MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The number 18 and Myrtle Beach usually conjure up images of fairways, greens and days spent in the sun.  However, the past 18 years has provided some winter highlights for the South Carolina tourist jewel by way of the both the Crescom Bank Holiday Classic for girls and the post-Christmas Beach Ball Classic on the boys side.  Myrtle Beach is a city of prep basketball history, and Mayor John Rhodes and his staff put on a top rate event.

This year’s CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational provided some marquee match ups including top tier players, coaches and programs.  It was admittedly a little strange seeing the deserted beaches glowing with Christmas lights, but make no mistake about it that the stars were shining just as brightly on the court.

For highlights and results, follow the link below.

http://www.beachballclassic.com/category/holiday-invitational/

We are going to break down our coverage into two parts here, starting with….

SENIORS LEAD THE WAY

With her future UNC Tarheel teammates looking on, Dreher’s (SC) Jaelynn Murray showed the dangerous face up game that she looks forward to bringing to the ACC next year. Her ability to create her own shot and score in different ways should bring a lot of versatility to the Carolina front court.

Princess Stewart is heading to Xavier next year, but she’s clearly focused on helping Franklin County (KY) continue its winning ways. Her 20 points against Hillside led them to a Consolation Bracket Championship, and that was far from her first impressive showing here.

South Carolina had to love what they saw out of their future forward Elisia Grissett this week. Grissett can be a handful to deal with all over the place, wreaking havoc at the top of Hillside’s press and having long stretches of basically lay-up practice against opponents. She even caught a beautiful lob and finishing in motion while gliding through the air.

Megan Walker did Megan Walker things, leading Monacan to the Championship with multiple 20+ point efforts. You can’t overlook the continued strong season that teammate and University of Richmond signee Alex Parson is having though. Parson hit a huge 3 to give Monacan the lead in the closing minute against fellow nationally-ranked Norcross, and put in 25 points against Myrtle Beach in a semi-final contest.

For hometown Myrtle Beach, it was the play of senior forwards Nia Sumpter and Kiana Adderton that energized the crowd and led to a very competitive match up in the semi’s against Monacan. The duo, both headed to Wright State, combined for 31 of the team’s 46 points in that game, to go along with 13 boards.

Seton Hall signee Selena Philoxy is consistently powerful, both in her style of play and in her impact on the game. She’s a force in the paint, and a wrecking ball in the open court with her combination of size, athleticism, and ball handling. Philoxy was a big factor in South Shore’s third place finish.

Another future UConn Huskie, Mikayla Coombs, was up to her normal, smooth scoring ways this week for Wesleyan, including topping the 1000 career point threshold. With a talented lineup that includes Samford signee 6’3 post Natalie Armstrong, expect to see Wesleyan make yet another deep postseason run.

Norcross is anchored by great guard play and led by seniors Taylor Mason (Miami) and Vanessa Blagmon (South Florida). Blagmon had a monster 25 point performance in a great battle with Monacan, and Mason is an impact scorer in transition, evidenced by her 16 point output against Wesleyan on the final day.

STANDOUTS OF ALL AGES

Faith Blackstone – 2020 – 6-0 – Guard – Hillside – Lanky, wiry guard prospect with nice handles and three point range…Nice, smooth midrange pull up…Can be very good in passing lanes and knows what to do with that steal when she gets it…Going to be a handful in transition the next four years

Avyonce Carter – 2020 – 5-9 –Guard/Forward – Wesleyan – Strong, athletic bully small forward who flashes handles and post up ability already…Plays physical, aggressive, and explosive…Contact does not bother her in the post or as she drives…Next step will be to hit the jumper and three consistently

Jessika Carter — 2018 — 6-5 — Post — Harris County – Big, mobile 6-5 post with an impressive frame…Can take 3-4 dribbles…Obviously going to block some shots each game… Jumper is a line drive but can hit from 15 feet…Even made two from beyond the arc against Hillside

Tionna Carter – 2019 – 6-0 – Forward – Norcross – Athletic, big kid who gets up and shows off some nice hands…Finishes inside against contact…Defends the guards on the perimeter well…Can block shots in bunches and at times be a rebound machine

Rebecca Cook – 2017 – 5-11 – Forward – Franklin County – Lefty forward who knows how to get to the basket and score…Rebounds hard and really fights for position despite being a tad undersized in the post …Needs to continue to develop jump shot, but will take the 15 footer and the three…Had 14 points, 15 boards in the Consolation Championship

Tyra Cox – 2017 – 5-9 – Guard – Lake Highland Prep – Combo guard who can score it…Had a 30 point game in this event… Handles are likely better suited as a scorer on the wing than as a point guard…Can slash her way to the rim but can hit the three at times as well…Still available

Cheyanne Daniels — 2019 — 6-4 — Post – Ferguson – Big post with some great physical tools…Already has the ability to own the glass at times…Can finish inside…Athleticism and skills will only expand with time in this program

Tehya Lyons – 2018 – 5-6 – Point Guard/Guard – Norcross –Lefty combo guard who loves the midrange game…Can hurt you there with the jump shot as well as the floater…Had a game high 21 points against Lake Highland…Pitt commit

Olivia Nelson-Ododa – 2018 – 6-5 – Post – Winder-Barrow – Established and well known prospect who shows time and time again why she’s so highly regarded…Big, long, active player who makes her presence known every game… So mobile, getting around to get position in the post, handling the ball some in transition, and getting up off the ground quickly to pull boards… The footwork is there…Boxes out every time…Rare combination of size and skills with a still evolving game

Latrice Perkins – 2018 – 5-10 – Guard – Winder-Barrow – Impressive transition guard…Athletic and fast…Makes plays at speed on the break…Covers a lot of ground in a hurry…Can shoot the three and mid-range with very nice elevation…College of Charleston commit

Destiny Philoxy – 2018 – 5-8 – Point Guard – South Shore – UMass commit…Fast player who can really get after it on defense and stack up steals…Lefty who loves to drive…At her best when she’s making plays on D to lead to transition offense

Natalia Pineda — 2018 — 5-9 — Guard – Ferguson – Scrappy playmaker on both sides of the ball…Plays hard buzzer to buzzer no matter the score…Can hit the three but very effective as both a scorer and passer off the drive…Length, handles and feet to score off the drive…Loves the spin back baby jumper… 16.6 ppg average in three games here

Angelee Rodriguez — 2020 — 6-1 — Forward – Ferguson – Young player with some good footwork and move set in the paint already…Good ball pursuit both off the rim and in the open court…Above average speed and ups for age and position

Earlette Scott – 2018 – 5-10 – Guard/Forward – South Shore – Well-built wing forward…Scored in transition and has three point range…Vocal kid who plays with good energy and poise…Strong enough to bang inside but has the skills and handles of a guard…13 big points in semi-final vs. Winder-Barrow

D’Mya Tucker — 2020 – 6-0 — Guard — Orangeburg-Wilkinson – Long, wiry freshman wing…Handles and length already coming in handy on the drive…Went coast to coast with defender riding her side and used length to scoop the finish…Some freshman mistakes against older, more physical defenders but can get there with age, experience, and filling out the frame

Chellia Watson – 2019 – 5-7 – Guard – Winder-Barrow – Gamer with a stocky build at the guard spot…Had some up and down moments, but overall was a big difference maker as a scorer, ball handler, and rebounder at times…Had 19 points and 7 rebounds against Dreher…One to watch

Sutton West – 2018 – 6-0 – Guard/Forward – Wesleyan – Long wing who is a consistent difference-maker on defense… Lots of touches on passes and rebounds…Deceptively athletic and sneaky good handles for her height and build…Plays tough and does a little bit of everything…Wasn’t a consistent scoring threat this week but the ability to be one is in there when her time comes

Chloe Williams — 2022 — 5-10 – Guard/Forward — Carmel Christian Academy – One of those 7th graders playing varsity basketball already showing flashes…Runs floor at 5-10 and can block shots…Can handle ball some in transition…Lots of promising basketball ahead of her