Lake Marion HS vs Burke HS

One of two Region 6-AA regional semifinal matchups contested on Friday night saw the Burke Bulldogs prove victorious over the Lake Marion Gators by a final score of 65-46. The other saw Woodland defeat Timberland 49-35, setting up a regional final between Woodland and Burke. The Bulldogs maintained a double-digit lead at halftime, but the Gators, with only one player on its bench, managed to make things interesting in the second half by trimming its deficit down to single digits … 42-33 heading in the fourth quarter and 43-35 at one point in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs move to (6-2) on the season with the win. Prep Girls Hoops was in Charleston to catch every second of the action. Here are kids from both teams that caught our eye. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="175353" first="Quanaisha" last="Myers"] – 2022 – Lake Marion High School</strong> – Other teams may simply be tired of seeing Myers because she finds ways to score at will. She knows how to be in the correct spot on the court at the correct time (on offense or defense), is quick to the rim and is always thinking with a high basketball I.Q. After stealing the ball, she will find a way to put the ball through the hoop, even if it means going through a slew of defenders to do so. Myers also displayed creativity with her ability to put the ball in the basket and took care of the ball even in situations where she was double-teamed by the Burke defense. Myers scored 25 points. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-254719" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/BA75FAC2-6654-4FD4-BB6A-243E4978E443.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="254714" first="Kirsha" last="Smith"] – 2021 – Burke High School</strong> – Smith especially stood out on defense with the work she put in against Lake Marion’s Yasmin Richardson – a tall defensive assignment for anyone. There were occasions where whoever Smith was guarding had very little daylight to either dribble or pass, putting the Gators in precarious positions where they may give the ball up. Smith is also a ball hawk and if she does steal the ball, she will either pass to an open teammate down the floor or lay it up near the rim. She will also draw contact to get to the free throw line, which proved effective since had nine tries from the stripe – and 18 points overall. <strong>Yasmin Richardson – 2021 – Lake Marion High School</strong> – Speaking of Richardson, she had herself a game as well, and is one of many bigs that defies the typical stereotype placed on 4s and 5s that they struggle from the free throw line. She will hit her free throws and displayed the dribbling ability and defensive versatility that is more typical of a point guard. One of her field goals that she made was one from behind the arc as well. Richardson concluded her evening with 16 points. <strong>Alexia Parnell-Glover – 2022 – Burke High School</strong> – Parnell-Glover fit like a glove in the Bulldogs’ system for coach Jimmy Brown. She displayed rebounding abilities as well as the potential for the chances where she makes things happen on the offensive glass to become putbacks for two more on the Burke tally. Parnell-Glover will also get out in the open floor and convert on fast break layups. She is also another who will make her free throws as well. Parnell-Glover concluded her evening with 16 points – including 10 by halftime. <strong>Ja’lana Turnage – Lake Marion High School</strong> – Rebounding – whether it is on the offensive or defensive side – is one of the most fundamental elements of basketball. It is a portion of the game that Turnage has exceled at. Whenever a shot was taken, she put herself in position to grab the board and dish it out to someone donning a Gators jersey. Turnage also displayed defensive capabilities as well as a willingness to try to make shots from long range. She also got to the line for free throw attempts in the second quarter. <strong>Qwanajah Johnson – 2021 – Burke High School</strong> – Consistency was a story of Johnson’s game on Friday night as she was one of the two Bulldogs starters who scored at least one field goal in every quarter – Smith was the other. Johnson did a lot of the little things that had big impact including displaying her speed, passing, driving to the basket and making free throws. She also absorbed a Lake Marion charge and was creative with her talent to convert on high-percentage shots. Defensively, she read Gators plays well, enabling her to force Lake Marion into turnovers that turned into Burke points, of which she contributed 12 of her own to the Bulldogs’ cause.