The Kingstree Blazers have been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. Their2023 ended with a 60-44 defeat against Rock Hill on Friday. While losing is never fun, Kingstree can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 124th, while Rock Hill is ranked 11th).
Kingstree's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was NAYDIA SHAW, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 15 rebounds. Those 15 rebounds set a new season-high mark for her. Another player making a difference was MAKAYLA DUKES, who scored nine points along with seven assists and five steals.
Even though they lost, Kingstree were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Rock Hill only pulled down 17 offensive rebounds.
Rock Hill was led to victory by De?Ashaj Crawford and Chloe Hudson. Crawford scored 17 points along with six assists and five rebounds, while Hudson scored 25 points along with six rebounds. The matchup was Hudson's seventh in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Aubrey Stevenson, who scored five points along with six assists and five rebounds.
Kingstree's loss dropped their record down to 7-2. As for Rock Hill, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 10-3.
Kingstree won't have much time to rest: their next game is against South Florence at 4:30 p.m. on December 30, 2023. That game will pit two of the most dominant players against one another: Jada Montgomery and DUKES. Rock Hill and North Myrtle Beach will face off at 6:00 p.m. on December 30, 2023 without much rest after finishing up games yesterday.
