SCISA 3A Quarterfinals: Guards and Forwards

Tuesday’s SCISA 3A quarterfinals slate at Sumter County Civic Center included a pair of games that were routs and two others that were close. All in all, it was an exciting day and night of basketball as the state playoffs continued. Lets take a look at some Guards and Forwards from the the day of games right here. <em><strong>Here are Tuesday’s results:</strong></em> Cardinal Newman defeated Porter-Gaud 86-24 Florence Christian defeated First Baptist 57-49 Northwood Academy defeated Augusta Christian 67-28 Trinity Collegiate defeated Hammond 53-45. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124109" first="Tanaja" last="Kennedy"] – 2023 – Cardinal Newman School</strong> – Tanaja is tenacious. Opposing teams could be running an offensive play either in transition or in the half court offense, then out of nowhere, she will steal the ball and take it the other way. Kennedy is an efficient passer, can go past defenses and will also play tough defense herself. Kennedy also was the only one of the Cardinals starters without a foul called against her for the game. She finished with eight points in the three quarters she played as she did not play in the fourth quarter (she did not have to given the Cardinals commanding margin of victory). <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="158943" first="Amiyah" last="Ferguson"] – 2023 – Northwood Academy</strong> – One of two out of the Chargers starting five without a foul called against her, Ferguson is multi-talented in her skillset. One of the better ball handlers seen throughout Tuesday’s day of action, Ferguson displays quickness to the rim and can also make quick passes that do not even give defenses opportunities at steals. Her defense also can translate into offensive opportunities for the Chargers. She will attract her fair share of contact and find her way to the free throw line. Ferguson had 12 points – including going a perfect four out of four from the stripe. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="257802" first="Margaret" last="Smith"] – 2024 – Porter-Gaud School</strong> – With plenty of basketball awaiting Smith, this is only the beginning. Smith scored seven of the Cyclones’ 24 points, but where she has particularly excelled has been on the defensive side. Smith will not only haul in rebounds, but she will also reject shots. Her defensive prowess also displays itself with her ability to compile steals from the other team. In spite of the lopsided scoring gap between the Cyclones and Cardinal Newman, Smith managed to play all four quarters and kept up a level of competitiveness not always seen in those sorts of scenarios. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-257775" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/60285770-446E-4CCF-A38D-3CB019494AAE.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="171743" first="Chase" last="Hayes"] – 2021 – Trinity Collegiate</strong> – Hayes’ preps career will see at least one more game after the Titans’ dispatching of Hammond. If it means having to get in between defenses and through defenders to find her way to the basket, Hayes will do that. In addition, Hayes will grab occasional rebounds and also adds an interior presence to her game. She is a consistent scorer who can get to the free throw line and convert from there as well. Hayes finished with 19 points to lead all Titans on Tuesday. Hayes went over 1,000 career points during the season for the Titans.