HOLIDAY HOOPS

Hawks, Chargers, Knights each win holiday tournaments

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Unlike many other local athletes, several Chatham County basketball players were busy the week after Christmas competing in holiday tournaments.

Among the team’s who showcased their talents last week was the Seaforth girls basketball team, which won all three of its games to take the title at the 2022 Devil Classic, hosted by Swain County High.

The Hawks (9-1) opened the tournament with a 68-51 victory over North Stokes. Seaforth then handled Owen High before taking down Mitchell High in the final game of the showcase.   

Through 10 games, head coach Charles Byrd led Seaforth to a 9-1 record in just its second season as a program. Last year, the Hawks were 6-4 in their first 10 games before rallying to go undefeated in conference play and win 13 of their final 17 games.

Seaforth has been really locked in defensively. The Hawks are only allowing 33.2 points per game to their opponents, compared to 38.1 points per game allowed a season ago.

Seaforth returned to the court Tuesday for a Mid-Carolina Conference game against Chatham Central (after press time). The Hawks play again Thursday night at home vs. Grace Christian at 5 p.m.

The other local girls team to play in a holiday tournament last week was Northwood, which hosted and won the 2022 First Bank Charger Classic. The Chargers knocked off Hoke County in their showcase-opener last Wednesday before defeating Southern Alamance and Chapel Hill, respectively, in the semifinals and finals.

Northwood was led during the tournament by seniors Te’Keyah Bland and Gianna McManaman, who combined for 35 points in the Chargers’ first game of the tournament. McManaman was ultimately named MVP of the showcase, while Bland and junior Skylar Adams both made the all-tournament team.

The Chargers have turned things around after a rough start to the season. Head coach Kerri Snipes’ team began the year 0-3, but Northwood stood at 8-4 through 12 games entering Tuesday’s game against Person (after press time).

On the boys side, one of three Chatham County teams active last week was Chatham Charter, which won the Comet Christmas Classic, held at Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer.

The Knights had few problems handling their tournament opponents. In the first round, Charter dominated Albemarle, 84-43. The Knights won their semifinal game over West Stanly before demolishing South Stanly, 55-19, in the showcase’s title game.

The MVP of the tournament for Chatham Charter was sophomore Brennan Oldham, who averaged 14.0 points and six rebounds per game over the three games played. He also had five blocks in the tournament final.

Entering the new year, the Knights are the only undefeated team in Chatham County at 15-0. The Knights are currently the top boys team in the county both in points per game scored (71.4) and points per game allowed (32.4).

Chatham Charter returns to the court Friday night at home against Research Triangle at 7:30 p.m.

Outside of Chatham Charter and Northwood, the only other boys team to compete in a holiday tournament last week was Seaforth, which lost both games it played at the Chick-fil-A Classic in Lexington, S.C.

The Hawks opened the showcase with a 29-point loss to Richland Southeast (S.C.) before falling to Cardinal Newman (S.C.), 83-55, in their final game.

Leading the charge for Seaforth was junior center Jarin Stevenson, who averaged 23.0 points and 8.0 rebounds over the course of the tournament and totaled 29 in the Hawks’ second game against Cardinal Newman. For the season, Stevenson — the No. 1 player in N.C. in the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports — is averaging 20.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.

Entering Tuesday night’s game against Chatham Central (after press time), the Hawks were 7-4 overall. Last year — Seaforth’s first as a program — they began the year 6-5 in their first 11 games before finishing the year 12-10 overall.

Sports Editor Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.