GRAD Athletics Thanksgiving Classic: Top 6 Performers

Heathwood Hall is typically one of the focal points for girls high school basketball across the Palmetto State. For 12 teams, it represented an opportunity to begin the 2024-25 season on the right pair of sneakers.    Along with the host Highlanders (back-to-back defending SCISA 4A champions), Dutch Fork, Aiken, Hammond, Providence Athletic Club, Cardinal Newman, Richland Northeast, Gilbert, Orangeburg Prep, Northside Christian and Bamberg-Ehrhardt also took part.    We at Prep Girls Hoops made the trip to Heathwood Hall for the second day of the Thanksgiving Classic. Without further ado, here are those who caught our attention from the games we saw.     Sapp proved last season as an eighth grader that she was more than ready for high school basketball. She continued to display that as her 4A Aiken assembling closed out the GRAD Athletics Thanksgiving Classic with an emphatic 61-40 victory over SCISA 4A Hammond. Sapp would lead all point-getters with 16. Sapp displays an ability to score on all three levels. The young 5-foot-8 standout exerts plenty of energy on both ends of the floor. Sapp is an efficient rebounder and the problems she can cause opposing ball handlers on defense will enable her to collect plenty of steals and create additional possessions for her team. Sapp is also versatile with her ability to play either in the backcourt as a one or in the frontcourt as a three.     Seeing Tifre in Northside Christian red instead of 5A River Bluff green may yield some choice words from Gators fans. But Tifre is indeed part of a dangerous SCISA 4A Crusaders nucleus that looks to pose a real threat to Heathwood Hall for this year's state crown. The Crusaders have began the 2024-25 season at 4-0 and one of those victories came to win the Blue Division at the GRAD Athletics Thanksgiving Classic. Northside Christian routed Bamberg-Ehrhardt by a final score of 59-23 and the interior presence of Tifre led the charge as she tallied 17 points. One must look out for Tifre on the glass as well as she is a potent rebounder.     Hammond had a rough go of things at the GRAD Athletics Thanksgiving Classic as the Skyhawks were on the receiving end of blowout losses to 5A Dutch Fork and 4A Aiken. Inman still proved herself to be a bright spot for the SCISA 4A team. She led all Skyhawks point-getters with 12 points to key its efforts on Tuesday afternoon against the Green Hornets. What made her performance all the more remarkable was that she did not play that many minutes – particularly in the second half. Inman is as every bit as long as she is tall and that length can be a major help particularly on defense when looking to clog an opponent's passing lanes. Offensively, Inman can make things happen either near the basket or behind the 3-point line.     If Brown's name has not made the rounds when talking star veteran guards across the Palmetto State, those are conversations that deserve a thumbs down. Brown's 4A Richland Northeast squad has experienced plenty of success recently at Heathwood Hall early season tournaments. The Cavaliers won this year's Green Division after a 52-36 victory over SCISA 3A Orangeburg Prep. She tallied 16 points. The 5-foot veteran guard uses her speed and quickness to her advantage and can attack the rim even amongst a sea of opposing defenders. Brown can also deliver from behind the 3-point arc and is a skilled transition playmaker.     After a 2-0 start to the season with a win over Wilson Hall and one vs. Gilbert (at the GRAD Athletics Thanksgiving Classic), SCISA 3A Orangeburg Prep was dealt its first loss of the season at the hands of 4A Richland Northeast. The final result may have been 52-36, but Yonce still turned in an impressive performance for her team. She led all Orangeburg Prep scorers with 10 points. Yonce is a double-double threat on a consistent basis given she is every bit as potent a rebounder as she is a scorer. Her athletic career over the years has also seen her excel as a volleyball and as a softball player. She primarily plays at the four and has no problems utilizing her height to her advantage to create matchup problems.     While Moye's Cardinals had a rough go of things to begin the GRAD Athletics Thanksgiving Classic via a loss to 4A Richland Northeast, her Cardinal Newman team bounced back with a victory over another 4A opponent. That was Gilbert and a highly competitive contest resulted in a 48-45 victory for the Cardinals. Moye scored 11 points in that win over Gilbert. Even in the double-digit defeat to the Cavaliers, Moye still led her team with 18 points. The junior standout first gained experience at the varsity level when she was an eighth grader and has shown improvement in a number of areas of her game since.

Heathwood Hall is typically one of the focal points for girls high school basketball across the Palmetto State. For 12 teams, it represented an opportunity to begin the 2024-25 season on the right pair of sneakers.