5 Best : Northwood Academy vs Carolina Forest
Carolina Forest hosted the Northwood Academy (Summerville) on Monday night on the Grand Strand. The Panthers set the tone early on the undermanned and young Chargers squad. The Panthers jumped out to 22-11 after the 1st quarter. The Panthers had balanced scoring throughout the game. The Panthers led 38-18 at the halftime break.
The Chargers with only seven players dressed feature a whole new roster from last seasons team. The Chargers could never get it going in the the game and fell on the road 63-44.
Best Offensive Performance : Mason Garcia (2020) Carolina Forest HS (pictured on front)
Garcia 6’5 was a great spark off the bench for the Panthers. Garcia moves very well up and down the floor. Garcia a football player finished the night with 12 points to lead the Panthers in scoring.
Best Playmaker : Kyle Lewis (2021) Carolina Forest HS
Lewis a smooth playing point guard won’t overwhelm with anything he does on the on the floor. Lewis is crafty and is a pure point guard that plays with a lot of maturity and poise for just being a freshman. Lewis the 6th man for the Panthers finished the evening 7 points and 3 assists.
Best Looking Build and Great Bloodlines : Emmanuel Johnson (2020) Northwood Academy
Johnson 6’5 post player is physical specimen in the paint. Johnson a RAW basketball talent must learn to finish around the cup better. Johnson played last season at Military Magnet before transferring over to Northwood Academy. Johnson scored 5 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in limited action after being in foul trouble.
Johnson is the son of former University of Georgia basketball great Teresa Edwards (1982-86). Edwards was a 5-time Olympian and scored 1,989 points in her college career in Athens.
Chargers Backcourt : Caleb Houston (2021) and Tyvon Berry (2020) – Northwood Academy
Houston a sleek guard is the son of Chargers Head Coach Anthony Houston. Houston finished the evening with 11 points. Houston likes to settle for shots on the perimeter and won’t really look to attack the basket.
Berry plays more off the ball than Houston finished the game with 9 points. Berry shows to have a nice mid-range game and likes to slash to the basket. The Houston and Berry duo will take their lumps this season but the future looks bright with Johnson in the post.
Takeaway :
Jaylen Campbell-McClurkin came off the bench for the Panthers with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Campbell-McClurkin 6’5 post missed several free throws that could of put him in double digits. Derek Alston (2018) added 11 points, Matt Beale (2018) 7 points (Starting QB for the past 3 seasons) and Jackson Weatherwax (2019) added 6 points on 2 three pointers.
The Chargers with a roster of just 8 kids – suited up 7 here tonight. The Chargers have just 2 players back from last season. The Chargers had several players transfer out this past season to other schools.