Eastside New Year’s Classic: Top Performances Part 1

In one of the final basketball tournaments of the 2021 calendar year, Eastside HS in the South Carolina Upstate hosted several girls teams to take part in its New Year Classic. Eight teams competed in the traditional tournament-style bracket with subsequent games occurring to determine finishers below the top two. The Eagles themselves are 6-6 and will soon begin Region 2-4A play. We at Prep Girls Hoops made the trip to the home of the Eagles in Taylors to take in Thursday’s competition – the day when a tournament champion, runner-up and those subsequent finishers would be determined. Here is a look at who turned in stellar performances for their teams. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-359250" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/2215651E-566B-4C8B-9B20-1673216A2B7F.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="187987" first="Jakaiya" last="Mack"] – 2022 – JL Mann HS</strong> – When the Patriots took on Easley in the tournament’s championship game, the Green Wave had to be thinking how to stop JL Mann’s star senior. Easley had no answers – either on offense or defense. Mack was not even in the starting five for the Patriots, but she got stronger as the game went longer. She put herself in position to make clutch baskets late when it appeared Easley would go on a run and made things difficult for Green Wave ball handlers by getting her hands on the ball and going the other way with it. She completed old-school 3-point plays twice in the fourth quarter as well. Mack scored 22 points in JL Mann’s 55-44 win over Easley. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-371554" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/DAB67249-766D-47EA-B6E0-0C801A743273.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="371552" first="Aleena" last="Hardin"] – 2023 – Travelers Rest HS</strong> – Hardin works because of hard work. For much of the Devildogs’ contest with Carolina Academy, the two teams were locked in a back-and-forth get-together before Travelers Rest pulled away late, in part because of the success Hardin was having converting on high-percentage shots. She will also fight for 50-50 balls and come away with plenty of steals. Hardin is all willing to draw her fair share of contact and convert on her free throw opportunities in addition to taking and making 3-pointers. Hardin was held to only two points in the first half before adding 13 second-half points to her total for 15 in the Devildogs’ 42-27 win over the Trojans. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/9F0AE831-3E77-4A2B-A16E-ABC73265A59C-crop-1079x709-1641204655.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-371558" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/9F0AE831-3E77-4A2B-A16E-ABC73265A59C-crop-1079x709-1641204655-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="371550" first="Jadin" last="Dandy"] – 2026 – Travelers Rest HS</strong> – If Dandy’s play on Saturday afternoon in the Devildogs’ fifth-place game was an indication of where she already is in her young career, it has to make coach Lindsay Baber excited about her development. Dandy will disrupt an opponent’s passing lanes with her ability to get her hands on the ball. If she does, it could possibly be a steal, an opponent’s turnover and a transition basket either from her or a Travelers Rest teammate she is working the fastbreak game with. Dandy efficiently distributes the ball and will help out defensively on double teams. She scored 10 points in the Devildogs’ win over Carolina Academy. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="371551" first="Mikiya" last="Sherman"] – 2022 – Travelers Rest HS</strong> – Sherman had the first play of the final day of the tournament – she won the opening tip against Carolina Academy in the fifth place game. Listed at 5-foot-9, she is an anchor of the Devildogs frontcourt and part of what she does is go for rebounds in addition to winning many a battle on the boards. Sherman’s second half play was a key factor in why Travelers Rest managed to pull away from Carolina Academy as the game neared its conclusion. She scored 10 points, but eight out of those 10 were dropped in the third and fourth quarters. <strong>Rebekah Eron – 2024 – Easley HS</strong> – Eron is the name and versatility is the game. Listed at 5-foot-8, she can find minutes as either a guard or as a forward. As a defender, she keeps her hands up to disrupt an opposing team’s passing lanes. Offensively, she will shoot midrange jump shots and also cut to the cup to receive timely passes then lay them in for two points and, if possible, and one opportunities. Eron can either be on the receiving end of those high-percentage shot chances or the passing end as she knows how to find open teammates and make the right feeds. She scored 10 points in the championship game the Green Wave played against JL Mann and had at least one made bucket from the field in all four frames. <strong>Kylie Nabors – 2022 – Easley HS</strong> – For the production JL Mann got off its bench in its game with the Green Wave, Easley’s bench showed up ready to show out as well. The Green Wave’s 5-foot-10 senior showcased her offensive versatility by attacking the rim but also burying a clutch 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Nabors also bolstered Easley’s rebound efforts and is a versatile all-around player as she can operated either as a guard in the backcourt or a forward in the frontcourt. Nabors scored 10 points to close out the tournament in the Green Wave’s matchup with the Patriots.