Chiefs take down Seahawks 54-47 in rival region game

By John Smithson

The North Myrtle Beach Chiefs (7-12) at Myrtle Beach Seahawks (6-8) in a rival game. Both teams gladly threw out their records. Both teams needed a win and hated losing to their 6AAAAA region neighbor. It was a game that met and exceeded all expectations.

There were competing cheer teams trying to out-cheer their opposites across court. A few alumni who used to wear their team jersey back for this one. Fans from both teams packing the bleachers with current student bodies screaming “you can’t do that” whenever they could.

On the court there was effort, competition, a technical foul or two on each team, maybe a shove or comment between combatants trying to win.

Chance Floyd opened the Chiefs scoring with a basket in the paint. Tate Siegmund answered with a three for the Seahawks. Floyd scored again and Caden Bass laid it in for a 6-2 Chiefs lead. Two quick baskets by the Seahawks and they led 7-6 before Porter Anglin’s two baskets plus one free throw gave the Chiefs the lead back 11-7 with under four minutes left in the first quarter.

The scoring slowed after that, and the Chiefs had a 15-12 lead after the first eight minutes. The Seahawks scored the first four points of the second quarter for a 16-15 lead before Primere Lewis hit a three, putting the Chiefs ahead 18-16 just under five minutes left in the half.

Siegmund made two free throws after a Chiefs technical foul to tie it at 18-18 and the Seahawks led 25-20 after three more baskets and another technical foul free throw. The Chiefs two points also came on Lewis’ technical foul free throws called on players of both teams. The Seahawks added one made free throw in the last two minutes of the half, and the Chiefs scoring came from a jumper by Tavion Vereen and a three-point play by Reo Stevenson. Myrtle Beach led 26-25 going to the locker room.

The Seahawks took advantage of the Chiefs turnover and missed shots on two Chiefs trips downcourt for three baskets down low and 32-25 lead to start the third quarter. Mason Walker hit a three, but the Seahawks crowd erupted on a subsequent dunk and 34-28 lead.

Anglin’s basket and Caden Bass’s two free throws made it 36-32 with under two minutes left in the quarter and Myrtle Beach led 39-33 to start the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs took the game over in the fourth quarter. Caden Bass drove for a bucket, and it was 39-36 on his three-point play. Anglin’s rebound of a missed shot narrowed the score to a 39-38 Seahawks lead. Both teams traded timeouts by the 6:02 mark. Mason Walker then hit two consecutive threes, and the Chiefs crowd was on its feet with a 44-39 Chiefs lead.

An Anglin free throw at 3:36 and two more Anglin free throws at 2:14 made it 47-39. Walker’s three kept the Chiefs ahead 50-44. The Seahawks battled to a 51-47 score, but Tavion Vereen was able to make one of two free throws and Caden Bass sank three of four from the line in the last minute of play to clinch the 54-47 Chiefs victory as the Seahawks fans were exiting the gym, while Chiefs fans were celebrating.

I’ll interrupt the celebration and go back to last Monday in Marion at a MLK tournament. The Chiefs were playing Hartsville. The Chiefs led 29-26 at halftime and 46-40 after three quarters, not an unusual occurrence for the Chiefs late play in games this season.

Bass and Chance Floyd scored 12 points in the game and Walker had 11 points. As a team they made 13 of 14 free throws. However, they made only 5 of 19 three-point shots and had 27 turnovers in the game. They lost that game 62-54 as Hartsville outscored the Chiefs 22-8 in the fourth quarter to win that game.

Back to Myrtle Beach. After the game I remarked to coach Ryan Walker that it was about time the script changed and they won a game in the final quarter. “Yeah. We finished the half really strong when we haven’t been, and we finished the game really strong as well, so it was really good. We had some shots go in and they continue to play and battle, and I am just really proud of them. They have played extremely hard this year and to get one tonight was really cool,” Walker said.

And it was a rivalry win. “It’s special to win here. They all know each other and they are good friends, but it is a good rivalry, and both teams want to win. That’s cool high school basketball,” Walker concluded.

The statistics reflect the outcome. Porter Anglin led the Chiefs in scoring with 13 points, 8 of those in the fourth quarter. Mason Walker scored 10 points, all in the second half, and Caden Bass scored 10 points, six of those in the fourth quarter. Primere Lewis had 7 points and Chance Floyd had two first quarter baskets. The Chiefs battled at both ends of the court and made key defensive stops, rebounded, and blocked shots. It was cool to win.

The Chiefs were at Conway Tuesday and are home tomorrow night to take on Socastee on senior night.