High school roundup (Jan. 26, 2016)

Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach coach Darren Gore doesn’t exactly condone jacking up 3-pointers.

But when his Saints are hot from behind the arc, he won’t complain.

On Tuesday, Christian Academy hit 12 3-pointers en route to a dominant 82-34 win over Florence Christian.

“Well, these guys like shooting 3s. I don’t like it, really, but these were good shots,” Gore said. “We shot as well as we had all season; guys were catching the ball in rhythm and were taking some excellent shots. We took a few more than usual, but we were just hitting them. It was kind of contagious in that second half – everyone was hitting 3s.”

The Saints got out to a hefty 17-point advantage at halftime, but picked it up in the second half with some hard-nosed basketball.

“We played really well. I was happy with the first half, but we really played well in the second,” Gore said. “We played, defensively, the way we wanted to. We talked about not worrying much about the score and just playing basketball; they were getting after loose balls and played with a lot of good energy.”

Jalen Matthews had a game-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks, and Jaylen Johnson scored 16 for Christian Academy. Heading into the game, Matthews had been in somewhat of a slump and impressed Gore with his play.

“They have really stepped up,” Gore said of Matthews and Johnson.

Freshman Michael Green has continued to step up, and had 14 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and five assists Tuesday.

“Michael does what Michael does, every night. He’s very consistent,” Gore said. “He builds the stat sheet for you and always plays good defense. He’s just a leader and gets guys in the right spots on the floor and continues to improve his game.”

Also steadily improving for the Saints is sophomore Robert Guyton, who had seven points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“Robert brings a lot of energy,” Gore said. “He’s very consistent on defense and puts up some big rebounding numbers.”

Senior Ian McCauley has also been crashing the boards. He grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with his six points and three assists Tuesday.

“He’s a beast on the boards,” Gore said.

With his team at full strength and at 6-0 in SCISA Region III-AA, Gore said he’s glad all the pieces are coming together.

“We’re playing well right now,” Gore said. “I keep saying we’re getting better and better each game, each week. We’re correcting our mistakes, we’re healthy and we’re all improving. That’s all you can ask for. I’m happy with the way the kids are playing right now.”

Girls basketball

Ivy Collins has been a nice commodity for the Myrtle Beach girls basketball team.

And the sophomore guard is stepping up at just the right time.

Collins has been executing in the absence of senior point guard Keocia Walker – who just returned from a hand injury in the Seahawks’ 56-22 win Tuesday over Georgetown – and is averaging 12.2 points per game in Myrtle Beach’s five Region VII-AAA contests.

“Ivy is one of our outstanding sophomore guards,” said Myrtle Beach coach Jennifer Dennison, referring to her trio of sophomore guards in Collins, and the Horton sisters (Jalah and Janell). “She’s peaking at the right time.”

Collins scored 12 points, and Walker had just one point Tuesday in a limited role as she works her way back from a right hand injury that kept her sidelined since the Seahawks’ win over Lake City two weeks ago.

“We’re just trying to get [Walker] back in flow of game,” said Dennison, whose team is 4-1 in region play.

Meanwhile, junior forwards Nia Sumpter and Kiana Adderton each put up a double-double as the duo continues to impress. Sumpter had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Adderton had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Myrtle Beach, which raced out to a 27-6 halftime advantage against the Bulldogs.

“We played as a team,” Dennison said. “We played good defense and we’re just trying to get better with the flow on offense.”

Dennison hopes her team has it figured out for Friday’s rematch with Wilson, which beat the Seahawks in their Region VII-AAA opener on Jan. 9.

“We just want everyone on the Grand Strand to come out and support us and cheer us on,” she said. “It’s going to be a big game.”

As point guard, Tamara Jackson’s not exactly trying to be such a volume scorer.

It’s just happening that way.

Jackson had 32 points on Tuesday night to lead the Green Sea Floyds girls basketball team to a 51-40 win over Lake View.

Entering the week, Jackson was already leading the area in scoring at 22.9 points per game.

“We had to adjust a little bit for it,” Trojans coach Tracy Kienast said of having a scoring point guard. “At the same time, she’s trying to get other people shots. But if she has that opportunity [to score] she has to be able to go ahead and take it. She’s very quick so that helps her get by defenders.”

Paired with post players Quadasia Gillard and Paige McDaniels, Kienast has been able to put each – and others – in position to get quality looks.

“We’ve kind of set up some plays that gives us options,” Kienast said. “If a team over plays our guards, that leaves the post players open. We let Tamara read that and see what’s open. If they focus on them, she can find Jalinda [Johnson], our shooting guard.”

Kienast said Jackson’s scoring has simply been a product of the style of play.

“It’s not focused where she’s our scorer,” he said. “But if she’s open, she shoots.”

Meanwhile, Gillard (first in area, 14.5 rebounds) and McDaniels (eighth, 8.2) have given the Trojans a dominant force in the paint.

“ ’Dasia and Paige average about 22-23 rebounds a game,” Kienast said. “We supplement that with what everyone else does.”

There was nowhere to go but up for the Loris girls basketball team this season.

The Lions are making the most of it.

A year removed from a 2-17 season, Loris defeated Aynor 53-20 on Tuesday night to improve to 7-6 overall and 2-2 in Region VIII-AA.

“They’re coming together good and looking a lot better,” Lions coach Fred Grate said. “I see improvement from last year. We went 2-17 last year and we’ve already surpassed that. I’m looking for a little bit better [now].”

Loris has itself in position to potentially earn a playoff spot, something that was far from the radar last season.

“Right now we’re looking at possibly finishing third in the region,” Grate said. “The morale is very good. Everyone is motivated. They’re eager to work hard each day.”

The Lions’ lineup features two freshman in Nenadra Gause and Tyanna Green, two sophomores in Ikela Green and Lanise Harris and a junior in Myia Bellamy. Getting more experience under their belt has helped provide the better results.

“We handle the ball a lot better. Our free throws have improved immensely,” Grate said. “That’s where a big part comes in and our rebounding has also been better.”

On Tuesday night, Harris had six points and 15 rebounds, Bellamy had four points and 10 rebounds and Gause had 11 points and eight rebounds.

▪ Carolina Forest 51, (at) Socastee 39 | Alexis Tomlin had a game-high 26 points to lead the Panthers past hte Braves.

Boys basketball

▪ Latta 60, (at) Carvers Bay 48 | Kartilus McFadden and Tyquan Porter had 15 points each to lead the Vikings to a win over the Bears.

Arkel Williams had a team-high 14 points, and Dijon Goss had 11 points for Carvers Bay, which fell to 3-1 in Region VIII-A play.

▪ Carolina Forest 55, (at) Socastee 51 | Duane Moss had 18 points to lead the Panthers to a narrow win over the Braves.

A young Socastee team came up just short in an upset attempt.

“It was a tight game pretty much all game,” Braves coach DeAndre Scott said. “I thought we played well tonight.”

▪ Myrtle Beach 52, (at) Georgetown 49 | Keyonte Sessions hit four key free throws down the stretch as the Seahawks held off the Bulldogs.

It was the second straight Region VII-AAA win for Myrtle Beach.

“Especially in region play, every game is a huge game,” Seahawks coach Craig Martin said. “You can’t take a night off, especially in our region. You’ve got to be your best at all times. Hopefully we can keep moving forward.”

Robert Swanson had a game-high 17 for Myrtle Beach and Bryce Schneider added 12.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 11:12 PM with the headline "High school roundup (Jan. 26, 2016)."