This weekend marks the continuation of one of the longest-standing local traditions in high school basketball. It is the 25th annual Battle at the Border Tourney. The tournament, which is hosted by Landrum High School, is always the best way to wrap up the local high school sports calendar year and perennially features a star-studded field of talent.
The 2024 battle participants on the boys’ side include Broome, Chapman, Spartanburg Christian Academy, Chesnee, Woodruff, Greenville Hurricanes (homeschool co-op team), Lake Lure Classical Academy (NC), and the host Cardinals.
In the girls’ tournament field are Woodruff, Blue Ridge, High Point Academy, Chapman, Broome, Boiling Springs, SCA, and Landrum.
Here is a brief recap of the events of the first 2 days.
Day 1:
Girls Prelims-
Blue Ridge 54
Woodruff 24
Broome 44
Boiling Springs 38
Landrum 63
SCA 32
Boys Prelims-
Chapman 80
Broome 49
Chesnee 67
SCA 31
Woodruff 63
GVL Hurricanes 43
Landrum 104
Lake Lure 45
Day 2:
Girls’ Silver Bracket Semifinals
Woodruff 68
High Point 23
Boiling Springs 39
SCA 27
Boiling Springs and Woodruff will face off for the Silver bracket championship on Monday at 1:00 PM. High Point and SCA will play in the third place game at 10 AM.
Boys’ Silver Bracket Semifinals
Broome 71
SCA 30
In this tournament.. Or really in any tournament.. Matchups are the name of the game. There were two games on the first night that were destined to be blowouts from long before they tipped off. This was no exception, and honestly may have been just the boost of confidence this Broome team that has been struggling so far this season needed.
The Centurions went down 2-0 in the opening minute before establishing the tone for the rest of the game by asserting their dominance in the paint. Behind Damarius Jeter and Tre’Sean Suber, Broome went on to score 12 unanswered to take a 22-4 lead into the 2nd quarter. In the end, that same duo would lead the team with Jeter tallying 20 points and Suber notching 18 en route to the victory and the silver bracket championship.
Greenville Hurricanes 96
Lake Lure 55
Broome will face the Greenville Hurricanes in the silver bracket championship game on Monday at 2:30 PM.
Girls’ Gold Bracket Semifinals
Blue Ridge 47
Chapman 36
Broome 41
Landrum 39
Blue Ridge and Broome will play for the girls’ tournament championship Monday night at 7:00 while Landrum and Chapman will face off in an all-district 1 third place game at 4:00 Monday afternoon.
Boys’ Gold Bracket Semifinals
Chesnee 63
Chapman 62
I cannot lie. These two teams are good. Chapman can make it rain threes almost at will. That ability looked like it was going to be the difference in this game. The Panthers jumped to a 9-point lead using the long ball in the 2nd quarter, in front 33-24 at the break.
Things began to become more competitive at the start of the 2nd half when Chesnee opened on a quick 4-0 burst to set the tone. Behind big body Elijah Brown, the Eagles managed to cut the deficit and even take a few brief leads as the game devolved into a back and forth in the final 8 minutes. Even still, the Panthers managed to keep control of the game with effective free throw shooting from sophomore point guard Grayden Humphries and a few big baskets from senior Small Forward Colt McAlister.
In the end, it was a familiar name that became the hero for the Eagles as Coyie Poole found himself open right under the rim. He hooked in a shot with about eight tenths of a second on the clock to give the Eagles the lead and the win to punch their ticket to the tournament championship game.
Woodruff 65
Landrum 61
Earlier in the day, the Wolverines’ stat keeper Garrett Mitchell mentioned that they were down 4 players coming into this tournament due to family conflicts involving the Christmas holiday. One of the four was their leading scorer. When you are going up against an offense like Landrum’s has shown to be this season, on the surface that seems like a recipe for a tough night. But, despite the numbers/depth lacking, the Wolverines are still a very capable team with the likes of senior Guard TJ Morris, Sophomore Guard Aiden Gibson, and junior Guard Dre Jenkins. It was that trio that will be running through Landrum Head Coach Lyn Smith’s head all night after how this game ended up playing out.
Landrum did not do themselves any favors. They turned the ball over, missed a ton of free throws, and for most of the game, struggled to get what normally are easy shots for them to fall. They also did not defend very well. They were behind the 8-ball quickly as Dre Jenkins put on a first quarter clinic for the Wolverines. He scored 11 points in the game’s opening 8 minutes and was a terror in the paint.
Fast forward to the 4th quarter and the story very nearly flip flopped. The Cardinals managed to pull the game within striking distance and were given more than ample opportunities to close the gap. Pulling within three twice, it was defensive blunders that once again created separation. They left Aiden Gibson wide open on the other end for a long pass and a slam. The second time, it was none other than Dre Jenkins that was wide open on the same play with a mirror result. In the end, Woodruff won the game at the line with a couple of free throws from Hunter West with just 8 seconds on the clock to seal the win and a berth in the tournament championship.
Monday night, Chesnee and Woodruff will battle at 8:30 for the title while Landrum and Chapman will play for third place at 5:30.
