The St. Joseph’s Varsity Girls Basketball Team competed in the Anderson Pepsi Challenge Holiday Tournament in late December. The first game matched the Lady Knights against Pendleton High School, and St. Joseph’s walked away with a close 45-42 victory. Senior Elizabeth Moore led all scorers with 19 points, followed by Katherine Reynolds with 10 points and Imani King with 7 points.
“What a delight it was for me to see senior Megan Heijjer return to the court again following last season’s knee injury,” stated Head Coach Grace Franklin. “She will help us out in the post this season.”
The Varsity Girls then faced Westside High School in the semi-final round. The Lady Knights had previously lost to Westside by three points in the November Greenville High Lady Raiders Invitational Tournament, but this match-up proved to be more difficult, and St. Joseph’s lost the game 53-28. The Lady Knights finished the tournament in fourth place, losing to Hillcrest High 48-37. Junior Katherine Reynolds was named to the All-Tournament Team.
“I was proud of how the girls adjusted to the man-to-man pressure put on by Hillcrest and Westside,” concluded Coach Franklin. “Facing 3A and 4A teams in this tournament helped us gain the confidence that will be needed to handle future pressure from teams in our conference. I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”
Varsity Boys
Heading into the St. Pius X Christmas Tournament with four victories from their last five games, the Varsity Boys Basketball Team faced Prince Avenue Christian in the first round of tournament play in late December in Atlanta, GA.
The Knights got off to a sluggish start, as the Prince Avenue Warriors built a 23-20 lead going into the half. St. Joe’s returned strong in the third quarter, pressing the Warriors full court and holding them to two points as the Knights gained a ten point lead by the end of the third quarter. The Knights continued the pressure in the fourth quarter and won the game 52-35.
“I was proud of the way the boys stepped it up in the second half,” stated Head Coach Paul Assinesi. “They started off slow and could have become frustrated, but they knew what had to be done and didn’t give up.”
St Joseph’s then faced host school St Pius X in the semi-final round. The Knights had trouble getting comfortable on offense, shooting only 20% from the field, and lost the game 47-29. The Knights then played Charlotte Catholic for the fourth place finish and lost 67-39.
“I was proud of how hard the boys played in the last game and throughout the tournament,” added Assistant Coach Chris Carino. “The skills needed to compete in this tournament against much more experienced teams will serve them well for the rest of the season.”
Both the boys and girls teams will host Southside Christian at home on Tuesday, January 3rd.
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