She Got Next MLK Showcase: Evening Matchups

The first month of the calendar year can go by fast. The midseason tournament-centric month of December can segue into January which is typically based around matchups against region foes before the midpoint of the month with showcase events.    Among the many sites around the state hosting such events around the period of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was Carolina Academy – the home of the 3A Trojans. A1 Hoops Report hosted the third of its She Got Next events with the She Got Next MLK Showcase.    Last season's did not take place due to weather and this year's was moved to Carolina Academy after originally being slated to occur at J.L. Mann.    We at Prep Girls Hoops made the trip to the Upstate for the day's festivities. Without further ado, here is a recap of the three contests that took place for the evening portion of the 10-game slate.    Daniel vs. Asheville School   It would be towards the tail end of play when the lone team representing the Hoop State would make its presence felt at this season's She Got Next MLK Showcase.    Asheville School entered play with a robust 14-4 record. In fact, the Blues began its 2024-25 campaign 10-0. The team has lost three of its last four with those defeats coming by way of Richmond as well as two teams from Georgia in Rabun Gap-Nacoochee and 6A Grayson. Luella, a 3A Georgia team, was responsible for the other loss.    Daniel entered play ranked seventh in the most recent 4A coaches poll. The Lions have also began its region slate with a perfect 4-0 showing and its lone losses this season have been to three 5A teams in Dorman, Byrnes and J.L. Mann. The defeat to the Patriots occurred at the She Got Next Christmas Tournament (as did a win over Fountain Inn).    One of the Hoop State's premier teams got the better of one of the Palmetto State's premier squads as Asheville School got the better end of a 60-49 decision over the Lions.    Records   The latest win for Asheville School ups its record to 15-4 in addition to maintaining its 1-1 showing in region play. Daniel's mark following Saturday's play stood at 13-4 and 4-0 in its region.    Quarter-By-Quarter   In some games, it can take three quarters for a team to reach 20 points. The Lions and the Blues managed to hit that mark following the first frame. After those initial eight minutes, Asheville School led Daniel by a margin of 22-21.    Defense put up a bit more of a fight in the second quarter while the contest overall remained entertainingly close. As both teams discussed second half strategy, Daniel had a three-point, 35-32 edge on Asheville School.   These two teams continued to display how evenly matched they were in a contest that had a case for game of the day. Twenty-four minutes had elapsed with the Lions leading the Blues by a tally of 45-43.   The old adage of it being a matter of how one starts as opposed to how one finishes will always be true – and it was certainly the case for the Blues on Saturday. Asheville School outscored Daniel 17-4 en route to an 11-point victory.   Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4225.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1151207" style="width:534px;height:auto" /></figure>   Experience served Asheville School more than well on Saturday evening. One evidence of that was [player_tooltip player_id='875253' first='Ryann' last='Hernandez'] who led all point-getters for the game with 19. Daniel particularly had a hard time containing her when she attacked the rim.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4230.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1151214" style="width:542px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Blues also benefitted greatly from the 11 points that were placed on the scoreboard courtesy of [player_tooltip player_id='302247' first='Jania' last='Wilson'] – a junior. She is one of four 2026s that comprise this year's Asheville School rendition.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4227.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1151227" style="width:554px;height:auto" /></figure>   With 10 points, [player_tooltip player_id='910316' first='Kamaya' last='Robinson'] also was an important piece to what was a winning puzzle for the Blues. All of her scores were of the two-point variety. Just as Wilson is one of the team's four juniors, Robinson and Hernandez are two of the team's four seniors.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/eZy-Watermark_25-11-2024_07-17-49-9200AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1068067" style="width:552px;height:auto" /></figure>   Sophomore three forward [player_tooltip player_id='672998' first='Shala' last='Williams'] gave everything she had despite the losing Lions effort. Williams tallied 17 points to spearhead the efforts for Daniel. Williams is listed at 5-foot-7 on the Lions' roster.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4208-crop-1833x1204-1737312054.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1151270" style="width:547px;height:auto" /></figure>   Daniel also benefitted from the 11 points that were placed on the scoreboard courtesy of senior shooting guard Ashlyn Land. She connected on two of the team's three made 3-pointers. She also displayed how effective she can be in terms of taking care of the ball.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/eZy-Watermark_25-11-2024_07-18-03-1460AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1068066" style="width:539px;height:auto" /></figure>   Speaking of guards, one can consistently expect productive games from [player_tooltip player_id='753233' first='Lila' last='Mann']. She had another on Saturday evening as she contributed 10 points to the Lions' cause. Mann is one of five sophomores on this season's team.   Up Next   Next on the schedule for Asheville School is a regional home contest with Carolina Day on Tuesday. That day, Daniel will be on the road as it also resumes region play at Seneca.   Greer vs. Christ Church   Next to last on the She Got Next MLK Showcase featured a team that is a mainstay at these events against a team that would have played at last season's Showcase if not for the weather cancellation.    The 4A Yellow Jackets have encountered its fair share of struggles in 2024-25. One of Greer's wins this season did occur at the She Got Next Christmas Tournament – a 52-43 decision over 2A Fairfield Central. The team's other wins were over Boiling Springs, Midland Valley and against region rival Berea.    Christ Church has struggled even more than Greer has this season. The Cavaliers' lone wins this season have been against Mountain View Prep and region foe Palmetto.    Greer was successful in being the ninth team to get into the win column that day at Carolina. The Yellow Jackets earned the 50-29 victory over the Cavaliers.   Remember What Happened Last Time?    Prior to this past Saturday, the Yellow Jackets and Cavaliers last shared the same court during the 2012 season when Christ Church was a 1A school and Greer competed in the 3A ranks. The Cavaliers got the better of the Yellow Jackets on that day in a 43-26 decision.    Quarter-By-Quarter   Minutes one through eight of Greer vs. Christ Church indicated that this one would be close from start to finish. Those eight minutes would conclude with the Yellow Jackets leading the Cavaliers by a margin of 14-11.    Greer began to pull away in the second quarter with the tried-and-true combination of efficient offense and stifling defense. As halftime arrived, the Yellow Jackets lead over the Cavaliers grew to 30-16.   The Yellow Jackets advantage continued expand as it was a 21-point margin by the conclusion of the fourth quarter. With 24 minutes in the books, Greer was cruising en route to a victory over Christ Church.   As the fourth quarter arrived, it was no longer a question of if the contest would result in a Yellow Jackets victory but what the point margin would be. That final point margin for Greer would be 21 points.   Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4253.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1151274" style="width:527px;height:auto" /></figure>   At the top of the game plan for any Yellow Jackets opponent has to be “keep [player_tooltip player_id='371890' first='Samora' last='Moody'] in check.” Christ Church's defense was unable to keep Moody in check as she led her team's efforts with 21 points.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4256.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1151277" style="width:518px;height:auto" /></figure>   Moody was the nucleus of Greer's backcourt efforts. The centerpiece of the Yellow Jackets' frontcourt efforts was [player_tooltip player_id='1213545' first='Heavenly' last='Moore']. The sophomore Greer added 19 points to her team's output.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4249-crop-1833x1204-1737312754.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1151279" style="width:514px;height:auto" /></figure>   Christ Church overall had a rough evening at the Carolina office. One bright spot did come in the form of Katy Cox – a junior. Cox led all Cavaliers scorers with eight points. She has also played soccer throughout her athletic career.   Up Next   When region play resumes for both the Yellow Jackets and Cavaliers on Tuesday, both teams will be on the road. Greer will visit Blue Ridge and Christ Church will be at Southside Christian.   Legacy Early College vs. J.L. Mann   Since the 5A Patriots originally slated to be the hosts of the She Got Next MLK Showcase, it is only fitting that said original hosts were last on the card.    J.L. Mann had an impressive showing at the She Got Next Christmas Tournament which was held in its building. The Patriots earned dominant victories over Goose Creek and Daniel and have only suffered three losses all season to in-state foes (Ridge View, First Baptist and Riverside).    Legacy Early College entered play with a 9-4 record. When a team can say it has only lost to teams such as Winston Salem Christian National, Winter Haven out of Florida and Cannon out of North Carolina, it is a sign that team is doing the right things as is the case with the Lions.    Closing out this year's She Got Next MLK Showcase would be Legacy Early College with the 71-40 win over J.L. Mann.    Records   The Lions improved their record to 10-4 while that of the Patriots became 9-6 (4-0 in Region 1-AAAAA).    Quarter-By-Quarter   While many teams brought substantial crowds to the home court of the Trojans, Legacy Early College was the lone team to bring its cheerleading squad to will the Lions to a victory. Those cheerleaders had plenty to cheer about as Legacy Early College jumped out to a 9-2 lead. J.L. Mann responded to get back in the game. The Lions led the Patriots by a margin of 19-13 with one complete.   At one point in the second quarter, Legacy Early extended its lead to double digits – 11 (25-14) to be exact. This prompted a timeout from the Patriots. As both teams discussed halftime strategy, the Lions had a 37-23 advantage over J.L. Mann.    What was a Legacy Early College advantage in the teens became a Legacy Early College advantage in the 20s as the third quarter concluded. It was Lions 56 and J.L. Mann 34 at the beginning of the fourth.    It is not every day when a team like the Patriots gets blown out by a large margin but that is the challenge posed by taking on teams like Legacy Early College. When all was said and done, it was the Lions who put a resounding exclamation point on the day's play at Carolina.    Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4272.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1151281" style="width:497px;height:auto" /></figure>   Leading the charge for the Lions was [player_tooltip player_id='176612' first='Zhykera' last='Brown']. The Saint Louis commit led all scorers with 21 points. When watching her play, one can see why a Division I program such as that of the Billikens would have Brown on their radar.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4278.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1151283" style="width:497px;height:auto" /></figure>   Guards were the centerpiece of how the Lions got the job done on Saturday evening. One of those guards was [player_tooltip player_id='235705' first='Makailah' last='Davis']. The 5-foot-9 sophomore added 11 points to Legacy Early College's output. Davis had three of the team's nine 3-pointers.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4281.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1151284" style="width:492px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='257990' first='Jaida' last='McClure'] also chimed in with another of those triples – and 10 points overall. This season's Legacy Early College rendition features four juniors. McClure, standing at 5-foot-9 is one of those 2026s.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/IMG_4275.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1151285" style="width:490px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Patriots had themselves a tough game against Legacy Early College but there usually is a bright spot even on tough outings. That bright spot on Saturday evening was [player_tooltip player_id='610465' first='Olivia' last='McKinney'] – a junior guard who scored 20 points of the team's 40 points.   Up Next   The following day, the Lions were back home to host Legion Collegiate. Region play resumes for J.L. Mann on Tuesday when the Patriots travel to Greenwood.

The first month of the calendar year can go by fast. The midseason tournament-centric month of December can segue into January which is typically based around matchups against region foes before the midpoint of the month with showcase events.