Myrtle Beach boys roll past St. James

MURRELLS INLET -- It was difficult to discern which team entered the game atop the Region VIII-AAA standings Friday night at St. James High.

The Sharks (11-8) entered the game with just one loss in the region, but they were no match for Myrtle Beach, which was trying to improve its chances of securing a playoff spot.

The Seahawks (11-11) jumped out to an eight-point lead in the first quarter and their lead was never truly challenged as they cruised to a surprisingly easy 59-43 win.

“They had a game plan and mental set that they wanted to get a win here, and they did not let anything stop them,” Sharks coach Monty Carr said. “I give the Seahawks all the credit in the world for being as determined as they were when they came into the gym today. … They are playing some really good basketball right now.”

Myrtle Beach improved to 5-3 in the region and pulled within a game of St. James and Wilson, who are tied atop the region at 6-2.

The Seahawks kept their outside shot at a region title alive, and gave themselves a more legitimate chance to earn one of the first round home playoff games that go to the top two teams in the six-team region.

Myrtle Beach showed the balance Friday it has displayed all season, as nine players scored and six had at least five points. Emaray Johnson paced the Seahawks with 12 points, E.J. Goings had 11 and Nolin Butler added 10 points.

“Really we’re just playing to get better every day,” said senior center T.J. Jones, who scored seven points. “My teammates are doing all the work and we’re playing altogether. Everything we do as a family, really we do it as a team. No one person can lead. We all lead together.”

St. James was led by Caleb Duggan’s game-high 17 points. The Sharks travel to Wilson Tuesday night to break the tie atop the region with one additional game remaining for both teams.

“That’s a huge game. A lot can be determined in that game,” Carr said. “As we said at the beginning of the season, it’s wide open. The team that finishes the strongest is going to end up being in the place they need to be.”

The Sharks, typically a good outside shooting team, were held to one 3-pointer by J.C. Cavin midway through the fourth quarter.

“Defense is always a priority,” Jones said. “We just try to get up on them and play physical like we do every day in practice. We come out every game and try to get up under their skin.

“We really focused on defense this game and offense just came with it through turnovers, hustling and effort.”

St. James resorted to a press in the fourth quarter in an attempt to force turnovers and get into the game, but that allowed Myrtle Beach to close out the game with layins and points at the free throw line.

Myrtle Beach survived the ejection of Daquarius Wilson after a pair of technical fouls in the second quarter with the Seahawks leading 19-9, and the subsequent escorting from the gym of a few Seahawks followers after a parent confronted the referee at the scorers’ table.

St. James was unable to gain any momentum from the incidents, or anything else that happened on the court Friday night.

“[The Seahawks] came out tonight and wanted the win,” Carr said. “They used their athletic ability and played the best defense I’ve probably seen them play all year. They caused us fits and we never got a rhythm.”

•  MYRTLE BEACH (59) – Emaray Johnson 12, E.J. Goings 11, Nolin Butler 10, T.J. Jones 7, Tyrone Sutton 6, Tramond Wilson 5, Bert Mack 4, Wayne Vereen 2, Solomon Cooper 2.

•  ST. JAMES (43) – Caleb Duggan 17, Jacob Wright 7, J.C. Cavin 7, Tyrell Dukes 4, TreDarius McCallum 3, Tyus Goodman 2, Russ Sansbury 2, Matt Strange 1.

• 3-point goals: Myrtle Beach 1 (E.Johnson); St. James 1 (Cavin). Team fouls: Myrtle Beach 18, St. James 15. Fouled out: Strange (SJ). Technical fouls: D.Wilson (MB) 2.

• Records: Myrtle Beach 11-11 (5-3 Region VIII-AAA), St. James 11-8 (6-2)