SCISA Tournament First Round at Cardinal Newman: Top 5 Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just as the road to Florence has commenced for teams that are in the High School League, the road to Sumter is underway for assemblings competing within the SCISA ranks.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A number of venues were being utilized for the opening round of contests – these included the Sumter County Civic Center, Calhoun Academy, Wilson Hall, Northwood Academy and Cardinal Newman.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the Cardinals girls opened state play on the road at the Chargers – and the Cardinals boys played Wilson Hall at Wilson Hall – The Cardinals' home court played host to three opening round matchups – three of which were in the 4A bracket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We at Prep Girls Hoops were on hand for that opening round of contests. Here is our top six performers from the Friday it was at the Cardinals' nest.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["855804"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1192290,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b0bc34c49c6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Hudgens' 3A Greenwood Christian team needed every single one of the 15 points she scored to lift the Hawks to a hard-fought 51-46 win. That would send Greenwood Christian to a quarterfinal matchup with Orangeburg Prep which earned an automatic bye to the second round. When mentioning eighth graders that put together breakout seasons, Hudgens has to be in that conversation. Hudgens is listed at 5-foot-10 – typically a height seen in threes and fours but that combined with her ball handling skills enables her to bring plenty of versatility to any team. Hudgens is a two-sport athlete who also excels at volleyball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["563329"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1192295,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b0bc34c4aba"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">English also competes in multiple sports as time on the track and field circuit compliments what she does on the basketball court. One would expect that someone who also competes in that particular athletic discipline would possess plenty of speed and quickness – and that is especially evident when she has the ball in her hand. The sophomore rising star for the Generals also brings a fearless attitude, ferocious rim attacking skills, and a knowledge of when to pass and when to score. Thomas Sumter may have suffered an early exit from this season's 3A SCISA tournament, but English turned in a winning effort via her 24-point performance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["831289"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1192298,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b0bc34c4b81"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Childers got her SCISA 4A tournament underway in emphatic fashion for her Northside Christian team. With 23 points (a career-high), she was the key piece for the Crusaders in what was a dominant win to eliminate Laurence Manning. Childers let it be known early that this was her game as she tallied 14 of those 23 in the first quarter by itself – and all 23 in the first half. She connected on five 3-pointers for Friday's game – three of those also happened in the first quarter. A backcourt stalwart for Northside Christian, she compliments her scoring ability with a knack for making the right passes to her teammates and constantly keeping them in the flow of a game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":1192305,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Makenna Ellis","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Augusta Christian","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b0bc34c4cd9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">When a team's star player has nearly as many points as an entire team, that is when said team knows it had a great game on the court. Augusta Christian defeated Wilson Hall in the first round of the 4A SCISA tournament by a final of 52-35 and Ellis dropped 28 points to power her team to victory. The Barons' defense particularly had problems containing Ellis from 3-point range as six of her field goals were by way of long range. There were eight 3-pointers that were made in the game as a whole. Next up for Ellis and her Lions will be a very tough out in First Baptist. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":1192308,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Logan Mims","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12124","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Wilson Hall","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b0bc34c4e15"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">All good things must come to an end – that is mental struggle of being a senior in a state tournament knowing a loss means the conclusion of one's high school career. Mims did everything she could to continue said career but her Barons were on the bad end of the 52-35 loss to Augusta Christian in the Upper State portion of the 4A SCISA tournament. Mims finished with 17 points. She is an effective scorer and rebounder who has also competed in track and field events throughout her athletic career. One can see where that translates well to basketball with how ferocious she can be with attacking the basket and understanding that she may draw contact to go to the free throw line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->