By Thomas Grant Jr.
Carlos Powell’s first playoff game as Gray Collegiate Academy head coach provided an early scare.
The War Eagles faced a Region 4-4A rival in Aiken who they routed by an average of 37.5 points in two meetings this season.
Instead of another blowout, Gray Collegiate did not resemble the program which had won five state titles. The War Eagles struggled to defend the Hornet’s deliberate slow paced offense and their trapping defense held them scoreless for almost the entire second quarter.
Fortunately for Gray Collegiate, it had seniors like L.J. Britt to help inspire the less experienced players. Playing with more urgency, the War Eagles turned things around in the second half and pulled away late for the 49-41 win over the Hornets.
“This is (Class) 4A. I’ve been here forever,” said Powell, who won a Class 4A title at alma mater Wilson High School. “I know what playoffs are like. 4A basketball is difficult in every region. There’s no nights offs. So, I knew what the game was going to be like. Ugly, rugged game and its hard to beat a team three times.”
Aiken held an 8-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw both teams go cold offensively, although the Hornets managed to score six straight points to take a 14-7 lead.
An alley-oop layup to Lavar Bell with less than 20 seconds left ended Gray Collegiate’s scoring drought. Down 14-9 at halftime, Britt said the talk in the lockerroom focused on making a turnaround.
“After the first half, we started out slow and I knew from experience and also my teammate Quan (McDuffie), we had to push our team,” he said. “We have a young team. We had to push them and make sure they’re not nervous and played regularly.”
A jumper by Britt to open the third quarter started a 7-0 run to regain the lead. In addition to playing with more urgency, the War Eagles increased their defensive pressure which led to four turnovers.
Aiken stayed close as Gray Collegiate missed five straight free throws. The third quarter saw both teams combine for 11 personal fouls with officials having to briefly step in to keep things from getting more intense.
A 3-pointer by Henry Vaughters helped Aiken regain the lead at 25-23. A pair of free throws by Gray Collegiate tied the game entering the fourth quarter.
The game was deadlocked three more times in the fourth quarter. An Armani Jones 3-pointer put the Hornets ahead at 35-32 with 3:39 left.
It was the last lead for Aiken as Gray Collegiate scored nine unanswered points. Leading the charge were sophomores Hunter McGraw and Jayden Rowe who combined for 11 fourth quarter points.
A layup by Tre’von Walker, who tied McGraw with a game-high 11 points, brought Aiken within 41-37. With less than a minute remaining, McDuffie was fouled while hitting an acrobatic one-handed layup and completed the 3-point play to put Gray Collegiate up seven.
A breakaway slam dunk by McGraw with 12 seconds left pushed the War Eagles’ lead to 10. A relieved Gray Collegiate crowd finally exhaled as the final seconds ticked away.
Up next is a second-round matchup Thursday with May River. Powell expects to see a more-relaxed Gray Collegiate team at the “Flight Deck”.
“I think we got the jitterbugs out of the way,” Powell said. “Guys being a little nervous. Second round is going to be really good. Whoever we play, we’ll be ready.”
The Gray Collegiate girls’ basketball team opened the playoffs Tuesday with a 74-37 win over Crestwood. Kiley Freeman led the Lady War Eagles with 18 points.
Kadence Walker-Lee, who was also selected to play in the Carolinas Classic, scored 16 points. Diamond Tatum added 13 points and Alyssa Salaam finished with 12 points for Gray Collegiate.
Brookland-Cayce advances
Brookland-Cayce guard Isaiah Oree
The Bearcats also opened the Class 4A playoffs against a region opponent it defeated twice this season.
Unlike Gray Collegiate Academy, Brookland-Cayce responded from an early deficit to Midland Valley with a fury. A 13-1 run to close out the first quarter erased a five-point deficit.
The Bearcats stretched their lead as many as 21 points in the second half. They went on to win 73-62 led by Isaiah Oree with 22 points, Carter Jackson with 13 points and A.J. Edwards with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Brookland-Cayce travels to Crestwood for the second round.
Season ends for NCA, Airport
Evie Godfrey
Both Northside Christian Academy basketball teams were eliminated Monday in the second round of the SCISA Class 3A playoffs.
The Lady Crusaders fell 65-31 to Northwood Academy at Wilson Hall. They finished with a school-best 28-3 record under first-year head coach Jordan Leath.
In the boys’ game, Northside Christian Academy fell to Augusta Christian 94-69. The Crusaders finished with a 16-9 record.
On Tuesday, the Airport girls were defeated 48-25 by Beaufort in a matchup of “Lady Eagles” in Class 4A.
Feature photo – Gray Collegiate Academy guard Hunter McGraw with the reverse layup attempt against Aiken. (Photo – Thomas Grant Jr)
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