High school basketball weekly rewind (Jan. 30, 2016)

Collins filling in nicely for MB

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 executed in the absence of senior point guard Keocia Walker – who returned from a hand injury in the Seahawks’ 56-22 win Tuesday over Georgetown – and is averaging double figures in points per game in Myrtle Beach’s six 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, 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 was working her way back from a right hand injury that kept her sidelined since the Seahawks’ win over Lake City two weeks ago. Walker picked up her game Friday, scoring 14, and Collins chipped in with 2.

“We’re just trying to get [Walker] back in flow of game,” said Dennison, whose team is 5-1 in region play.

Loris girls on rise

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

In fact, the Lions are soaring.

A year removed from a 2-17 season, Loris defeated Aynor 53-20 on Tuesday night and Marion 58-55 on Friday night to improve to 8-6 overall and 3-2 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.”

Jackson filling it up for GSF

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. The sophomore added another 16 in a 58-28 loss to Carvers Bay on Friday.

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.”

With Jackson complemented by 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.”

CAMB hitting stride

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,” said Gore, whose team hit four in a loss to Gray Collegiate on Friday. “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 as well, and had 14 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and five assists Tuesday. He added 35 points against Trinity-Byrnes on Thursday and 22 more Friday.

“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 Tuesday and 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists Friday.

“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. McCauley 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.”

This story was originally published January 30, 2016 at 7:32 PM with the headline "High school basketball weekly rewind (Jan. 30, 2016)."