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The North Myrtle Beach Lady Chiefs got some revenge for an earlier loss to Wilson High School by upsetting the 4A regions only undefeated team by a 56-54 score at North Myrtle Beach on senior night.
The Lady Chiefs Jermaisha Griffin got the first two of her 20 point night with a rebound basket following the opening tip of the game, Jordan Berger scored on a break and Janaii Boone’s jumper quickly gave North Myrtle Beach a 6-0 lead. Wilson scored their first three points of the night on a long jumper but Berger hit two free throws for an 8-3 advantage at the 5:48 mark of the first period.
Wilson then held the Lady Chiefs scoreless while they went ahead 12-8 with two minutes left. Griffin hit a jump shot and Berger put up a rebound for two points as the Lady Chiefs tied the score at 12. Wilson then hit two three-pointers before Berger’s rebound jump shot ended the first period with the Lady Chiefs trailing 18-14.
The second period began with two Griffin baskets but Wilson hit another three for a 21-18 lead. The teams then hit a scoring drought until Berger’s layup basket near the five minute mark and a driving basket by Griffin gave the Lady Chiefs a brief 22-21 lead. Wilson tied it back up at 23 but the Lady Chiefs got the lead back as the half concluded 28-26.
The Lady Chiefs got the crowd going early in the third period as Daveona Hatchell scored underneath, and Griffin’s two layups made it 34-26 near the six minute mark. Wilson scored the next seven points to cut the lead to one point, and it was tied at 36 when Griffin and the lady Chiefs scored six straight points to go up 42-36. Wilson battled back to a 42-42 score and then took a 44-42 lead as the third period ended.
The fourth period started slowly as the teams traded points until Berger’s jumper with 4:24 left made it 47-46 NMB. Another Griffin basket and a Wilson three-pointer tied the score at 49. With 2:44 left Janii Boone hit a three-pointer for a 52-49 lead, followed by a Berger rebound shot and a 54-49 margin. The Lady Chiefs were able to hold their composure and fight off a frantic 90 seconds to add a Berger basket and a 56-54 win.
The Lady Chiefs upset win gave the Wilson Lady Tigers their first defeat in region play. Coach Brooke Smith praised her team. “After our (57-47) loss at Hartsville Tuesday we had a team meeting and discussed why we play, who we are and what our roles are as a team. Well tonight they showed drive, tenacity and teamwork in that win. Wilson was undefeated in our region, had beaten us at their gym, and we wanted to be the first team to beat them. I want to commend our two seniors, Jermaisha Griffin and Janii Boone, for a great game and Griffin and Berger for scoring 20 and 23 points to match their jersey numbers,”Smith said.
In the boys game that followed Wilson took the opening tip and hit a three-point shot. The Chiefs Dawson Hardee’s jumper and Raden Vincent’s long three-point shot knotted things up at 5. The two teams didn’t score again until the 4:37 mark when a Wilson three and traded baskets for a 10-10 score. The Chiefs Travis Collins got a steal and a basket for a 12-10 lead and two late baskets by Collins and McClendon (a three-pointer from the corner) gave the Chiefs a 17-13 lead at the end of the first period.
The second period began with a quick three-point shot from Javi Marlowe and McClendon followed up with two made free throws. Raden Vincent hit a three-pointer and the Chiefs lead was 25-16. Wilson battled right back to tie the score at 27-27 with under five minutes left in the half. Travis Collins got the Chiefs back up by three with his long jumper. Cameron Gore-Gause hit a basket underneath but missed two free throws 20 seconds later. The Chiefs 32-30 lead evaporated as Wilson used two long three-point shots to take a 36-32 lead at the half.
Both teams started slowly in the third period, with the only scoring in the first three minutes was two baskets by the Chiefs McClendon to even the score at 36. Wilson then scored the next nine points in the period, including two three-point shots for a 45-36 lead. Wilson kept at least an eight- point lead for the remainder of the period except for a Travis Collins jumper with 1:33 left that made the score 49-43 after three periods.
The two teams traded baskets for the first 2:20 of the final period before Davion Gore’s layup brought the Chiefs to within four points at 51-47. Wilson hit a three-pointer and a free throw for a 55-47 lead, but then added a three. A basket by Gore made it a 58-49 score. Wilson then slowed the pace of the game with three minutes left. North Myrtle Beach didn’t give up, stole the ball but couldn’t score. Then McClendon’s basket and a layup by Gore-Gause with two minutes left got the Chiefs as close as they would get, trailing 58-53.
Wilson scored two more baskets on layups while the Chiefs could only manage a free throw as the buzzer sounded with a 62-54 Wilson victory.
Coach Darcie Vincent continued to see progress in her team’s performance. “After winning on Tuesday 57-56 at Hartsville, I think we gave the best effort we could against a good team. They hit their shots. While we could hope they miss their threes or wouldn’t kill us with their man-to-man defense, we hung in there and looked like a team. I think we have put it together over the last few games and played well against a good team, ”Vincent said.
Both North Myrtle Beach varsity teams had final regular season games at Darlington on Tuesday, Feb 5.
