Myrtle Beach finishes unblemished region run with drubbing of NMB

Despite leaving Little River last month with 44-35 victory over North Myrtle Beach, the Myrtle Beach girls basketball team left with a bad taste in its mouth.

In the Seahawks’ belief, they did not play up to their own lofty standards.

So with the rival Chiefs making the trip south on Thursday, Myrtle Beach was eager to make amends.

“Last time we played at North Myrtle, we only won by nine at their home,” said Myrtle Beach standout Kiana Adderton. “So we knew coming out tonight, we had to win. … We weren’t going to lose tonight, not to North Myrtle.”

Locked in from the outset, the Wright State signee made sure this contest wouldn’t finish too close for comfort.

Adderton scored 12 of her game-high 19 points in the game’s opening quarter, allowing the Seahawks to open a large lead en route to a 57-28 victory.

With the win, Myrtle Beach closes the regular season with a 19-2 record, including an unblemished 8-0 mark in Region VII-4A.

By virtue of its decisive victory over Marlboro County on Tuesday night, the Seahawks’ playoff fate was already secure. It didn’t mean they felt there was little to play for, however.

“I think the fact we were playing North Myrtle Beach, along with the feeling they didn’t play up to their potential the last time we played them,” said Myrtle Beach girls basketball coach Jennifer Dennison. “They were focused. The seniors — they call themselves the ‘Fab Five’ — they are real close and say no one can break the chain between them, they came out and really set the tone.”

While certainly efficient on the offensive end of the floor, the Seahawks weren’t too bad on defense either. In a first half dominated by those in green and gold, Myrtle Beach held its rivals to the north to a mere 8 points.

More frustrating for North Myrtle Beach was the fact it was playing for the No. 2 spot in Region VII-4A, and the first round home playoff game that comes with it.

“Everything went their way,” said North Myrtle Beach girls basketball coach Jude Hunt. “Maybe we talked ourselves out of it. We had a game plan coming in that we thought was a pretty good one, but they came out and Kiana Adderton hit some big shots that opened it up. We just had a hard time getting back in it.”

Aquera Johnson was the lone Chiefs player in double figures, scoring 15 points. She also had five rebounds.

As for Myrtle Beach, Nia Sumpter had 13 points and seven rebounds.

“We’ve been harping on playing great defense, limiting turnovers and executing our plays,” the Seahawks senior standout said. “That’s what we did down the stretch, and throughout the game as well.”

Myrtle Beach will open the playoffs Tuesday at home against Dreher — their first meeting since playing for the Class 3A state title a season ago. Finishing in Region VII-4A’s No. 3-spot, North Myrtle Beach will make the trip to Orangeburg-Wilkinson.

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 11:41 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach finishes unblemished region run with drubbing of NMB."