AHS shines on Senior Night, forces Jackets into deep hole

Tuesday was Senior Night at Aiken High School, and the boys' basketball team honored the 12th graders on the roster the best way possible, with a 64-48 win over North Augusta.

The eight seniors were recognized before the game at the James A. Taylor Activities Center,and the Hornets followed with an all-around solid game. They led by double digits at halftime, and the margin never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

The victory improved Aiken's record on the season to 15-8 and 5-4 in Region 5-AAAA, where it has secured the No. 3 playoff spot. It's the second consecutive season the Hornets have qualified for the postseason.

"We're in and very excited," Hornets coach Tony Harrell said. "It's the second year in a row. We talk about building tradition at Aiken High, and I've had most of these seniors for all four years."

It was a special game for all of the Hornet seniors, especially so for forward Devin Smith. He provided great energy for Aiken, especially in the first half, when he scored eight of his 12 points. Most came on putbacks as Smith was busy rebounding and tipping the ball to teammates all night.

"Devin played his best game of the year," Harrell gushed. "He came to play tonight and was all over the boards. He was more aggressive, and I'm very proud of the way he played."

Smith's performance was representative of the tremendous energy Aiken played with as a team. The Hornets were aggressive and displayed great quickness to the ball, as well as to openings on the floor.

"I thought they played with a lot of energy and intensity," North Augusta coach Al Young said after his team fell to 12-11 and 3-6 in region contests. "Every time we looked up, they were in our face. They played with a lot more desire."

Aiken was able to score timely baskets. Whenever the Yellow Jackets looked like they were about to start a run and swing momentum in their favor, it seemed like one Hornet or another would step forward and hit a big shot to stifle the spurt before it started. No player hit more of these big shots than Shawn Moore.

The Aiken junior scored a game-best 18 points, connecting on four shots from 3-point range. He hit three of those triples in the third quarter, and they all were big baskets that allowed Aiken to maintain its lead.

"He does a good job of finding open spots," Harrell said. "He was able to knock down some big 3s, especially in the third quarter."

Two other Hornets finished the game scoring in double figures. Devante Butler posted 11 points and was all over the court for Aiken, while teammate Dramel Coleman added 10 points.

In addition to a balanced effort scoring, several Aiken players showed off good ball-handling skills. This played a factor in the win as the Hornets protected the ball and had great success breaking the Yellow Jackets' pressure defense.

"We took care of the ball and didn't give up many fastbreak points," Harrell said of stopping North Augusta from getting high-percentage scoring opportunities in transition. "We took away some of the things they're good at. We've got the luxury of being able to put five guys on the court at a time who can dribble the basketball. It makes for a tough matchup because we're able to spread out, get dribble penetration and kick out for open shots. We executed our offense well."

This ability to protect the ball, and the lead, paid its greatest dividends in the fourth quarter. North Augusta made one last run at mounting a rally, trimming its deficit to 47-40 with 6:43 to play. The push to come back may have taken its toll on the Yellow Jackets, as the Hornets went on a 6-0 run over the next 2 minutes to put the game out of reach. All of the points came on runouts, as Aiken was able to break free for open-court baskets.

"It took a lot of energy to get to that point. They also shot extremely well at the free-throw line," Young said of the Hornets, who went 14 of 14 at the charity stripe in the game to ice the victory.

The loss drops North Augusta back into a tie for fourth place in the region with White Knoll, which defeated South Aiken 67-48 on Tuesday. Only the top four teams in the region will make the playoffs and the Yellow Jackets will face a tough challenge in their regular-season finale on Thursday. They'll play host to Orangeburg-Wilkinson, the second-place team in the region. White Knoll will play host to first-place Lexington.

"Every time we play, we're thinking we've got to win," said Young, whose team got 11 points from Jashawn Brooks and 10 more from Steve Copeland. "Our backs are against the wall. We've got to win."

Should the Yellow Jackets and Timberwolves share the same region record after Thursday, they would have a play-in game since they split their season series. Aiken has no such worries after sweeping North Augusta. It will look to sweep its other top rival on Thursday, when it goes to South Aiken.

"They played us extremely tough here," Harrell said of the Thoroughbreds. "We know we'll get a great game and look forward to the challenge on Thursday night."

NA 11 11 16 10 - 48

AIK 15 19 13 17 - 64

North Augusta (12-11, 3-6 Region 5-AAAA)-Steve Copeland 3 4-5 10, Keyon West 1 0-0 2, Jashawn Brooks 4 2-3 11, T.J. Sheppard 3 1-1 7, Roderick Tolbert 1 6-10 8, Tavarez Hall 4 0-0 8, Victor Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 13-19 48.

3-Pointers: Brooks.

Aiken (15-8, 5-4 Region 5-AAAA)-Shawn Moore 6 2-2 18, Brandon Glover 0 2-2 2, Devante Butler 5 0-0 11, Darius Cheatham 1 2-2 4, Devin Smith 4 4-4 12, Trey Harris 0 4-4 4, Robert Holmes 1 0-0 3, Dramel Coleman 5 0-0 10. Totals: 22 14-14 64.

3-Pointers: Moore (4), Butler, Holmes.

North Augusta girls 55, Aiken 49

Behind a 23-point effort from Mallory Stone, the North Augusta High School girls' basketball team scored a 55-49 victory over Aiken. Stone was solid all game long but especially clutch in the closing moments.

The Yellow Jackets (17-4, 6-3 Region 5-AAAA) and Hornets (6-16, 2-7) were tied at 46-all with 4 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. After North Augusta had taken a 49-47 lead with 1:11 to play, Stone drew a foul and sank both shots to pad the lead. She put the game out of reach 20 seconds later when she made a steal and scored a fastbreak layup.

The Yellow Jackets pressure defense was the difference in the game. They forced turnovers all night, and the majority of their scoring was generated by defense.

"The North Augusta girls apply constant pressure," Aiken coach Aubrey Pompey said of the Yellow Jackets who also got 11 points from Arielle Houston and 10 from Teanda Cunningham. "They don't give you a chance to relax."

Despite a 9-0 run that gave the Yellow Jackets a 13-point lead midway through the third quarter, the Hornets never quit. They rallied to force the deadlock by slowing the pace of play and reducing turnovers. The comeback was also thanks in part to a tremendous game by Kinsley Hall.

The Aiken senior who was honored following the last regular-season game of her career, led the team with 20 points. She hit four shots from 3-point range to help fuel the Hornet comeback.

Kelsee Sapp added 12 points for Aiken, which is tied for fourth place in the region with White Knoll. Should the Lady Hornets win their regular-season finale at South Aiken on Thursday, they can do no worse than face a play-in game.

"We'll go out and give our best effort," Pompey said.

NA 18 9 15 13 - 55

AIK 11 10 15 13 - 49

NA (17-4, 6-3 Region 5-AAAA)-Arielle Houston 3 3-4 11, Jurell Coach 1 0-0 2, Jasmine Coach 4 1-2 9, Mallory Stone 9 4-6 23, Teanda Cunningham 4 2-4 10. Totals: 21 10-16 55.

3-Pointers: Houston (2), Stone.

Aiken (6-16, 2-7 Region 5-AAAA)-Erin Gilmore 4 1-5 9, Kelsee Sapp 6 0-0 12, Autriana Ingram 0 2-4 2, Sophie Nance 1 2-4 4, Kinsley Hall 6 4-4 20, Tyesha McKevie 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 9-17 49.

3-Pointers: Hall (4).