Teresa Kendle Thanksgiving Classic: Saturday’s Top Performers

The end of November is preparing once again to transition to December. The next couple of weeks, for the most part, will be a bit less busy on the high school girls basketball schedule because of the academic calendar.    There is still a bit of basketball business that must be taken care of. The annual Teresa Kendle Thanksgiving Classic is emanating from 5A Division 1 Summerville HS. Along with the Green Wave, St. John's, Battery Creek, Orangeburg-Wilkinson, West Ashley, Pinewood Prep, Porter-Gaud, Myrtle Beach, Westwood, Burke and Baptist Hill were all part of this year's gathering at the Fire House.    We at Prep Girls Hoops made the trip to the Lowcountry as well for Saturday's games. Here are our top performers from the day's matchups.    Saturday's six-game card tipped off with a get-together between 1A St. John's and 3A Battery Creek. The Islanders got the better of the Dolphins in large part to the 25 points placed on the scoreboard courtesy of the St. John's senior shooting guard. Buford is more than willing to draw contact that can place her at the line. Her heads-up attitude enables her to respond quickly – particularly if an opposing player makes a miscue. Buford is a skilled ball-handler who also thrives as a playmaker in the transition game. One must also look out for her from long range and she fuses together efficiency with veteran instincts.     Spearheading the efforts 3A Battery Creek that day was the Dolphins' senior small forward. Jones led her Battery Creek assembling with 17 points in her team's contest with 1A St. John's – one that ended up being a 49-33 in favor of the Islanders. In addition to being an efficient runner of the floor, Jones doubles as an on-court leader for her team. She maintains activity even when the ball is not in her hands and blends together talent, scoring capabilities and a high basketball IQ. Active defensive hands is another of Jones' strong attributes. A 3-point shot is also part of Jones' offensive repertoire.     Following a lopsided loss to 5A Division 2 Westwood on the first day of this season's Kendle Classic, 4A Colleton County bounced back by earning a lopsided victory of its own over 1A Baptist Hill. The nine points placed on the scoreboard by Mitchell played a massive role in a 42-20 Cougars victory. Mitchell primarily operates in the backcourt at the point and is in her second year at the varsity ranks since she played five games as a seventh grader. She is establishing herself as a potent deep threat. Colleton County drained a pair of 3-pointers in Saturday's contest at Kendle Court. Both were courtesy of Mitchell.     Colleton County's frontcourt efforts were paced by the sophomore Wilkins as she tallied nine points to help the 4A Cougars to its first victory of the season – the 42-20 decision over 1A Baptist Hill. Wilkins is one of four 2028s on this year's Colleton County squad. Her high basketball IQ comes into play by understanding when to set herself up in the post to convert on high-percentage shot opportunities. Wilkins also understands that playing in said low post means absorbing a great deal of physicality and this will give her plenty of opportunities to help her team from the charity stripe.     Washington established herself as a name to watch as part of the Palmetto State's continuously high-level youth movement. Her 1A Baptist Hill team had a rough go of things against 4A Colleton County but Washington still paced her team with nine points to lead the Bobcats' efforts. Washington fuses together ball-handling capabilities with plenty of speed and quickness. She understands the art of attacking the basket and finishing strong at the cup. A 3-point shot is also part of her overall offensive repertoire. The state saw Washington was just getting started after playing in 19 games last season for Baptist Hill. Performances like Saturday's will only continue to further raise her stock and solidify her statewide profile.     Rogers made her presence known early and often as her 5A Division 2 Westwood team matched up against one of the premier 2A teams in Burke. The Midlands vs. Lowcountry get-together went the way of the Redhawks thanks to the 16 points that Rogers put on the scoreboard. A team can place Rogers in its lineup either in the backcourt at the two or in the frontcourt as a three – which means she can find plenty of time at the wing. She is also dangerous as a defensive playmaker, utilizing her length to enable her to block many shots.     Phoenix is a primary reason why Burke is among the 2A teams statewide to beat. The Bulldogs faced a stiff test in 5A Division 2 Westwood – one that went the way of the Redhawks, but Phoenix put together a winning performance in defeat with 22 points. She has established herself as an on-court leader and maintains a great deal of focus on the task at hand. Phoenix is always a threat to score whenever she has the ball in her hand – and even so when the rock is possessed by a teammate. She blends together the ball handling capabilities of a guard with the post skills of a big. Phoenix is one of four sophomores on this season's Burke team.     Giammalva's 5A Division 2 Myrtle Beach team claimed one of the six spots in Saturday's Kendle Classic win column with a hard-fought victory over SCISA 4A Pinewood Prep. Giammalva finished what was a 34-22 game with eight points. If she has the ball on a fastbreak, there is a good chance that will lead to an automatic two points for her team. Giammalva knows how to convert defense into offense as she is a constant threat to collect steals and create additional possessions for her team. She maintains a high level of activity even when the ball is not in her hand and understands how to set up an offense in a half court set as a point guard.     Moore is in her first season at SCISA 4A Pinewood Prep. She is a two-sport athlete who also competes in varsity volleyball in addition to her basketball pursuits. She concluded her team's game against 5A Division 2 Myrtle Beach with eight points in what was a low-scoring, 34-22 game in favor of the Seahawks. Moore showcased many of the talents indicative of the youth movement that is plentiful throughout the state. She will connect from midrange and from long range. Offensively, Moore can set up behind the arc at the wing and shall also attempt floaters as well. She also has no issues drawing the assignment of guarding an opposing team's inbounds pass.     Elliott let it be known in 2024-25 that her name deserves to be mentioned among the state's premier players. On Saturday, her 5A Division 1 West Ashley team did battle against Porter-Gaud of the SCISA 4A ranks. Elliott concluded her evening at Kendle Court with a 12-point showing in what was a defensive-minded contest with the Cyclones. A two-sport athlete who also plays soccer, a primary aspect of Elliott's game that opposing teams have to prepare for is her 3-point shooting. Opposing teams also have to watch out for how hard Elliott hustles on defense and how she is willing to do the little things – such as diving for loose balls – that may not appear on a stat sheet but will help her team appear in the win column.     In a defensively-minded matchup such as the one that ensued between Molten's SCISA 4A Porter-Gaud team and 5A Division 1 public West Ashley, every point mattered. This included the eight points scored by Molten to lead her team against the Wildcats. The standout Cyclones senior fuses together speed and agility with superb ball-handling capabilities. That agility combined with veteran instincts enable Molten to work her way out of precarious spots posed by an opposing defense. She primarily plays point with a willingness to ferociously attack the basket. Molten has also played varsity soccer throughout her athletic career. Unfortunately for the Cyclones in that matchup against West Ashley, she fouled out late in the fourth quarter.     One of six seniors on this year's 3A Orangeburg-Wilkinson team, Steward's Bruins matched up against host school 5A Division 1 Summerville in the nightcap of Kendle Classic Saturday. Steward finished with 15 points in what was a competitive contest between the Bruins and Green Wave. She does not shy away from contact as she knows it can place her at the free throw line. Steward is listed at 5-foot-4 on Orangeburg-Wilkinson's roster. As the contest wore on, she got more consistent in putting points on the board from the field after her early production occurred at the charity stripe.     For a good portion of host 5A Division 1 Summerville's matchup with 3A Orangeburg-Wilkinson, it appeared that the Bruins would best the Green Wave at Summerville's own Kendle Court. Grant tallied 21 points as Summerville outlasted the Bruins by a final score of 56-55. Summerville's interior attack was crucial in earning the hard-fought victory and Grant was central to those efforts. She displayed she can withstand the physicality that comes with playing near the rim – especially against a tough out like the Bruins – and still come through for her team. With last season's Green Wave having graduated a large number of seniors, 2025-26 is an opportunity for those such as Grant to embrace that “next woman up” mentality. Saturday night displayed she is up for the task.

The end of November is preparing once again to transition to December. The next couple of weeks, for the most part, will be a bit less busy on the high school girls basketball schedule because of the academic calendar.