Rough week for Golden Eagle basketball squads

Well, it is finally over! Three straight weeks of three games for the Pee Dee Academy Golden Eagles.

By the end of last week, fatigue and the mental drain of it all had taken it’s toll. The week saw dramatic endings plenty,  and saw the girl’s team fall in  just as many home games in a week as it had in seven years. All Golden Eagles are thankful for the upcoming break.

The first game of the week would be against Trinity of Florence. And, the girl’s game would quickly turn into a showcase of horror with turnovers and sloppy play dominating. Simply unable to find the basket, Pee Dee went to the half down, 12-10.

They would finally take the lead in the third, thanks to three Kelsey Dozier baskets. But, with one minute to play in the game, it was Trinity who was ahead by 4.

Samantha McKenzie would bury a pair of free throws and Jeffre Rogers would score a driving lay-up with five seconds to play to knot the score at 36. However, a Pee Dee foul with no time left on the clock sent the Titans to the foul line. And, they would hit both to walk out a winner, 38-36.

McKenzie was Pee Dee’s lone scorer in double figures with 12.

The boy’s game versus Trinity would end up even closer, but this time the late-game heroics came on defense.

 Time and again, the Golden Eagle guards would penetrate and dish to Arnett James, who played like a man possessed. Sixteen of his 26 points would come in the second and third quarters combined, but still Pee Dee trailed 34-25.

A 22-6 spurt put the Golden Eagles back into the lead. But, with fifteen seconds to play, the Titans possessed the ball, down a point. A defensive stop and rebound put Chris Jackson at the line with seven ticks remaining.

Jackson would miss both, but would atone at the defensive end by drawing a charge with a half second to play to seal the 47-46 win for Pee Dee.

When the Golden Eagles Invitational began Friday night, the Lady Golden Eagles still found themselves struggling to find their shots. Open looks, lay-ups, nor free throws refused to fall easily for the blue and gold. And, with foul trouble mounting, Pee Dee was finding it awfully hard to put away a stubborn St. John’s squad in the first round.

The lead for the Golden Eagles was only two at the half. But, Kelsey Dozier and Katelyn Browne would combine for 20 points in the last two quarters and they would finally put away the visitors behind a defense that yielded only two third quarter points.

Browne finished the night with 14, McKenzie 11, C.C Causey 10 and Dozier 9 in the 54-38 win that propelled them to next day’s final.

In the nightcap, the boy’s team got out of the gate slow. With starters benched, new faces saw the floor early. And, with Bradley George and TJ Jordan burying threes, Kyle Drew and Kevin Thomas finding the inside hoops, and Ethan Jacobs running the floor, the Golden Eagles were down only 9-7 early.

But a run by St. John’s pushed the lead to 11 in the second and that’s when Charlie Fincannon came to life seven points in the frame on drives to the hoop as well as sweet pull-up jumpers from him and Drew brought the home team back within two by halftime.

However, the blue and gold were still unable to take the lead until the fourth. There, the power game of Arnett James, the drives of Fincannon, an outside bomb from Drew, and down-low hoops from Kevin Driggers and Chris Jackson got Pee Dee to a seven point lead in the final minutes.

From there, they would hang on for a 54-49 win to put them in the final against Carolina on Saturday. Fincannon led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 15, while James added 10 and Driggers 9 in the win.

The championship games, however, were not kind to the blue and gold. Both teams would hold leads, only to lose them late and fall by single digits.

In the girl’s final, Kelsey Dozier found the going good in the first quarter for three inside baskets and the early lead. As play continued, the shots did not fall as easily, but still an 11-for-13 showing by Pee Dee at the foul line had the game tied at the break.

When the second half came, the play became sloppy for the Golden Eagles. Turnovers and the inability to put the ball in the basket plagued the offense until they were down by too much to rally. The deficit hit double digits and a late run made it close, but time ran out and the home team fell, 48-44 to Waccamaw High School.

McKenzie again led the scoring with 19, while Jeffre Rogers had 10. McKenzie and Dozier grabbed all-tournament honors.  The Pee Dee boys came out hot early against Carolina. Fouls and injuries forced Bobcat starters to the bench and the Golden Eagle lead grew to twelve. Arnett James was a beast inside, taking feeds and leaving helpless defenders flat-footed on his way to 24 points and a total of 50 in the tournament.

Again, Pee Dee held a second half lead until two and a half minutes to play when Bradley George hit a three to put them up, 48-46. But, once Will McCutcheon answered with a three and the Golden Eagles were unable to do the same, Carolina got away with a 54-48 win and the title.     

James was named All-tournament, along with Charlie Fincannon.

After the Christmas break, Pee Dee will be back in action on January 4 as they travel to Lake City to again take on the Carolina Bobcats. Varsity games to begin at 6:30.