generals’ lead over the Eagles was 10-3.
The second quarter painted a picture that another rout could be on the horizon. How could a team’s defense outdo a first quarter where it held its opponent to one field goal? By holding it to no field goals until under a minute remained in the second quarter. At the half, Cathedral Academy’s lead over Beaufort Academy as 23-7.
The Eagles managed to draw a bit closer to the Generals in the third quarter as Beaufort Academy outscored Cathedral Academy by a margin of 10-5 throughout those eight minutes. Speaking of eight minutes, that was all that remained between one of those teams and a 2A semifinal berth as the Generals had a lead of 28-17.
Cathedral Academy followed up what was a lackluster third quarter with a stellar showing in the fourth quarter as they tallied 22 points for their best offensive showing of the four periods. When the final buzzer sounded, the Generals knew it would continue on in its defense of its state crown.
Primetime Performers
With 20 points, Claire Griffin Claire Griffin 5'8" | SF Cathedral Academy | 2024 State SC led the charge for Cathedral Academy. Griffin displayed how adept she is with handling the ball in traffic and drew contact on several occasions to get to the free throw line.
Julie DeSouza added 11 points to the Generals’ victorious total. A grand total of only two 3-pointers were made between the two teams. DeSouza was responsible for one of those successful triples.
Speaking of seniors, one of those for the Eagles concluded her career with an individual exclamation point even if her team was placed in the loss column. That 2024 was Kamirah Freeman Kamirah Freeman 5'0" | PG Beaufort Academy | 2024 State SC who had 20 of her team’s 33 points.
Up Next…
Cathedral Academy’s win meant it would await its opponent in the semifinals slated to take place Thursday at Wilson Hall. The final game on the docket at Northwood Academy would determine the Patriots’ adversary.
St. John’s Christian vs. Patrick Henry Academy
As was the case with the first two games, the final contest also featured a pair of teams from the Lowcountry.
Patrick Henry Academy has been among the winningest SCISA programs if one is looking at recent history. The Patriots still concluded its 2023-24 season with a winning record, but with 11 wins as opposed to the 19 Patrick Henry Academy posted three of the last four seasons.
As for St. John’s Christian, the Cavaliers are back in the SCISA playoffs for the first time since 2021-22 when they finished that campaign with a 19-10 record. The Cavs played as a SCISA 1A team that year.
The final victory of the day’s play at Northwood Academy would be the Patriots, prevailing over the Cavaliers with the final score being an entertaining 48-45.
Remember What Happened Last Time?
In late January of 2022, the Patriots defeated the Cavaliers via rout. It was a 68-38 decision at its very old school-looking home court.
Quarter-By-Quarter
The first point of the game would not be scored until over five minutes remained in the first quarter – a St. John’s Christian free throw. Patrick Henry then lit up the scoreboard aplenty in the frame’s closing minutes. With one in the books, the Patriots built a 14-2 lead on the Cavaliers.
An improved defensive stand from the Cavs neutralized the Patriots offense for a good portion of the second quarter and St. John’s Christian trimmed its deficit to five (14-9) at one point that frame. Patrick Henry Academy would bring a 18-11 lead into the half.
The Patriots tightened up its defense and it allowed them to widen the gap between themselves and the Cavaliers in the third quarter. Three-quarters of the way home saw Patrick Henry Academy lead St. John’s Christian by a margin of 33-18.
Quarter number four would see a furious St. John’s Christian rally that even saw the Cavaliers have a brief 45-44 lead late. But Patrick Henry Academy managed to make important free throws late to hold on to a victory in what was the best game of the day.
Primetime Performers
Saquoia Sexton, the team’s sophomore big, made a huge difference with 16 points. Sexton understands the art of playing on contact in the interior and will have no problems taking her opportunities at the free throw line.
A pair of 10-point scorers were also key for the Patriots to claim what was a close victory. Both were juniors. One of them is Lillian Lucas who is a multi-sport athlete as she also plays soccer and volleyball.
The other was Laney Futch. As is the case with Lucas, Futch also is a multi-sport athlete whose sports plate includes varsity soccer and varsity volleyball. She is as every bit as effective a rebounder and defender as she is a scorer.
While St. John’s Christian may have come up a bit short in its try for a win, Kylie Finley did everything she could – and then some – to get her Cavaliers in the win column. The star sophomore finished with a game-high 31 points.
Up Next…
The Patriots’ victory sets up a Thursday contest at Wilson Hall between Patrick Henry Academy and Cathedral Academy.
So Long, Seniors
Taylor Douet and Anna Full are among the seniors that will graduate at St. John’s Christian.