The Josey High School girls and Butler High School boys’ basketball teams won the Richmond County Christmas Classic Tournament championship at the Paine College HEAL Complex on Friday, Dec. 22.
The holiday high school basketball tournament consisted of 16 total teams across the local and regional area in the “Battle for I-20.” Hoops’ action began Dec. 20.
Laney, Westside, Richmond Academy, Butler, Irmo, Windsor Forest, White Knoll and Keenan High Schools competed in the boy’s tournament. Butler, Richmond Academy, Laney, Westwood, Josey, White Knoll, Windsor Forest and Irmo competed in the girl’s bracket.
The Josey girls defeated both White Knoll and Grovetown easily before winning a tight battle against Westwood for Friday’s championship game.
Ten points from Makiah Thompson pushed the RedHawks out to a first quarter lead.
An early second quarter run by Josey pushed them ahead, but Westwood went on a run of their own to lead 31-26 at the half.
Kerri Fluellen helped get the Eagles back in the game as they went on a 11-2 run and outscored the RedHawks 15-4 in the third quarter.
Despite a couple of big 3-pointers by Westwood in the fourth quarter, Josey won the championship game 60-53. Fluellen led the Eagles with 19 points in the win.
Butler also handled business handily in its first two matchups against Irmo and Richmond Academy before defeating Westside 56-49 in the title game.
The game was back and forth early until a late first half run pushed the Bulldogs ahead 22-20 at the half.
Butler continued to match Westside on both ends of the floor and pushed their lead to 37-29 through three quarters.
Jayden Bell’s and-one layup extended the lead to double digits, but Jarious Adkinson led the Patriots with a game high 13 points in the fourth quarter halting the Bulldogs.
A no-quit effort by Westside was not enough as Butler hung on to win 56-49.
Butler, 7-2 on the season, will next battle against Burke County on Wednesday, Dec. 27. The Josey girls, 9-1, will take on 9-3 North Augusta also the same day.
Christopher Rickerson, an Augusta University graduate, has covered area sports for Augusta University, The Augusta Press and Augusta Good News. Subscribe to the Augusta Good News newsletter here.
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