Socastee boys stifle North Myrtle Beach

LITTLE RIVER -- Socastee’s Tommy Johnson is in his fourth decade coaching basketball.

Doesn’t mean he can’t still tack on another first to his long resume.

The Braves, without hitting a single field goal in the fourth quarter, blew out North Myrtle Beach 50-30 Tuesday on the road, eventually heading home with a key region victory under their belt.

“I remember some lean games,” Johnson said. “But I don’t remember not getting a field goal. If you can get a win like that without a field goal in the fourth, it’s a pretty good day.”

All around, it was a stout showing from a team trying to prove it can contend for the Region VIII-AAA title. Socastee’s defense shut down the Chiefs in a huge second quarter. The Braves then connected on nine-of-12 free throws in the final period to prevent any illusions of a North Myrtle Beach comeback.

Because of it all, Socastee (11-6 overall, 3-2 in the region) has solid footing for the second half of region play.

“There’s no better feeling,” Braves senior Travis Frye said after scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds. “That’s the biggest win we’ve had all year – best one we’ve had in a while. A road win like that, up 20 the whole time, we never let up.”

While the final offensive tally showed some faults, the Braves more than made up for it on the defensive side of the ball. Shuffling in six different guards throughout the game, Socastee put the clamps on Chiefs counterparts Jaquan Grissett, Matt Lindsey and Josh Lindsey. The three players were a combined 8-of-30 from the floor, in part because of fresh legs guarding them.

“We go down a little bit on offense for some of them,” Johnson said of his reserve guards. “But we don’t miss too much [defensively]. They’ve all got some separate little skills that they do better than the others. I thought tonight was maybe the best team defense we’ve played in two years.”

It was on full display during the second quarter. During the frame, North Myrtle Beach scored just two points and missed all but one of its 15 attempts.

If Socastee can use that knowledge and ability in the final five games of Region VIII-AAA play, it could end up being the difference between a home playoff game and just sitting at home.

Following St. James’ victory over Wilson on Tuesday, the Braves remained in third place. Socastee lost to Wilson by seven points before beating the Sharks last week.

“I think a lot of times, people underestimate confidence,” Johnson said. “We’re playing pretty confident. And we felt like if we played the way we’ve been playing and play with that confidence, we’d do pretty well.”

•  SOCASTEE (50) – Erick Mortel 5, Donovan Cann 10, Matthew Scalise 2, Will Caswell 3, Travis Frye 18, See Man 7, Tyler Matthews 1, Dakota Morgan 2, Patrick Gardiner 2

•  NORTH MYRTLE BEACH (30) – Josh Lindsay 5, Jaquan Grissett 12, Matt Lindsay 2, Forrest Vereen 2, Rodrick Hemingway 4, Jeff Vereen 2, Marshawn Scott 3

• 3-point goals: Socastee 4 (Mortel, Caswell, Frye, Man); North Myrtle Beach 1 (J. Lindsay). Team fouls: Socastee 6, North Myrtle Beach 17. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.

NMB girls top Socastee

The first four quarters, including a foul-free first half, were close.

However North Myrtle Beach emerged when it mattered most. The Chiefs outscored Socastee 14-0 in the final 2:22 of overtime to improve to 13-6 overall and 3-2 in Region VIII-AAA.

The Braves (7-10, 1-4) scored the first seven points of overtime, including a 3-pointer from Kirstin Zanardo. From there, Socastee went cold, failing to score following two free throws on a technical called on North Myrtle Beach coach Jude Hunt.

The Chiefs helped their cause, forcing eight Socastee turnovers in overtime alone.

North Myrtle Beach guard Taylor Allman led all scorers with 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Zanardo had a team-high 21 points for Socastee.

•  SOCASTEE (49) – Blake Smith 7, Sadreona Grant 3, Madison Lowe 2, Katherine Mose 14, Kirstin Zanardo 21, Sierrah McCarthy 2.

•  NORTH MYRTLE BEACH (56) – Taylor Allman 23, Ja’Quella Livingston 11, India Farmer 12, Venyka Dewitt 6, Kendricka Bellamy 2, Lakhandra Cox 2.

• 3-point goals: Socastee 2 (Zanardo 2); North Myrtle Beach 2 (Allman 2). Team fouls: Socastee 11, North Myrtle Beach 10. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.