The Hardwood Report (Jan. 24)

Through adversity, a team’s true character is often revealed.

Notorious for scheduling as difficult a docket for his Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach squad, boys basketball coach Darren Gore was afraid he may have outdone himself this season as the Saints limped to an 0-6 start.

“As the old saying goes, ‘To be the best, you have to beat the best,’ ” he said. “Well, we don’t always win those games, but I believe we take away a lot about team and players even in the losses. This year’s schedule has probably been the most challenging, and with a young team I was concerned the early losses – especially going 0-6 might break their will instead of make them tougher.”

But as has been a common theme during Gore’s tenure, the Saints’ early stumbles have proven as a catalyst for success later in the season.

Aside from Columbia-area powerhouse Hammond Academy, few SCISA teams are hotter than Christian Academy, having won seven consecutive games. In those games, the Saints have outscored opponents by an average of 24 points.

“So far, I’m very pleased with where we are as a team,” Gore said. “We are gaining confidence and becoming a more complete team every time we touch the floor.”

In the belief of the Christian Academy head coach, the team’s upward trajectory is largely based on its commitment to building a tight bond.

“We wanted to see them bond as a family,” he said. “With young players, especially ones that are getting some early recognition, there’s a tendency for them to concentrate on their own stats and play rather than the team’s goals. I’m very happy to say our kids are really buying in to what we are teaching them and they are starting to play for each other and they are seeing the rewards of doing so.”

More importantly, the Saints are peaking at the right time. Through the first rotation of SCISA Region III-AA play, the team is undefeated – and has gone largely unchallenged – despite its relative youth.

Without question, Christian Academy’s floor general is senior guard Bernard Jones, one of the last members of the program’s 2014 state championship team. Recently, the upperclassman scored his 1,000th point for his career, a rare achievement in high school basketball.

According to Gore, his calmness and leadership have proven beneficial to the team’s ability to rebound from its slow start.

“(Jones) is an outstanding player and having him back on the floor (from last year’s ACL injury) has been huge for our team,” he said. “He has the experience, he’s played in big games and brings the senior leadership our team needed. He is so explosive and can score at will, but also has great vision and quickness, as well as a knowledge of how to get his teammates in the game early.

“… Sometimes he’s a scorer or dishes out the assists, or gets the big rebound we need. He can also take over a game on both ends of the floor whether it is great on-ball defense, or getting to the basket for a much needed bucket.”

While Jones is the unquestioned leader, it is a trio of underclassmen who are coming of age for Christian Academy.

The Saints’ youthful roster has allowed freshmen Michael Green and Jay Williams, along with sophomore Jaylen Johnson to showcase their wares. Green is the leading scorer with almost 17 points per game, while Williams and Johnson are averaging nearly 11 themselves.

However, this is no one-man show. The team’s value has revealed itself in quality depth.

“(Green) is going to be an incredible player,” Gore said. “He is so young and talented, absolutely loves the game. … We are fortunate though that teams can’t focus on Bernard or Michael because we have other very strong players and depth.

“What we lack in height, we make up for in talent and energy. Johnson and Robert Guyton both are excellent defenders and scorers in their own right. Williams and Jalen Matthews are another pair that continue to grow in their roles, and have proven to be valuable to our team’s success. Ian McCauley, another senior, Allen Butler, John Sessums and Luigi Piccione all provide the depth we’ve needed to play our aggressive style of defense and they provide scoring when needed.

Certainly, things are clicking on all cylinders at the moment for Christian Academy … but there remain plenty mountains to climb.

This coming week alone has its share of tests, with the Saints hosting region foe Florence Christian and a solid Gray Collegiate Academy squad, and a showdown with one of SCISA Class AA’s top teams in Trinity-Byrnes sandwiched in between. Christian Academy also will travel to Columbia early next month to take on Hammond Academy, which came in ranked No. 11 in the latest MaxPreps national high school basketball poll.

“(Hammond) is a big game and we are excited about the opportunity to close out the regular season with a game against the best team in the state. They are loaded with talented players,” Gore said. “But we have plenty of work to do before we get to those guys. Trinity-Byrnes is having an excellent season, and are well coached. They will be one of the teams with an excellent shot at the state title. That game will give us a good idea where we stand before the state playoffs begin.

“We also have Gray Collegiate coming to our place Friday night. They beat us earlier this year, and are outstanding. … We hope to give them a better game this time around.”

WEATHER WREAKS HAVOC ON HOOPS SCHEDULE

With Winter Storm Jonas barreling up the East Coast, a number of Grand Strand area basketball teams were given a rare Friday night off due to games being postponed.

Among the doubleheaders postponed were: Marion at Waccamaw; Carvers Bay at Hemingway; Green Sea Floyds at Latta; Aynor at Mullins; and Georgetown at Wilson.

The Green Sea Floyds-Latta and Aynor-Mullins matchups will take place Wednesday, while Carvers Bay and Hemingway will take to the hardwood on Saturday, Jan. 30. Georgetown will travel to Wilson to make up their game on Feb. 3, with Marion and Waccamaw playing on Feb. 4

All games are at regular tip times – girls at 6 p.m., and boys at 7:30 p.m.

Also rescheduled was the doubleheader between South Florence and Socastee, originally set for last Tuesday. Out of concern for those at South Florence High School following the death of volleyball and junior varsity basketball coach Michelle Hickson, the boys and girls varsity games at Socastee were postponed till Saturday, Jan. 30.

FAB FIVE PERFORMANCES OF THE WEEK

Tamara Jackson (Green Sea Floyds): Jackson poured in a game-high 35 points, leading the Trojans to a 63-37 victory over Creek Bridge on Tuesday night.

Arkel Williams (Carvers Bay): Williams’ 29-point performance led the Bears Tuesday night in a dominant win over Lake View.

Bryce Schneider (Myrtle Beach): The Seahawks’ senior scored 11 of his game-high 25 points in the third quarter of Friday’s game against North Myrtle Beach, pushing his team to a 69-51 victory and their first Region VII-AAA win of the season.

Bernard Jones (Christian Academy): The senior’s 22 points helped lead the Saints to a 67-21 rout of Marlboro Academy on Tuesday night.

Aquera Johnson (North Myrtle Beach): Her 20 points and 15 rebounds on Tuesday night helped lead the Chiefs to a 61-35 win over Georgetown.

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 8:28 PM with the headline "The Hardwood Report (Jan. 24)."