Pee Dee Academy grabs two playoff wins

BY CHRIS LANE

Sports Corespondent

If playoff time is the time for teams to prove themselves and send messages, Pee Dee Academy sent not one, but two that rang loudly and clearly across the private school basketball world last week. The Golden Eagles had not seen a state playoff victory in four years coming into this year’s tournament, leaving many opponents to think maybe it was time for a changing of the guard and of tradition. They can put those thoughts on hold for at least another  year.

After winning both of their conference regular season and tournament crowns for the seventh time in eight years, the Lady Golden Eagles traveled to Sumter for a first round state playoff meeting against Oak Brook out of Spartanburg.

 It may have taken about four or five minutes but once Samantha McKenzie connected from downtown to tie the score at 3, the blue and gold took off. Jeffre Rogers would roll in a jumper moments later, then Ginni Reaves McMillan scored down low to make it 7-3 Pee Dee. McMillan would score again from the post and the Golden Eagles led 9-7 after one complete.

McKenzie would start the second frame with a trey, then Rogers fed Katelyn Browne underneath for a hoop. Rogers would then get a steal and easy score, and the 9-0 run made it 18-7.

The lead was cut to five at the half, but C.C. Causey doubled it quickly with a three-pointer and a rebound putback for a score to make it 27-17 early in the third.

With the lead in hand, the Golden Eagles’ suffocating defense and pressure in full and half court situations put the clamps on Oak Brook and would not let them back in the game.

A pair of late McKenzie treys and another long jumper from Rogers finished the 47-36 win, running the girl’s record to 21-5 on the season. It also marked Pee Dee’s first state playoff victory in girl’s basketball since the 2004 State Championship Game.

They were set to face St. Andrews this Tuesday in Sumter with the win.

Jerry Coleman’s boys would take the Exhibition Center court in Sumter the following day to face a young but dangerous Colleton Prep team. As the #4 seed, the Golden Eagles seemed to have the advantage, but they had not won a state playoff game since 2003. You can re-write the history books again thanks to a Golden Eagle victory.

A rough start with missed lay-ups, turnovers and fouls reigned early on as Pee Dee fell behind 4-0 three minutes in. Arnett James would sink two foul shots, then Kyle Drew would tie the score with a pull-up from the elbow. A driving banker by Charlie Fincannon and a steal and coast-to-coast lay-up by Fincannon had the Golden Eagles up 9-7. The team trailed by one at the end of the first and would not hit their first field goal in the second quarter until five minutes had passed.

However, they would make their way to the foul line twelve times, connecting on seven of them to stay in the game.

Down 20-16, Drew nailed a big trey from the wing and would come up with a big steal that led to an Arnett James score plus one for the lead. Tied at 23 and time running out in the first half, senior T.J. Jordan drove the ball and dished out to fellow senior Rand Waller who swished the 15-footer as time expired to give the Golden Eagles the halftime lead.

Fincannon opened the second half, driving the ball to the hole for the first score of the second half and a four point edge, then Waller would hit again off an inbounds play.

The lead would be cut to one by Colleton Prep and Pee Dee’s guard was sent to the bench with four fouls. They were in desperate need of a spark or face the possible end of their season.

Once again, someone stepped up. James powered one home, Jordan scored plus one, and Bradley George canned two big free throws to restore a seven point lead for the Golden Eagles.

Kevin Driggers later entered the game and would come up huge with a baseline score. He then struck with a head fake on his defender that left him 10  feet behind and left Driggers with an open score at the third quarter buzzer. The hoop had Pee Dee up eight going into the fourth.

From there, they simply finished with another gutsy win. A Jordan putback, added with a Drew pull-up, and two Fincannon free throws sustained the lead through the fourth quarter. Then, with time running out, the Warhawks turned up the pressure.

The Golden Eagles responded beautifully, beating the press for a Kyle Drew score. Another Drew basket down low plus a foul, then a sweet feed from Fincannon to James put the nail in the Colleton Prep coffin.

Drew led the scoring with 15, followed by James with 13 and Fincannon with 11.

The 57-47 victory moves Pee Dee into the second round versus Charleston Collegiate Wednesday in Sumter at 5 p.m.