High school basketball weekly rewind (Jan. 16, 2016)

Johnson twins playing lead role for Chiefs

While North Myrtle Beach’s Aquera Johnson and Shaquera Johnson are twins, they are not identical.

Neither are their games.

They are similar in height, but Aquera Johnson is a “little big stronger” and Shaquera Johnson is “a little bit faster,” Chiefs girls basketball coach Jude Hunt said.

“Aquera is basically our leader on and off the floor. She pretty much is the enforcer on our team. She plays a big role for us in about everything we do,” he added. “Shaquera is one of our hustlers. She dives after every loose ball. She gets after everything. She plays a big role for us on the defensive end.”

Playing on a team with just one senior, Aquera Johnson has taken on a leadership role in helping the younger players’ growth.

“Aquera does a really good job of taking the younger girls and pulling them in and working with them and being a good teammate to them,” Hunt said. “She speaks out when something’s wrong. She’s the one who addresses the girls in the locker room.”

It appears to be helping, Hunt said.

“A lot of them we’re asking to step up for the first time this year,” he said. “They’re starting to respond. They’re all coming along pretty good.”

However, it all starts with the Johnson twins.

“They’re a big part of our offense and defense,” Hunt said. “They do a really good job for us.”

Saints ramping up the ‘D’

Lately, defensive has been Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach’s offense.

Having implemented a pair of presses, Saints boys basketball coach Darren Gore said defense is leading to plenty of offense these days.

“We’ve really been working on our defense. We put in a press after the Christmas break and te guys have responded well,” he said. “We’re young but we’re starting to gel as a team. When our press is working, our offense is clicking.”

The Saints have been using a diamond press along with a 2-2-1. While the diamond is more aggressive and the 2-2-1 is a little more mild, the results have been the same.

“Our guys are getting to be more instinctive of when the traps need to come and where they need to be to get steals,” Gore said.

It’s making a difference. For example, Christian Academy defeated Marlboro Academy 67-21 on Tuesday night. Before the Christmas break, the Saints won the same matchup 63-46. This time, they also held Kyle Blair, whom Gore said averages about 22 points per game, to 10 points.

“Defensively we just weren’t doing the things we needed to do,” Gore said. “We’re really starting to come together now.”

Gore gives much of the credit to assistant coaches P.C. Henry and Alex Morris, both former players at the school, and Dr. Clark Butler.

“I just coach the team,” Gore said. “Those guys do all the hard work.”

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 7:21 PM with the headline "High school basketball weekly rewind (Jan. 16, 2016)."