Seahawk Holiday Classic: Home State Heroines

While many midseason tournaments and showcases feature teams primarily from the host school's area, there are some that provide exceptions to this rule.    One noteworthy exception is the Seahawk Holiday Classic which emanates on a year-by-year basis from 4A Hilton Head Island. There were three girls teams that were on hand for this year's event – the host Seahawks, 3A Battery Creek and the Gamecocks of 5A Division 1 Sumter.    We at Prep Girls Hoops made the drive down to the Seahawks' nest for this year's slate of games. Here, we spotlight notable names from Hilton Head Island, Battery Creek and Sumter that made their presences known.     We at Prep Girls Hoops first caught a glimpse of Wilson and her 3A Battery Creek team this season at the Teresa Kendle Classic last month at 5A Division 1 Summerville. She had a stellar showing in that contest against 1A St. John's and continued her impressive work with a 15-point showing against Lafayette – a 2A team from Alabama. A versatile vetreran, much of Wilson's early production occurred at the free throw line as she successfully drew plenty of contact to set up shop at the charity stripe. Wilson also displayed the ability to connect from 3-point range and can give a team worthwhile minutes at either the two in the backcourt, the three in the frontcourt or at the wing.     Cathey is in her first season with 3A Battery Creek. Even though the Dolphins did not achieve the result they were in search of against 2A Lafayette out of Alabama, Cathey still turned in a winning effort with 11 points. The Dolphins have their featured guard but one may expect Cathey to assume that role following this season. Her career included a stint at Beaufort MS prior to arriving at the high school ranks with Battery Creek. Cathey primarily plays at the two and her ability to connect from long range is indicative of the skilled two guard she is. She can also attract many double teams and understands when to make the right passes at the right times.     Jones was another notable we remember from the Kendle Classic at Summerville. Her 3A Battery Creek team matched up against 2A Lafayette from Alabama. She may not have had the gaudy number of points she had against 1A St. James at The Fire House, but she still helped her team with eight points. As a senior and one of the Dolphins' featured players, she embraces the on-court leadership role she has. Jones also leads by example by virtue of her ability to make the correct passes, take care of the ball and put points on the board. Jones is one of the two seniors on this year's Dolphins team.     The host Seahawks of 4A Hilton Head Island had a rough afternoon on its home floor against Hart County – a team that made the trek to the Palmetto State from Kentucky. Freeman still paced the Seahawks effort with seven points. When things were promising for Hilton Head Island in the opening stanza, Freeman spearheaded those efforts. The Seahawks had a 7-2 lead on Hart County in the first quarter and Freeman had five of those seven early points. She will find plenty of time on the wing and is one of four 2028s on the roster for coach Russell Raniszewski's Seahawks this season.     Collectively, South Carolina teams took one on the chin during Sunday's play at the Seahawks' nest. The Gamecocks of 5A Division 1 Sumter was one of those teams as it was on the receiving end of a blowout loss to Bradley Central from Tennessee but Tindal's seven points still paced the Gamecocks' efforts. Tindal has the ability to take advantage of even a slight miscue of an opposing ball carrier to force said ball handler into a turnover. She primarily plays in the frontcourt at the four. Tindal is listed at 5-foot-9 on Sumter's roster and her height combined with her length make her consistently likely to block shots as a defender near the rim.

While many midseason tournaments and showcases feature teams primarily from the host school's area, there are some that provide exceptions to this rule.