Xylina McDaniel wins Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year

Spring Valley junior Xylina McDaniel, daughter of former NBA playerer Xavier McDaniel, was named the Gatorade South Carolina Girls Basketball Player of the Year. She helped her team to the 4A state championship and a 29-0 record while averaging 18.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

"I could say she's the most competitive player I've ever coached," Vikings coach Anne Long told The State. "But even though she's very talented, she's also very unselfish. She includes her teammates no matter what honors she gets.

"She's just such a positive role model for the young people in our community. It just kind of epitomizes what we try to instill in the young student athletes. It's not all about skill level, when it comes down to being successful you've got to be the whole package. I think she epitomizes what we want a Spring Valley student athlete to be."

GREENVILLE COUNTY ALL-STARS TOP NEIGHBORS
Greenville County swept the fifth annual Greenville vs. Spartanburg FCA All-Star Challenge over the weekend.
Greenville's boys won their game 106-101, while the girls won 71-52.



J.L. Mann's Damien Leonard, a South Carolina recruit, earned MVP honors as he scored 15 points for the winning team, while Chapman's Jalen Nesbitt earned the same honor for Spartanburg's team as he scored 25 points.

Greenville led 64-43 at the half, but Spartanburg's all-stars made it interesting in the second half. Spartanburg had the lead down to three points on two occasions in the final minute, but couldn't get closer.

In the girls game, Greer's Dyshia Parks, who scored 12 points, was named MVP for the Greenville all-stars, while Spartanburg's Chelsea Faulhaber, who scored 13 points, earned the honor for the Spartanburg team.

Greenville's girls jumped out to a 12-0 start in the game and rolled to the lopsided win.

LEGENDARY SENECA COACH AMANDA HOLDER RETIRES
For 36 years Amanda Holder led the Seneca girls basketball team, winning 16 region titles and two state championships.

She stepped down following this season, leaving her with a 648-278 career record and having 25 of her 36 teams finish the year in the state rankings, according to the Anderson Independent Mail. This year's team didn't make the playoffs, only the 10th time in her career.



Holder's teams played for five state titles.

Even though she's leaving Seneca, she's open to listening to other opportunities.

"I love the game, there's no question about that. It's hard for me to walk away from basketball," Holder told the newspaper. "If something came along that would afford me to teach the game to people who wanted to learn, I might listen to them."

ST. JAMES WINS INTERNATIONAL PAPER CLASSIC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
A seven-run third inning helped the St. James (Murrells Inlet) Sharks knocked off Blythewood 10-7 to win the International Paper Classic baseball tournament over the weekend.

The Sharks pounded 11 hits in the game and were led by leadoff hitter Tanner English, who was 3-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored. Anthony Cossentino and Gunnar Kines (who had two doubles) each drove in two runs.
Pitcher Robert Troiano went 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and seven runs to get the win. He struck out five.