Basketball Game Preview: Socastee Braves vs. St. James Sharks

The Socastee Braves will face off against the St. James Sharks at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. St. James took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Socastee, who comes in off a win.

Last Friday, Socastee didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Conway, but they still walked away with a 49-43 win. Given the Braves' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 77th, while the Tigers are ranked 200th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Trinity Sumpter

Points

01/17/25 @ Conway	13
11/23/24 @ Marion	13
01/02/25 vs Kingstree	10
12/05/24 vs Aynor	10
12/20/24 vs Orangeburg-Wilkinson	9

Socastee's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Bri Smith, who went 7 of 17 on her way to 19 points, and Trinity Sumpter, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds. That's the most points Sumpter has posted since back in November of 2024.

Socastee smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their offensive rebound total in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, St. James had to suffer through a 62-19 loss at the hands of North Myrtle Beach.

St. James' loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 12-8. As for Socastee, their victory bumped their record up to 11-8.

Socastee came up short against St. James in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 28-22. Can Socastee avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.