Beach Ball Classic: Veteran Experience

With midterm exams having been completed, the next few weeks are an opportunity to take a break from the books. The ball, though, is another story.    One of the larger showcases that takes place in the latter part of December is the Beach Ball Classic. The more-ballyhooed boys portion of the event occurs a bit closer to New Year's Day while the girls half of the Beach Ball Classic occurs a bit earlier in the month.    Games were split between two venues in Myrtle Beach that are close to each other – the Myrtle Beach Convention Center and the John T. Rhodes Sports Center. We at Prep Girls Hoops were at the Sports Center for a few of Saturday's games. Without further ado, we shine a spotlight on some of the veteran talents that balled out at the Beach.     When playing a team as stacked as 4A Gray Collegiate is, one does not know who the primary point-getter or point-getters will be. On Friday at the Beach Ball, that was Freeman who led her War Eagles with 20 points in a 63-53 decision over 5A Division 2 Socastee. Freeman established herself early and often by displaying not only speed and quickness but her ability to out-hustle her opponents. Combine that with Freeman's rim-attacking capabilities and leadership attributes and it makes her an especially valuable piece to the winning puzzle that is coach Brandon Wallace's Gray Collegiate team.     Britt's transition to wearing Gray Collegiate's uniform has been a smooth one. She ensured the War Eagles would continue its winning ways by delivering 12 points on Friday afternoon against a tough local out in 5A Division 2 Socastee. The Braves may have had an advantage in terms of travel but Britt's overall talents were once again on display at the Beach Ball. Britt is a leader on defense and understands how to get downhill quickly with the ball in her hands. Defenses have to watch for if Britt will attack the rim, attempt a 3-pointer or dish the rock to an open teammate. Fearless and ferocious are two other words that describe Britt's style of play.     Smith is one of the two seniors part of this year's 5A Division 2 Socastee team and she resembled the seasoned vet she is on Friday afternoon against 4A Gray Collegiate. She concluded her day at the Myrtle Beach Sports Center with a 13-point effort against the War Eagles. What makes Smith dangerous is not only her scoring capabilities but her ability to make the right passes at the right times. A good number of those distributions can occur while she is in the transition game. Getting downhill quickly with the ball in her hands is another positive attribute to her game – as is the ability to make things happen from either midrange or long range.     Minehart is one of four team captains that is part of this year's roster for 5A Division 2 Socastee. A hard-fought matchup against 4A Gray Collegiate may have gone in the direction of the War Eagles but Minehart's 14 points kept her Braves in a position to win. She is also one of four juniors on this year's team. Minehart is also a multi-sport athlete as she plays softball in addition to her basketball achievements. Socastee connected on four 3-pointers in the game with the War Eagles – two of them were courtesy of Minehart. She also has more experience than the average junior.     The No. 34 Thompson wears is a very fitting numeral for any big. Thompson joined the Gray Collegiate roster this year and the 10 points she tallied against 5A Division 2 Socastee kept the War Eagles' winning ways going by virtue of a 63-53 victory. Many traditional bigs have talent – Thompson fuses together that talent with an imposing presence at a towering 6-foot-4. That in itself not only makes Thompson a matchup problem in the low post, it also makes her difficult to score against on the defensive end of the floor. With that height and presence, she also wins plenty of rebounding battles.     A solid second-half defensive effort combined with timely offense equaled a come-from-behind 41-40 victory for 5A Division 1 Fort Dorchester over one of SCISA's top 4A teams in Ben Lippen. Guillory concluded her Friday at the Beach Ball Classic with 14 points. The high level of activity she plays with on defense enables her to collect many steals and create additional offensive possessions for her team. She can be placed in a team's starting lineup as either a point guard, at the two or at the wing. Guillory keeps her hands outstretched on defense, is a fearless attacker of the rim and can connect from 3-point range.     It is an adage as old as the game itself that height cannot be coached. McKinley provides plenty of it at 6-foot-2 and used every bit of it to her advantage to a nine-point performance against SCISA 4A Ben Lippen. Those nine points helped 5A Division 1 Fort Dorchester come back to defeat the Falcons with the final score being 41-40. Defensively, McKinley understands to keep her hands and arms outstretched and active. As a veteran big, McKinley also understands that playing in the interior means physical play – and that will lead to plenty of opportunities at the free throw line.     A team like 4A Lower Richland will make its opponent work for every point it earns. That was the case for Rush and her 5A Division 1 Wando assembling. The Warriors matched the best of the Diamond Hornets with their best and Rush's 11 points helped in the 59-55 victory. Those watching Rush play for the first time may expect her to be a conventional four or five given she does stand at 6-foot-3. Except for one thing – Rush has the long-range shooting accuracy of a two guard on top of fusing together height with length on both ends of the floor. Put all of it together and the result is a Division I commit. East Carolina awaits following her senior season with the Warriors.     Sumter encountered a few first-half struggles as 4A Lower Richland matched up against 5A Division 1 Wando. Her emerging in the second half against the Warriors enabled her to conclude her Friday with 12 points and nearly pull off a Diamond Hornets win. Sumter, who has played at the varsity level since she was a middle schooler, fully understands the art of getting downhill with the ball, limiting turnovers and converting on high-percentage shot attempts. Once the 2025-26 season concludes, Sumter's many basketball talents will be on display at Lander University. Rebounding and collecting steals are two other strong points to her well-developed game that is ready for the collegiate level.     Cummings' 5A Division 2 Westwood team played two contests on the first day of this year's Beach Ball. One against another 5A Division 2 team in St. James and a team from Virginia in Deep Creek. Both resulted in Redhawks losses. In the game against Deep Creek, Cumming still finished with seven points plus three rebounds. As someone who can effectively log minutes as either a two in the backcourt or a three in the frontcourt, it is common to find Cummings on the wing. The defense she plays can lead to plenty of steals and a 3-point shot is part of her offensive arsenal.

With midterm exams having been completed, the next few weeks are an opportunity to take a break from the books. The ball, though, is another story.