Blackville-Hilda Hawk Invitational: 2022
With 2021 preparing to draw to a close, a number of South Carolina’s top basketball talents took part in one more midseason tournament before we transition into a new calendar year – and the January playoff push. Blackville-Hilda HS in…
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Continue ReadingWith 2021 preparing to draw to a close, a number of South Carolina’s top basketball talents took part in one more midseason tournament before we transition into a new calendar year – and the January playoff push.
Blackville-Hilda HS in Barnwell County hosted the Hawk Invitational in the final week of 2021. The event hosted a number of girls and boys teams, primarily from the 1A and 2A hoops ranks. The host school is itself a 1A school.
Prep Hoops made the trip out to Blackville-Hilda for what was a scintillating day of great basketball. Here is how the class of 2022 performed.
Moses McCall – 2022 – Hunter-Kinard-Tyler HS – When McCall gets the call, he answers every time – and with a variety of talents on the court. That can be with the ball movement he displays with his teammates, how effective he is as a defender, helping out with double teams and with his rebounding. Of course, he gets the most attention for his game because of how potent of a scorer he is and that he can put the ball through the basket from anywhere on the court – near the rim, from behind the arc, in the midrange game or at the line. McCall led all scorers in the Trojans’ game with Williston-Elko with 20 points.
Jay Jamison – 2022 – Hunter-Kinard-Tyler HS – Nine times out of 10, when a team’s premier players are seniors, it can bode well for a team. Jamison is one of those players and his skillset includes interior ball movement, an ability to finish around the rim and drain shots from midrange. Jamison can also do the same from behind the arc as well – or from the free throw line. He scored 14 points in the Trojans’ game with the Blue Devils and had at least one made basket from the field in every quarter outside of the third. It contributed to a 57-51 victory.
Tra’vion Milhouse – 2022 – Hunter-Kinard-Tyler HS – The Trojans’ court at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler has been the house of Milhouse – and he is simply no run of the mill talent. He too will find himself operating within the flow of the offense with ball movement while also maintaining confidence in his 3-point shooting. Milhouse will attack the rim and on a number of occasions that can lead to him being fouled and being placed at the free throw line. His shooting from the foul line was clutch in the Trojans’ 57-51 win over Williston-Elko as he made seven of his eventual 10 points from the stripe.
Jamian Risher Jamian Risher 6'1" | CG Wade Hampton | 2022 State SC – 2022 – Wade Hampton HS – In the Red Devils’ game with Ridge Spring-Monetta, an 83-68 victory for Wade Hampton, he converted on a layup for the first points of the game and also had lots of production from behind the 3-point line. Risher can set up a team in the halfcourt offense and has proven to be a proficient scorer. He tallied 15 points for the game that included 11 in the first quarter. That scoring barrage in the opening frame also included three 3-pointers.
Remede Leaphart – 2022 – Ridge Spring-Monetta HS – Heart can be a good descriptor of how Leaphart plays. Another good one-word descriptor can be fearless as he will go directly at defenders, draw contact and head to the free throw line. Leaphart plays with a great deal of quickness on both ends of the floor and will make proficient passes to find open teammates. He also shares team captaincy duties. In the Trojans’ game with Wade Hampton, Leaphart finished with 20 points. Out of those 20, 13 occurred in the second half and eight of those were scored in the fourth quarter. As the game went longer, Leaphart got stronger.
Jaiden Jeffery – 2022 – Ridge Spring-Monetta HS – Jeffery is who Leaphart shares the team captaincy duties with. Jeffery was one of two Trojans in the team’s game with Wade Hampton to have at least one made shot from the field – Leaphart was the other. Jeffery will set up his offense in the halfcourt and will find driving lanes to penetrate and attack the rim. He will attack the glass as well as he will corral rebounds. Jeffery displays his versatility with his ability to play at different positions either at forward or at guard. Jeffery finished with 21 points and is a dual sport athlete who plays soccer as well as basketball.
Collin Ferguson Collin Ferguson 6'6" | SF Barnwell | 2022 State SC – 2022 – Barnwell HS – There are lots of things that can be coached, but a 6-foot-6 frame as Ferguson possesses is not one of them. It is conventional to think that someone with that kind of height advantage would do well as a four or five in the frontcourt, but Ferguson possesses a 3-point shot as well as a midrange jumper plus rebounding abilities. He will play interior defense and can also dive for loose balls. His athleticism makes him versatile and able to play virtually any position on the floor. Ferguson scored 18 points against Estill – including four made 3-pointers.
Russell Branch Russell Branch 6'2" | PG Fork Union Military Academy | 2022 State SC – 2022 – Barnwell HS – Branch has been on the varsity level for the Warhorses since his 8th grade year. He also reached the 1,000-point plateau last season. Branch can make creative passes to find open teammates and can shoot from midrange and long range. He is a heads-up player who will take almost immediate advantage of an opponent’s miscue – an element of his overall stellar defensive game. Branch attacks the rim hard but plays the game unselfishly as he looks to ensure his teammates are involved. Branch scored 18 points in the Warhorses’ 67-58 victory over Estill.