Carolina Forest girls where they hoped to be, even if it wasn’t expected

Honestly, Stacy Hughes was content with leaving Socastee with a win.

With stakes as high as they’ve been in some time for the Carolina Forest girls basketball team, notching the No. 2 spot in Region VI-5A was certainly worth celebrating.

“I’m just glad we were able to get this one,” Hughes said following the Panthers’ 58-39 victory. “This one was big. I told the kids we really needed to focus on this one, because it basically secures us second place in the region. Depending on what we do against Conway, things could change. But we will definitely have the No. 2 seed and a first-round home playoff game. That makes a huge difference.”

Regardless of what happened across the Waccamaw River that same night, Hughes knew her squad had a chance. Little did she believe, however, that the opportunity for an outright league had the potential to still be on the table.

By virtue of Conway being upset Thursday night by South Florence, Carolina Forest pulled even with the rival Tigers atop Region VI-5A. As a result, both teams’ route to a region title now run through each other, meeting Monday night on the Panthers’ home floor, with the winner taking all the marbles.

The likelihood of such being a possibility wasn’t very high to begin the week, with Conway holding a two-game lead over Carolina Forest. However, a pair of losses this past week helped erase the advantage.

Since taking it on the chin a few weeks ago against Conway, the Panthers have used that performance as motivation, knowing another matchup with the Tigers would occur down the road.

“We didn’t play well in transition that game,” Hughes said. “They really got after us, and we had no answer. I believe that we’ve cleaned a lot of that up, and really became a better team since.”

Thirty-two minutes of basketball will help determine if Carolina Forest learned its lesson, or if Conway truly is the better squad.

To the winner, goes the spoils.

Team of the Week

North Myrtle Beach girls: Mere days after notching a 51-point win over Marlboro County, the Chiefs earned a statement win Friday night over Wilson, 60-54. With the victory, North Myrtle Beach moved into sole possession of second place in Region VII-4A, opening the opportunity for it to open the playoffs at home.

‘Fab 5’ Players of the Week

Bryce Schneider, Christian Academy: The Richmond signee notched a triple-double Friday night, scoring 23 points, bringing in 13 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. He also had five steals in the Saints’ 83-27 win over Marlboro Academy.

Alexis Tomlin, Carolina Forest: Scored 28 points and dished out 21 assists in a 59-50 win over Sumter this past week.

Jalinda Johnson, Green Sea Floyds: Had 25 points for the Trojans, albeit in a 68-45 loss to East Clarendon on Friday night.

Tamara Jackson, Green Sea Floyds: Scored 24 points for the Trojans, leading them to a big win over Hemingway this past Tuesday night.

Aquera Johnson, North Myrtle Beach: Earned a double-double Friday night with 14 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Chiefs earn a big road win over Wilson.

3 Games to Watch

▪  Conway at Carolina Forest (girls): This winner-take all matchup Monday night will determine the Region VI-5A championship.

▪  Loris at Dillon (girls): The Lions got the better of Dillon the first time around. Tuesday’s night game will be contested on the Wildcats’ home floor, however, playing a key role how Region VI-3A will be play out.

▪  North Myrtle Beach at Myrtle Beach (girls and boys): While a lot of the Region VII-4A playoff picture has been determined, both of these games could bring further clarity. If nothing else, seeing one of the area’s best rivalries on the hardwood renewed is worth the price of admission.

This story was originally published February 4, 2017 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Carolina Forest girls where they hoped to be, even if it wasn’t expected."