WILMINGTON- The 19th annual Leon Brogden Holiday Tournament tipped off Thursday afternoon at Hanover Hall on the campus of UNCW in the opening game between the Laney boys basketball team and the Hoke County Bucks.
The Bucks used six shots from long range and a full-court press to jump out to a 38-24 halftime lead, fueled by Laney turnovers. Hoke continued to pressure Laney’s back court in the second half, which led to transition points and open shots for the Bucks. Keshawn Shaw-Willis hit all four of his baskets from behind the arc as six different players scored in double digits for Hoke. Tarique Thompson had a game-high 16 points and Rashad Parker added 13 points in the win.
Sophomore Kirby Kealon scored a team-high 10 points for Laney. The teams hit a combined 14 baskets from three-point land.
The Bucs drop into the losers’ bracket, where they will take on North Myrtle Beach, S.C., High School at 2:30 p.m. Friday in Hanover Hall. Hoke County advances to the winners’ bracket, and will play New Hanover at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Box score
Hoke 19-19-23-19=80
Laney 8-16-13-8=45
Player stats- Laney: Kirby Kealon, 10 points; Kevin Bell, nine points; Tariq Lane, six points; Tevin Jones, five points; Kevin Bell, three points; Ty Balcombe, four points; Ryan Perkins, three points; Nick Hufham, three points; Nick Parker, two points.
Hoke: Tarique Thompson, 16 points; Rashad Parker, 13 points; Keshawn Shaw-Willis, 12 points; Octavius Williams, 12 points; Brennen Wright, 10 points; Tymell Blue, 10 points; Ty’shod Ray, two points.
New Hanover vs. North Myrtle Beach, S.C.-The second boys game of the afternoon featured the visiting North Myrtle Beach Chiefs and the defending 4A state champion New Hanover Wildcats.
The matchup remained even through the first 16 minutes of play as both teams traded baskets up and down the floor. Jaquan Grissett paced the Chiefs early on with his ability to get to the basket and shoot from the outside. Grissett finished with 12 points.
Nigel Holley got off to a slow start for the Wildcats, but the combination of Tyree Johnson, Logan Chaucer and Brad Hitchman gave New Hanover a lift and a 20-17 lead to close out the first half.
A more intense New Hanover squad came out in the third quarter and used its speed and size down low to take over the game. Holley erupted for 12 of his team-high 17 points in the second half. He also helped keep the Chiefs to one shot per offensive possession with his seven rebounds.
With Trevon Brown out of the game early because of foul trouble, the senior stepped up late with two steals and put the game away with an emphatic slam with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
“We definitely didn’t have our best effort out there tonight, especially offensively. I thought on the defensive side of the floor we were able to pressure their shooters and without much of a post presence, we were able to take advantage down low. In the second half, we were much more intense and it showed when we finally got Nigel going down low in the paint,” New Hanover Coach Kirk Angel said.
New Hanover will play Hoke in the winners’ bracket at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Trask Coliseum. North Myrtle Beach takes on Laney at 2:30 p.m. in Hanover Hall.
Box score
N. Myrtle Beach 9-8-11-9=37
New Hanover 10-10-19-12=51
Player stats-New Hanover: Nigel Holley, 17 points, seven rebounds; Tyree Johnson, 11 points, two steals; Logan Chaucer, six points; Brad Hitchman, six points, two steals; Trevon Brown, five points, three assists, two steals; Darrius Doughty, two points; Garrett Walker, two points; Nykheinma Walker, two points.
N. Myrtle Beach: Jaquan Grissett, 12 points; Marshawn Scott, eight points; Forrest Vereen, four points; Jahlen Livingston, four points; Josh Lindsey, three points; Matt Lindsay, two points; Tyrique Robinson, two points.
Ashley vs. Ashbrook– Too many second-half turnovers hurt the Ashley Eagles in a 67-41 loss to Ashbrook High in their first round matchup at Hanover Hall.
Ridell Camidge hit two early three-pointers in the first quarter but was held scoreless for the rest of the game as Ashley had to rely on big man T.J. Williams to provide that spark on the offensive side of the floor. Williams hit nine of his team-high 13 points in the first half with the Eagles trailing by one (28-27) at the break.
Williams had trouble getting things going later on in the game as Ashbrook’s full-court press proved to be the difference maker. The Green Wave held the Eagles to just two field goals in the third quarter, and even with the game still within reach heading into the final eight minutes, turnovers ended any hope of an Ashley comeback. Delson Leach had an all-around effort with 18 points in the win. Grant Stafford also scored 12 of his 13 points in the final quarter for Ashbrook.
Ashley will face Frederick Douglass Academy at 5:30 p.m. Friday while the Green Wave face Hoggard in the night cap at 7:30 p.m.
Box score
Ashbrook 15-11-12-29=67
Ashley 12-13-4-12=41
Player stats- Ashley: T.J. Williams, 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists; Tyre Gathright, seven points; Ridell Camidge, six points, four rebounds, one assist; Trey Eller, four points; P.J. Brown, four points; Tyler Caproni, four points; Clayton McGee, two points; Tony Mack, one point.
Ashbrook: Delshon Leach, 18 points; Grant Stafford, 13 points; Alex Linder, nine points; Trey Dellinger, seven points; Antonio Blalock, seven points; Aveontay Armstrong, four points; Austin Mitchell, four points; Josh Cloyd, two points; Tristen Rodriguez, two points; Russell Bess, one point.
Hoggard vs. Douglass– Day one of the annual tournament wrapped up Thursday night with Hoggard and Frederick Douglass Academy out of Harlem, N.Y. The Vikings’ size proved to be too much to handle for an undersized Lions’ squad as Trevor Singleton dominated down low in the 59-41 win. Singleton finished the night with a game-high 26 points.
Seth Thomas got things going for Hoggard with two quick baskets, which were followed by a Singleton pass from the post to Authin Louthan for a lay-in as the Vikes took an early 8-0 lead. Collin Clarke answered for Douglass with a high arcing floater from the baseline to get within four, but Singleton scored off a rebound and Joe O’Donnell knocked down a trey to extend Hoggard’s lead to 15-6 at the end of the first quarter.
The Vikings continued to dominate play in the second frame as Singleton started to get going underneath the basket. The junior hit two put backs off missed Hoggard shots and after a Douglass miss, Louthan ran the break and made a nice pass to O’Donnell in transition for a high percentage lay-in.
With a 12-point lead at the half, it looked like Hoggard was going to run away with the contest. Shawn Robinson hit Louthan on a backdoor pass to open the third quarter, but a feisty Douglass team continued to work and slowly crept back into the ballgame. The Lions press forced a few turnovers and Andre Hampton hit a turnaround jumper off a crossover dribble to get within striking distance. Jerell Decaille then made it a five point game off on a basket off a rebound.
At that point, Hoggard Coach Brett Queen took a much-needed timeout, and after that, the Vikings finally took over the game with Singleton’s presence in the paint and their ability to run the floor. Douglass turnovers led to eight straight fast-break points and Singleton put an exclamation point on the win with two big slams to close it out.
Hoggard advances into the semi-finals at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Ashbrook. Douglass will play Ashley at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Box score
Douglass 6-5-14-16=41
Hoggard 15-10-12-22=59
Player stats- Hoggard: Trevor Singleton, 26 points, five rebounds, four blocks; Joe O’Donnell, 13 points; Seth Thomas, eight points; Austin Louthan, four points; Doug Shafer, two points; Shawn Robinson, two points; Harrison James, two points; Shane Willis, two points.
Douglass: Collin Clarke, 12 points, four rebounds; Andre Hampton, 11 points, five rebounds; Jerell Decaille, seven points, four rebounds; Jason Greene, seven points; Kelvin Sparks Jr., three points; Stephen Ward, one point.
