Hardwood Report (Feb. 6, 2016)

Every opportunity to take the floor is one to be cherished, especially this time of year when the margin for error is so slim, and the consequences potentially fatal to teams’ chances at moving ever closer to their goal of a championship.

Whereas most leagues across the state have a marked distinction between their “haves and have nots,” the Region VII-AAAA boys race could not be more different.

With regular-season play drawing to a close this week, four teams – Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, St. James and Wilson – have a viable shot at a region title, each coming into the home stretch with a 5-3 mark in league play.

“In every region, every team studies the other and kind of figures out what each other does well,” said Myrtle Beach head basketball coach Craig Martin. “But this is certainly a fun position I’m guessing for each of the four teams involved, knowing that there is so much to play for in the season’s final week.”

Similar to the conference’s standing in comparison to others statewide, the way in which these teams arrived to a bottleneck at the top couldn’t be much different.

▪ Jumping out to an early lead in conference play thanks to wins in its first three games, Wilson lost its next three region contests, including setbacks at Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach by two points or less. The Tigers have since rebounded, taking games against Georgetown and Lake City in dominant fashion.

▪ After losing in its region opener, St. James won five of its next six games, pushing the Sharks to the top of the league table. However, a loss to Myrtle Beach on Friday put them back into the conference’s mosh pit at the top.

▪ Dead last in the league after three games, Myrtle Beach has reeled off five consecutive victories, propelling it back into the thick of the region race. During this stretch, the Seahawks have beaten each of the other three co-leaders in Region VII-AAA. The team has also shown a flair for the dramatic, earning hard-fought wins over Georgetown (by three points), Wilson (by a point in overtime) and Lake City (two points).

▪ North Myrtle Beach spent the first few weeks of league play alternating wins and losses until this past week, when the Chiefs were able to get past Wilson by a bucket in overtime, and a 57-39 victory over Georgetown.

This coming week could finally be the one that officially separates the region’s top dogs from the rest of the pound.

On Tuesday, St. James visits Wilson, while rivals North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach clash on the hardwood. Also, one cannot forget about Lake City, which also has a lot to play for in matchups with North Myrtle Beach and St. James.

Each of the league’s top contenders hits the road once this week, while playing host one night as well. With this being the case, coaches are stressing the importance of protecting their home court.

“To get those home region wins is always key … that helps your standing in the region race,” said St. James boys basketball coach Monty Carr.

No team in the league has put its home-court advantage to better use than Wilson, with each of the four Region VII-AAA foes leaving Florence with a loss. Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach each have gone 3-1 at home during region play, while St. James has split its four conference games played at “The Shark Tank.”

While protecting home court takes on great importance, so does the ability to steal a game away from home. With the season dwindling to only a game or two and the race to the top so tight, being able to win on an opponent’s home floor may prove to be the deciding factor.

“Sometimes you can catch a team on their home floor having a tough night, or one of their key players is sick or injured,” Martin said. “But you’re always looking to take a team’s best shot on their home floor, and if you’re able to pull one out … you’re ecstatic. If you don’t, you are disappointed but also know it’s not the end of the world.”

Should there be a tie in the region standings, head-to-head will be the first tiebreaker. The second one would use a system awarding points to teams based on wins over region opponents, and those teams’ placement in the standings.

WHAT’S UP WITH REGION VI-AAAA?

As exciting as Region VII-AAA has been, the Region VI-AAAA boys race has been as equally puzzling.

After lighting up the scoreboard Tuesday in a 90-63 shellacking of Carolina Forest, it seemed West Florence – regarded all season as one of the state’s top teams – was finally hitting its stride. Since then, the Knights have lost two straight, falling 60-55 to crosstown rival South Florence and a shocking home loss to Conway, 58-57.

Oddly, Conway also suffered quite a puzzling loss earlier in the week, beaten in overtime by a Socastee club previously winless in region play, 68-63.

Meanwhile, the same team that seemed powerless Tuesday night in an all out assault by West Florence showed its mettle a few nights later, defeating the top team in the league, Sumter, on its home floor.

With the season steering into its final week, Sumter and South Florence sit atop the league, with Carolina Forest in third at 5-3. Each of them has secured playoff bids.

West Florence is 4-4 in conference play, and can earn its spot in the postseason with a win in either of its final two games. Conway must win out and hope the Knights lose each of their last two games.

The way this league is trending, however, anything is possible.

FAB FIVE PERFORMANCES OF THE WEEK

Nia Sumpter (Myrtle Beach): A week in which the junior forward scored her 1,000th career point, Sumpter followed a 28-point performance in a win Tuesday night over Lake City with 21 points in leading the Seahawks to a win over St. James.

Darren Stanley (Conway): His 26 points were not enough Tuesday night as the Tigers fell to Socastee in overtime.

Duane Moss (Carolina Forest): Valiant in defeat, Moss scored 25 points in the Panthers’ loss to West Florence on Tuesday night.

Meme Williams (Conway): The Tigers’ leading scorer had 22 points to help Conway get past West Florence on Friday night.

Aquera Johnson (North Myrtle Beach): Johnson had 22 points for the Chiefs in a loss to Wilson on Tuesday night.

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Hardwood Report (Feb. 6, 2016)."