It was not surprising that Harlem was able to win its home opener on the road at Greenbrier Thursday. Senior Reggie Reid is as good a player as there is in our area. And his return makes Harlem an instant contender in the AA state championship race. But I wasn't expecting the 96-59 (score not official) rout of the Wolfpack that Reid and his teammates accomplished Thursday.
Reid led all scorers with 25 points. Torien Beard contributed 18 and Kanes Dunn added 13. Greenbrier's Jakob Nelson scored 19 points.
To be sure, the game was extremely sloppy, which is understandable in the season opener. Over 60 fouls were called. But I learned that Reggie has gotten stronger and even more athletic in the 18 months since he left for Florida to play his junior season. And I learned that Reid has a good bit of help, particularly from fellow seniors Beard, Rashawn Morris, and Dakota Madigan. Here is a quick overview of the game's key points, with video clips included.
In the game's early moments, Greenbrier's strategy of keeping multiple players around Reid whenever he handled the ball was exploited by Rashawn Morris, who scored all 10 of his points in the first quarter. Morris scored 6 of those points with his off hand (his right), including a dunk in the open court that set the Harlem crowd on fire (although his post-dunk celebration was excessive and earned him a quick spot next to coach Kim Chambers on the Harlem bench).
After Harlem built a double digit first quarter lead (one the Bulldogs never relinquished), Greenbrier was forced to play Reid straight. And it quickly became apparent that he would proceed to blow by defenders and score, or help others score, at the rim. Reid did a little bit of everything, as you can see here.
Torien Beard's play may have been the night's biggest surprise. He is strong and very athletic. And he looks very comfortable scoring and distributing. A year playing without Reggie has likely made Beard a better player and one more capable of helping Reid make Harlem a force in region and statewide AA competition.
***Here are more posts from the blog about Reggie Reid and his Harlem Bulldogs, one of the 10 major story lines I am following this season.***
Nov 7, 2014
Welcome Back, Mr. Reid
July 11, 2014
Reid Impressive in his Return
Dec 21, 2012
Grovetown @ Harlem (Triple OT Thriller!)
Dec 15, 2012
Evans vs Harlem Boys (Live)
Jan 26, 2012
Harlem's Reid is a Dynamic Player
Dec 11, 2011
Reggie Reid has a Bright Future at Harlem
- by Ashley Brown in the Columbia News Times
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