Myrtle Beach boys outlast Socastee

SOCASTEE -- Scoring on one possession is difficult, but when you get two and three chances, odds are you’re going to win a basketball game.

This is exactly what took place in the Myrtle Beach and Socastee boys game Friday night.

Although the final score of 58-57 might not show it, the Seahawks outrebounded the Braves on the offensive end all night long in their win.

With three minutes left in the game, Myrtle Beach was up by two. In the matter of two minutes, the Seahawks had a five-point lead after Tramond Wilson nailed two free throws. However, that wouldn’t stop the home team from coming back.

With 1:37 left in the game, Travis Frye got Socastee within three after he got a runner to fall. Frye, who led the Braves with 16 points, later got fouled going to the hoop and nailed the free throws to bring them within three again after Myrtle Beach’s E.J. Goings got a layup to go.

With 21 seconds left to go in the game, the Braves were able to get a turnover at midcourt. Socastee’s See Man got the ball to Tyler Matthews in the corner for a 3, but it was rejected by the Seahawks’ Emaray Johnson.

Throughout the entire game, Myrtle Beach got numerous chances on the offensive end. There were numerous occasions that it had four or five attempts from inside rebounding from T.J. Jones and Wilson.

In the first quarter, both teams came out on fire. They would trade the lead back and forth for the first four minutes. The Braves, though, closed out the quarter on a 5-0 run thanks in part to Cann, Dakota Morgan and Erick Mortel. For a part of the quarter, Cann scored on three straight possessions for Socastee getting six of his 13 points.

The second quarter was big for Wilson, who scored seven of his 16 points in the frame. The Seahawks and Braves would go into halftime tied at 29.

Myrtle Beach held the Braves to eight points in the third quarter, which proved to be the dagger for Socastee.

MB girls hold on

In the girls game, it was a tale of two halves as Myrtle Beach won 51-40.

The Seahawks came out slow as Socastee gave Myrtle Beach everything it could handle. The second half is where the Seahawks pulled away.

“We talked at halftime and we played pretty good defense for the first half,” Seahawks coach Brian Kiper said. “We just couldn’t make a basket. I told them they couldn’t get frustrated. We started making more baskets the second half and kept that defense up, which allowed us to get this win.”

Myrtle Beach, which was playing without starting forward Tanisha Brown, tallied only 13 points in the first quarter. They got started on a Martina Ballestero 3. Khadijah Sessions had six of her game-high 32 points in the quarter.

“Tanisha had a MRI today and we won’t get the results [until] Tuesday,” Kiper said. “We are going to have to get contribution from others and we did that tonight. Not one person can make up for what Tanisha did. It is going to have to be a team effort.”

The Seahawks took control in the second half, holding Socastee 11 points in the third quarter. Socastee was down by as many 13 but was able to get within eight.

Zanardo finished the game as the high scorer for the Braves with 15 points.

“I don’t think we played with a great sense of urgency in the third quarter,” Socastee coach Ginger Ford said. “I think we were very focused in the first half. Our game plan worked for the first half but it then became like we had to convince them that we were still in the game. We finished the game out strong though.”

•  MYRTLE BEACH (51) – Najae Grant 2, Khadijah Sessions 32, Tyrenda Sutton 2, Martina Ballestero 3, Tasha Chestnut 3, Christiana Myers 7, Kardejah Anderson 2.

•  SOCASTEE (40) – Blake Smith 8, Heather Kyker 2, Sadreona Grant 2, Madison Lowe 1, Katherine Mose 2, Sierrah McCarthy 10, Curstan Zanardo 15.

• 3-point goals: Myrtle Beach 3 (Sessions 2, Ballestero 1), Socastee 3 (Zanardo 3). Team fouls: Myrtle Beach 16, Socastee 22. Fouled out: Smith (Socastee), Mose (Socastee). Technical fouls: None.

• Records: Myrtle Beach 14-2 (2-0 Region VIII-AAA), Socastee 1-1 Region VIII-AAA.