GRAD Athletics Thanksgiving Classic: Top Five Performers

The week of Thanksgiving typically yields three days to an entire week off in terms of the academic schedule, but it is one of the busier periods of the year in terms of the athletic slate.    A number of early-season tournaments takes place around this time. One of those is the GRAD Athletics Thanksgiving Tournament which is hosted annually by SCISA 4A school Heathwood Hall. This year's slate of teams included the host Highlanders, Hammond, Dutch Fork, Aiken, Brookland-Cayce, Dreher, Orangeburg Prep, Edisto, Cardinal Newman, Andrew Jackson, Oceanside Collegiate and Fort Mill.   We at Prep Girls Hoops also made our annual journey to the home of the Highlanders for the first day of the festivities which was Monday. Without further ado, here are our top five standouts from the day's play.     One of the first contest featured host Heathwood Hall against Etheredge who represents the black and burgundy of 4A public Brookland-Cayce. Etheredge's Bearcats may have come out on the receiving end of a 44-30 defeat to the Highlanders but Etheredge turned in a gritty performance with 13 points. On many occasions, guards that can be considered undersized are usually the speediest and Etheredge is certainly one of those. She can get from one end of the floor to the other and her strong finishes at the cup can result at times in contact and free-throw shooting opportunities. Etheredge defines the phrase “floor general” and blends her many hoops talent with veteran instincts.     The new nucleus of all things SCISA 4A Heathwood Hall commenced this season's GRAD Athletics Thanksgiving Classic by leading her Highlanders to a 44-30 victory over 4A public Brookland-Cayce. Jenkins finished Monday afternoon's contest with 21 points – including 12 in the second half of play. With her height, Jenkins will not only win plenty of rebounding battles, but does not shy away from physicality especially in the interior as she knows it can give her plenty of chances at the free throw line. She is also a defensive playmaker as she is difficult to score on in close proximity to the basket.     One of two juniors on this season's 3A Oceanside Collegiate version, Black led the hunt for the Landsharks early Monday evening against a tough SCISA 3A out in Orangeburg Prep. Black finished with 14 points to lead her Landsharks to a 47-36 victory over the Indians. Oceanside Collegiate's interior efforts were key to outlasting Orangeburg Prep in what was a very defensive-minded contest. If one of her teammates found her in close proximity to the rim, two more Landsharks points were almost certain. Black took full advantage of her 5-foot-10 stature to create matchup problems for the Indians.     Early Monday afternoon, Lambrecht's Orangeburg Prep team – one of the premier SCISA 3A squads – did battle against a premier South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) team in Oceanside Collegiate. While Lambrecht's Indians may not have secured victory, she put forth a winning performance with 10 points. A two-sport athlete who also plays softball, Lambrecht's experience was a key factor in keeping Orangeburg Prep in the contest from start to finish. Lambrecht can place points on the board from all three levels and takes advantage of the attention she receives to make accurate passes and create opportunities for teammates to make plays.     The rest of SCISA 4A has been put on notice that last season's Skyhawks are not this season's Skyhawks. McMillan keyed an offensive onslaught where Hammond routed 2A Edisto in Monday's nightcap. She finished Monday's contest with 16 points. McMillan may have had more, but with the contest against the Cougars being so lopsided, McMillan had plenty of time to rest. While McMillan garners attention for the crooked numbers she puts on a scoreboard, she displays her pass-first guard abilities by looking to find teammates to put them in position to make plays. Offensively, McMillan displays the court vision one would expect from a veteran such as her. Defensively, she keeps her hands and frame active on defense which can make many an opposing ball-carrier prone to turnovers.

The week of Thanksgiving typically yields three days to an entire week off in terms of the academic schedule, but it is one of the busier periods of the year in terms of the athletic slate.