Last Updated on 3/17/2010

Published on 11/27/2009

By R.G. Greene
For The Times

Matthew Cyrus and William Foster prescribed the winning remedy for the C.E. Murray High School basketball team on Tuesday.
Cyrus scored a game-high 19 points and Foster added 10 to lead C.E. Murray of Greeleyville past Georgetown 73-51 in the championship tilt of the Georgetown Dental Shoot-out.
“C.E. Murray is a very talented team,” Georgetown coach Stitch Walker said. “They lost a lot of players from last year’s team (which reached the Class A Lower State Finals), but that hasn’t stopped them. They weren’t ranked in the preseason top 10 poll and they came into this tournament with a point to prove.”
Fareal Walker – named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player – added eight points for C.E. Murray, as it took a 17-8 lead after the first quarter and built the advantage to 40-23 by half-time.
Foster was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and Cyrus was selected to the All-Tournament team.
“We never really got into the flow of the game,” Walker said. “They built a good lead on us at the beginning and we were not able to respond.”
Jervay Muhammad led Georgetown with nine points.
“Overall, I was happy with how we played in the tournament,” Walker said.
“We have a group of hard-working kids. One thing C.E. Murray did though was out-hustle us. It seemed like they beat us to every loose ball. The type of team we have to be this year, we can’t let that happen. We have to be able to win the hustle points.”
Though disappointed with his squad’s loss on Tuesday, Walker was pleased with how the entire tournament went.
“It was a great tournament,” Walker said.
“We had a great turnout and that tells you about the quality of the teams we had here. Everyone was excited about being here and appreciated the hospitality they were shown. It is a team effort to put this tournament on. I am fortunate to have such great people helping me.”
Georgetown’s Avery Evans and Marcus Archie were both named to the All-Tournament team.

ANDREWS 63,
WACCAMAW 35
 
Tuesday was the wrong night for Waccamaw to run into Andrews.
One night after being defeated by C.E. Murray, a determined Andrews squad took to the floor during the Georgetown Dental Shoot-out with a renewed sense of purpose, controlling the game from the outset and never looking back.
“It was a much better effort than we had against C.E. Murray,” Andrews coach Kevin Branham said. “We still have some work to do, but I feel like our team is starting to develop the style of play I want to see.”
All-Tournament selection Stefon Collins scored 18 points to lead Andrews and Harold Langley (14 points) and Corey Rush (12 points) joined him in double figures for the Yellow Jackets, whose up-tempo style of play and intensity was too much for the Warriors.
Andrews used its speed and quickness to create 11 steals and converted on the offensive end, shooting 50 percent from the field during the contest.
“We are at our best when we are able to run,” Branham said. “Our team speed can really work to our advantage. We can use our zone effectively and gamble a little bit to try and create turnovers and get some easy points on the other end.”
Waccamaw’s Sam Greene was also named to the All-Tournament team.
 
CARVERS BAY 49,
HANNAH-PAMPLICO 46
 
Carvers Bay trailed by 10 with three minutes left to play and by seven with two minutes showing on the clock, but rallied for the win in the Georgetown Dental Shoot-out.
Bears coach Jeff Mezzatesta credited his team’s defensive pressure and presence on the offensive boards for the rally.
“Our kids simply refused to lose,” Mezzatesta said.
“We used our half-court traps to disrupt their offense and got some key offensive rebounds and put-backs to turn things around. No matter what, we kept battling. I was very proud of our effort.”
Da’Shaun Aiken – who was named to the All-Tournament team – paced Carvers Bay with 18 points and Carlton Geathers chipped in with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks.
“Da’Shaun and Carlton took the game over,” Mezzatesta said. “They helped us ice it toward the end.”
With many of the Bears players getting back on the court after football season, Mezzatesta was happy with the effort shown by his squad during the tournament.
“We haven’t had as much preparation as we would have liked,” Mezzatesta said.
“Given that, I was pleased with the way we played. A lot of our younger kids really stepped up and that is a credit to how far our team has come the last four years.”