Swanson, Vereen propel Myrtle Beach to rout of Georgetown

Craig Martin loves winning. In fact, he craves it.

But he also understands not all wins are created equally.

With that in mind, the Myrtle Beach boys basketball coach has spent much of the past month preparing his team for its Region VII-4A schedule, chock full of solid opponents.

Mere days ahead of the Seahawks’ region opener at Wilson, they played one of their best games of the season, trouncing an undermanned Georgetown squad, 60-26.

“Hard work eventually pays off, it’s going to take a complete team effort,” Martin said. “It’s going to take everyone from No. 1 to No. 15, that when their number is called to go in there and do what they’re supposed to do.

“That’s what this preseason, what call the preseason is for. Everything up to region is to allow kids to get some playing time, figuring out who is doing what, how they can do it and put them in positions to be successful.”

Among the best things Myrtle Beach did in the game was end quarters with a flourish.

The Seahawks ended both the first and third quarters on 10-0 and 6-0 runs, respectively. Of the two, the former proved to be quite debilitating for Georgetown, which had previously cut the Myrtle Beach advantage to two.

Spearheading that run was Robert Swanson, who scored 9 points in the opening stanza. According to Martin, the junior guard brings both smarts and toughness to the team when he is on the floor.

“He knows his role,” he said. “His role has been defined. He knows we expect and need him to come out and do what he does. What he does is have an extremely high basketball IQ and is a great shooter.

“That’s who he is and what he does. And if he’s not able to do that, there’s no reason for him to be out there.”

Swanson led all scorers with 16 points on the night.

Kylis Vereen also had a solid first half for Myrtle Beach, scoring 9 of his 12 points in the opening 16 minutes.

“(Vereen) is getting in better condition, and that is something we have discussed with him,” Martin said. “He had a great day of practice (Monday), and I have always believed you play how you practice. Hopefully we can keep this going.”

As for Georgetown, it was a tough day at the office. Without several players at its disposal, the Bulldogs were unable to generate the type of production coach Michael Ford had hoped.

“We had five guys that contribute a lot not playing, so I had to rely on some guys who I don’t rely on much,” the Georgetown boys hoops coach said. “Everything happens for a reason. So I was able to get them out, allow them to get some game action, and prepare for the real season, which for us begins Monday.”

Darrell Gardner’s 7 points was a team-high for the Bulldogs.

This story was originally published January 3, 2017 at 11:02 PM with the headline "Swanson, Vereen propel Myrtle Beach to rout of Georgetown."