North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
Sophia Powell lays it in after a steal late in the third quarter of the Lady Chiefs game with the West Brunswick Trojans. The Chiefs won the game 71-13 to begin their 2025-26 season. Powell led the Chiefs scoring with 20 points.
By John Smithson
The 2025-26 basketball season got underway last Friday night with two totally different games played at the NMB gym. The Lady Chiefs opened their schedule with a 71-13 blowout of the West Brunswick Lady Trojans, while the Chiefs had to battle back to tie their game at the end of regulation 44-44, and then won it in overtime 53-46.
The Lady Chiefs started slowly on offense and were tied 2-2 with 5:43 on the clock before leading 5-3. With the Chiefs ahead 6-2 Madison Vereen hit a three-pointer from the top of the key for a 9-2 lead.
The Chiefs defense led to some easy baskets and the Trojans didn’t get their third point of the first quarter until there was just over a minute left, and a 17-3 Chiefs lead went to 20-5 at the end of the quarter.
Most of the Chiefs first quarter points were scored by Sophia Powell, Jurnee Blye and Maddison Vereen, who also were the top three scorers in the game. By the end of the second quarter the Chiefs led 42-7.
The Chiefs opened the scoring in the third quarter with two Madison Vereen layups and a 46-7 lead. The clock didn’t stop after that, as by rule the score margin between the teams dictated a running clock.
The Chiefs led 59-13 after the third quarter and the Trojans didn’t score in the fourth quarter while the Chiefs did, eventually winning 71-13.
Sophia Powell made her debut as a Chief a good one, scoring 20 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Jurnee Blye scored sixteen points, and she had 10 rebounds. Vereen added 14 points for the Chiefs offense. Their next game was Monday night, home against Laney High School.
In the boys team matchup with West Brunswick Caden Bass opened the Chiefs scoring with a three-pointer and the Trojans answered with a 3-3 tie. Then neither team scored on several trips down court until the Trojans got a steal and layup for a 5-3 lead.
The Chiefs tied it at 5-5 before the Trojans increased their lead to 9-5 and the Chiefs called a timeout. The Chiefs cut the Trojans lead to 9-8 before Kveon Griffin drove for a score and added two free throws for a 13-11 Trojans lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Chiefs and Trojans were missing shots for most of the second quarter but the Chiefs still found a way to take an 18-17 lead with 4:19 on the clock, but were then outscored 7-2 and trailed 24-20 at the half.
West Brunswick was the only team to score in the first three minutes of the third quarter as they took a 26-20 lead. They maintained a lead through the end of the quarter with Bass keeping it close with four made free throws in the latter part of the quarter.
Trailing 33-28 to start the fourth quarter, Bass drove for a basket and one free throw, then added two more free throws for a 33-33 tie for the Chiefs. The Chiefs went cold for three minutes after that and the Trojans led 39-33 before the Chiefs comeback.
Mason Walker hit a three and Bass drove for two more points and the Trojans led 42-38. Walker’s jump shot made it 42-40. After a Trojan basket Primere Lewis made one of two free throws and a 44-41 Trojan lead with one minute left in the game. In the final frenetic 60 seconds the Chiefs battled for more and finally got a three-pointer from Walker to tie the score at 44-44. The Trojans couldn’t answer and it was overtime.
Almost halfway through the four minute overtime, neither team had scored until Primere Lewis put up a driving one hander for a basket and 46-44 Chiefs lead. The Trojans tied it at 46-46, but the Chiefs scored all the points the rest of the way, a free throw by Lewis, two free throws by Bass, two more from the line by Walker and a final layup by Jayden Chestnut for the 53-46 win.
Bass led the Chiefs scoring with 20 points. Lewis had 11 points and Walker scored 12 points, 8 of those in the fourth quarter with two threes.
The Chiefs were back at it last Saturday in their first game of the Green Sea Floyds tournament. The Chiefs beat Hannah-Pamplico 63-32. Mason Walker scored 26 points and Primere Lewis had 18 points for the Chiefs. The Chiefs were on the court Monday to take on Aynor in the second round of the tournament.
