Foxes defeat Georgetown in classic

The Hartsville Red Foxes began the 2008 Pepsi Classic basketball tournament in Florence Monday night with a 61-60 win over Georgetown in boys’ prep basketball action.

Hartsville got a boost from junior Jordan Scott, who led all scorers with 31 points despite missing time for foul trouble. Scott also had four steals and two blocks and went 9 for 9 from the free throw line in one of his most complete games of the young season.

Both teams pushed the floor early, and both were able to score in transition.

The rebound advantage was heavily in the Bulldogs’ favor as the Red Foxes had to battle Georgetown’s Kinard Gadsden-Gilliard. Gadsden-Gilliard was the High School Sports Report’s AAA Player of the Year in 2007.

However, Hartsville’s Chris Ketter and Demarcus Cook played very well on the inside for the Foxes. Ketter finished the game with nine points, and Cook added four.

Hartsville’s defense came up with quite a few steals in the game as both teams played physically and fouled often. Both teams also had a lot of turnovers.

The Red Foxes began the game in a full-court trap and pressured the Bulldogs all game long. Georgetown ran the floor well in the first quarter and led 21-16 after the first stanza.

Hartsville, however, would use Scott’s performance and the play of Ketter and Cook to hold the Bulldogs in check for most of the game.

The Foxes outscored Georgetown 17-12 in the second quarter and took a 33-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Georgetown’s Devon Grant heated up in the second half and the lead changed hands a few times in the third and fourth quarters, although Hartsville held as much as a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter. However, Scott fouled out with 3:09 remaining in the game.

The Red Foxes played well in the clutch once again as they used free throws and tough defense to stave off the Bulldogs.

Hartsville held a 60-58 lead with only three seconds remaining in the game. Georgetown fouled on the inbounds play and sent Hartsville senior guard Lawrence McPhail to the line for two free throws. With 1.9 seconds remaining, McPhail nailed both shots and gave the Foxes a 62-58 lead. McPhail finished with seven points.

Gadsden-Gilliard gave the ball one last heave at the buzzer and made a three-pointer from half court to bring the score to 61-60.

Georgetown head coach Alvin Walker said that although the team lost the game, he would not allow them to hang their heads. “Hartsville is a very good team,” he said. “So I think this game is going to help us when region play comes around. I’m not upset, though. I see us growing up as a team. It was a good game, but we don’t like losing them.”

Hartsville coach Aric Samuel said he was impressed with the way the team was able to raise the tempo of the game. “We got the tempo up for the full-court pressure defense,” he said. “But, I think if we work a little harder we’ll continue to get better at what we do.”

Samuel said the team is now beginning to understand how hard they must play to win games. “That’s where we have struggled a little bit,” he added. “We have plenty of talent, we just have to make sure we put that heart behind the talent.”

The Foxes seemed very focused on the game, and the team has been playing with an increased level of intensity each game this season. Hartsville also notched a victory without senior Omar McDaniel and junior Eric Joe, who were unavailable for the game.

The win set Hartsville up for its third match of the season with Marlboro County, who advanced after defeating Dillon.

The Foxes faced the Bulldogs of Marlboro County Tuesday night. The winner advances to the tournament championship. The final games of the tournament will be played tonight at West Florence High School.