Craze Sports Live Thanksgiving Showcase: Top 6 Performers

One of the many focal points of the early portions of the high school sports season was Indian Land near the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.    That was because the home court of the 5A Warriors hosted the Craze Sports Live Thanksgiving Showcase that hosted teams from a number of states. Along with both Carolinas being well-represented, Georgia also brought a strong contingency to the Charlotte area.    We at Prep Girls Hoops also made the trip as well. Without any further adieu, here are a few of the standout performances from Saturday's play that deserved its fair share of recognition.     Games such as Saturday's against Georgia-based 6A Grovetown continue to display why Schindler is a Division I prospect with a bevy of offers on the table. Schindler led Marvin Ridge's efforts against the Warriors en route to a dominant 73-38 victory over Grovetown. The six-foot junior guard scored 19 points and her scoring was roughly evenly distributed over the two halves with nine in the first half and 10 in the second. Rain must have been in the forecast for Indian Land HS. Schindler drained three of the 13 triples that overwhelmed the Grovetown defense. She is a two-sport athlete who also excels at softball.      Seeing Alexander in a Legion Collegiate uniform may take a bit of getting used to but Lancers fans have already happily adjusted. There were plenty of them at Indian Land to see their team take on Winston Salem Christian. And even though the Lancers were on the losing end of the contest to the Lions, Alexander led the team's efforts with 15 points. At this point, it is certainly understood what she can do in the paint as a scorer and rebounder. Alexander also displayed a willingness to handle the ball as if she were a one or a two, play behind the perimeter and attack defender knowing there is a chance she will draw contact to go to the free throw line. She also showcased how tough she is as she fell to the floor on numerous occasions after that contact was had.     Prior to the start of the season, we got a commitment announcement from Winston Salem Christian's star guard. Grier will be playing her collegiate basketball with Boston College in the ACC. Grier resembled a Division I prospect on Saturday when her Winston Salem Christian team matched up against South Carolina-based Legion Collegiate. Grier tallied 27 points to lead all scorers. The Lancers defense had no answers for Grier's ability to attack the rim and there was also little it could do about Grier's accuracy from behind the 3-point line. Speed, quickness and transition basketball are other reasons that made her appear on Boston College's radar.      Back during the summer, King announced her commitment to Mars Hill. Games such as the one she had against 3A West Charlotte solidify why she was on Mars Hill's radar. King finished with 16 points which led [program_tooltip program_id='713552' first='1' last='of 1'] Prep to a dominant 67-26 victory over the Lions. A product of the venerable [program_tooltip program_id='713558' first='Lady' last='Attack Elite'] AAU program, 3-point shooting has been an element of her game that has been well-developed over the years. King connected on three of the team's 11 triples in the win over West Charlotte. She is listed at 5-foot-11 on [program_tooltip program_id='713552' first='1' last='of 1'] Prep's roster and also shares team captaincy duties.      Could the Craze Sports Live Thanksgiving Showcase be a launching pad for a big 2024-25 for 5A Northwestern? Trojans fans have to be hoping for just that after Lowery and her team completed the showcase with a pair of wins over teams with “Central” in their school names. The Knights of 2A North Central only scored five (5) points against the Trojans and Lowery's 13 points led her team to a 56-34 rout of 3A Central Cabarrus. She had 11 in the win vs. North Central. Lowery's willingness to go directly at defenders with the ball in her hands combined with her veteran instincts make her particularly dangerous as an attacker of the rim. What also makes her dangerous is she is willing to draw contact to get to the free throw line. And if she is at said line, she is likely to drain her tries from the stripe.        Having a 5-2 record at this stage in the young season is anything but shabby. Unfortunately for 6A Grovetown it experienced that second loss most recently to 4A Marvin Ridge. Cavalier still delivered a winning performance even in a losing effort. She scored 11 points. The 5-foot-8 veteran primarily operates at the three. Cavalier displays an ability to place points on the board from all three levels. She has also displayed her ability to corral timely rebounds. If someone attempts to score on her in the interior, she is likely to reject said shot attempt. Cavalier is one of four juniors on what is a very veteran-laden Warriors assembling.

One of the many focal points of the early portions of the high school sports season was Indian Land near the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.