North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
By JOHN SMITHSON
The North Myrtle Beach High School girls and boys basketball teams each finished last week winning two of their three final non-region games before the Christmas holidays and tournament play.
The Lady Chiefs beat Socastee last Tuesday, then lost at St. James before beating Socastee again last Friday. The boys also beat Socastee on Tuesday, then St. James Wednesday before the Braves avenged their early week loss in Friday’s rematch.
The Lady Chiefs got last Tuesday’s action started at the North Myrtle Beach gym with a 36-30 win. Both teams started slowly on offense, with each failing to make a shot on their first three trips down court. Abby Fusco finally scored for the Braves with 6:15 on the clock, but the Lady Chiefs tied it a minute later. Sailor Rearden hit a three to put the Lady Braves up 5-2. Jaden Berger pulled the Chiefs within a point when she was fouled on a drive and made both free throws.
The teams went scoreless over the next three minutes, missing shots or committing turnovers, until each team added a free throw over the last 70 seconds of the first period with the score 6-5 Socastee leading. (The Chiefs Faith Farmer was fouled with two seconds left on a three-point shot, but missed two of three free throws.)
Nevaeh Washington hit a free throw and Maddie Vereen scored underneath for the Chiefs 8-6 lead with 5:30 on the clock in early second period action. Farmer drove the basket 30 seconds later making it 10-6, but the two teams then hit another scoring slump. Socastee took advantage of a Chiefs travel, scored, then stole the ball in two straight possessions for six points and a 13-10 lead with a minute left. The teams turned the ball over before a Vereen jumper made it 13-12 at the halftime break.
The Chiefs turned up the pressure in the third period, holding the visitors scoreless for over half of the period, while they built a 22-13 lead. Farmer started it with two made free throws. Ty’Wreanna Woodard rebounded a missed shot in for two more. Vereen scored next, followed by two free throws by Farmer. Woodard closed out the scoring with another Chiefs rebound basket.
With 3:23 left in the third period, it was the Braves Rearden’s turn. She made two free throws after a foul, then a three-pointer with 2:34 on the clock, and a driving basket for two more points after Farmer missed her shot on the other end. Farmer scored before Rearden’s last free throw was good and the score 24-21 Chiefs with two minutes left on the clock. The teams traded baskets and it was 26-23 Chiefs going into the fourth period.
Kiera Olson got the Chiefs off on the right foot with a three-point shot from the left side for a 29-23 Chiefs lead. Socastee scored the next seven points to go back in front 30-29. Woodard answered with a rebound basket and Berger scored from down low for a 33-30 Chiefs lead with 1:13 left. Farmer got the last three points of the period from the foul line and the Chiefs walked off with a 36-30 victory. Farmer also led the Lady Chiefs with 15 points.
Coach Brooke Smith-Vereen stated that her team was “growing as a team. Every game helps us grow. We worked a lot on our foul shooting since we did so poorly against Carolina Forest. We also worked on defending against the chip shots, the ones that can make a difference in the game. Everyone chipped in tonight. Our defense did a good job, very good zone play. We also rebounded well. Ty Woodard gets better and better. We just need to keep finishing a game,” Smith-Vereen said after the game.
Connor Henley got the Chiefs going in the boys game that followed as he nailed a three from the right corner half a minute into the game. TJ Stanley scored a driving basket about one minute later. Following a Braves Ryan Repik basket, Jamie Brooks scored for a 7-2 Chiefs lead. Cash Brown then came out of a ball scramble and was fouled, made two free throws for a 9-2 lead.
Socastee then outscored the Chiefs 9-2 the rest of the way, and the first period ended in an 11-11 tie. Stanley scored an early second period basket for a 13-11 Chiefs lead in the second period. Socastee added a free throw before Zachary McHugo’s three-point jumper outside the key.
Wells Hill added a three from the left side and it was 19-14 at the 5:13 mark of the second period. Brooks added a free throw and a late basket, while Brown added a layup to complete the Chiefs 24-21 lead with two minutes to play. Action was up and down the court, but the Chiefs managed a Hill layup with thirteen seconds left to lead 26-21 at the half.
The Chiefs opened the third period with a Brooks layup and a Hill three-pointer from the left side for a 31-22 lead. Then the Chiefs went on a fourteen point run. Henley hit consecutive threes, Brooks a fast break layup, a rebound short jumper by Ty Hopkins and a layup by Moses McCain, topped off with a reverse layup by Wells and a 45-22 lead. Socastee made two free throws with fourteen seconds left to trail 45-24 with eight minutes left in the game.
The Braves got the first two points of the fourth quarter with two free throws. Then Brooks scored on another breakaway. After a couple possessions by both teams, Brooks was off on another break, this time setting the crowd off with a dunk, and Wells finished the run with another breakaway basket and 51-26 lead.
Socastee closed to within 51-29, but Wells hit another three-pointer and Joshua Surigao scored underneath with 3:20 left in the game as coach Walker started to get some of his bench some time on the court. Surigao added another layup with 2:41 left and Carter Eddy added a bench basket on a rebound, the last Chiefs points in a 60-37 victory.
Coach Ryan Walker felt his team had “played well late. We have practiced free throws and have had good practices. It was a good effort. We got our shots. The lid was finally off the basket. Our defense was better, especially on the close outs. Our attention to detail was better. It’s often the little things during a game and we did better. We need to keep going,” Walker said.
The Chiefs hit seven three-point baskets in the win. Hill led the scoring with 15 points. Brooks added 13 and Henley scored 11 points.
Last Wednesday night the Chiefs teams traveled to St. James. The girls lost 27-24 and the boys won 48-40. On Friday night the teams traveled to Socastee for a rematch with the Braves. The Lady Chiefs won 33-30 and the boys couldn’t duplicate their big win of Tuesday, losing 69-58.
The Chiefs enter the holiday break with the NMB Classic, Tuesday through Thursday at the NMB gym. They are also scheduled to take part in the Poinsettia Classic December 28-30.
The Lady Chiefs play in the Beach Ball Classic this week before hosting the NMB Holiday Classic December 29 and 30. Region 6AAAA play begins January 6, 2023, at Wilson.
