Friday, December 21, 2012

Grovetown @ Harlem (Triple OT Thriller!)

***This "flashback post" was originally posted at AugustaEagles.blogspot.com (my "old" blog).  It is still there but I no longer post there.  I moved it to this blog because Reggie is someone we are tracking, and pulling for.***

This evening, ABR Live is posting live updates and highlights from Friday's Games. Follow the action here (AugustaBasketball.com) and on our Twitter page (@AugBball).

Final Score (Triple OT): Grovetown 81, Harlem 85

Leading Scorers
Grovetown: Brendon Scott 19, Solomon Gause - 15
Harlem: Reggie Reid 34, Dylan Farmer - 28

2nd Half and 1st, 2nd, 3rd OT Highlights here!



1st Half Highlights (below):

Monday, December 17, 2012

GAIS' Guard Combo - Miller and Crown

***This "flashback post" was originally posted at AugustaEagles.blogspot.com (my "old" blog).  It is still there but I no longer post there.  I moved it to this blog because Matt is someone I am tracking, and pulling for.***



Austin Crown and Matt Miller, the senior guards who lead the way for the Greater Augusta Independent School (GAIS) have quietly been building a reputation for being as good as, or better than, any combination of guards within "driving distance" of our area.  Before accusing me of being guilty of "media bias" (after all, I am the GAIS head coach!), consider what former University of South Carolina point guard and current Columbia radio show personality Carey Rich said during Saturday's ABRLive.tv broadcast of the duo's game versus prep school opponent Gray Military.

First some background.  Carey is South Carolina's unofficial "expert on the scene," and he is especially familiar with the Columbia basketball scene.  I agree with him when he says that Keenan High School's Marcus Stroman and Eric Hopkins are the best backcourt around, especially because the two, along with a capable group of teammates, have produced so many wins, and multiple state titles.

But just before the tip off of our game Saturday, the thought occurred to me that no duo can score and carry a team like mine.  So I raced over to Carey and informed him that although I respected and enjoyed watching the guard play at Keenan, Aquinas (Hill and Scott), Butler (Coleman and Leverett), Richland Northeast (Scott and Anderson), and Glenn Hills (Turner and Mcrae), I believed he was about to watch a combo that was even better.

Whether or not I was correct is a matter of opinion.  And mine is obviously affected by my familiarity and fondness with Crown and Miller.  And although Rich did not state on air that Crown and Miller were the "best guards" he'd seen, he did say that they were "as good as any."

See the video above to understand what Rich and a gym full of people at Ridge View High saw.  Crown and Miller combined for 61 points (Crown 39, Miller 22) and kept GAIS within range of a very impressive Gray squad.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Evans vs Harlem Boys (Live)

***This "flashback post" was originally posted at AugustaEagles.blogspot.com (my "old" blog).  It is still there but I no longer post there.  I moved it to this blog because Reggie is someone I am tracking, and pulling for.***

This evening, ABR Live is posting live updates and highlights from high school games in Augusta and Columbia.  Follow the action here (AugustaBasketball.com) and on our Twitter page (@AugBball).

Final Score: Evans 78 Harlem 64

Leading Scorers
Evans: Damian Foreman 22pts
Harlem: Reggie Reid 43 pts
Evans Second Half Highlights (Below)

Harlem Second Half Highlights (Below)

Evans First Half Highlights (below)


Harlem First Half Highlights (below)

Monday, December 10, 2012

Westside's Impressive Road Win



Great teams find a way to win when things are not going well.  The Westside Patriots visited Thomson Saturday and trailed by as many as 9 points late in the fourth quarter.  Senior leader Frank Booker's shot was not falling and the Patriots looked likely to lose for the first time this season.  But sophomore Quinton Phillips was steady and productive, attacking the basket and scoring 22 points in the contest.  And Booker did what a great player and a great competitor does when the ball is not bouncing his way: he found a way to affect the game's outcome in a positive way.  Booker, a great shooter and underrated offensive rebounder, came up with two big second chance baskets late, including the game deciding basket that came after leaping over a Thomson defender on the ground.

Unlike last season, Thomson is not a region opponent.  But Saturday's come from behind win in a hostile environment will likely to add to the confidence of an already formidable Westside group.  Watch Phillips and Booker in action Saturday in the highlights above.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Ahmed Hill Backs Up Statement



I really like Aquinas's 6'5" junior guard, Ahmed Hill.  I obviously think he is a phenomenal player.  Many do.  Last I checked he was regarded by ESPN as one of the top 25 juniors in the country.  But I also like Hill as a person.  He is a friendly, polite, and modest young man who treats people well and works very hard on the court and in the classroom (I've been told his GPA has risen almost a full point in the last 12 months).  Hill doesn't try to bring attention to himself or belittle others.

So when a mutual friend told me that Ahmed wanted us to know that he planned to have an especially big game Friday evening, I took notice.  People of few words usually mean what they say when they do speak up.  And Ahmed definitely meant what he said!  The area's top talent scored 41 points, including 28 of Aquinas's 34 first half points, and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 70-65 win on the road against Richmond Academy.  I won't attempt to describe all of the ways Hill scored Friday.  I'll leave that job to the video above.