Phenom Hoops was back in Charlotte for the Phenom New Year’s Bash, bringing some terrific talent from around the area on both the girls’ and boy’s side. Moving into the third game on the day, Southeast Guilford hit the road to travel to Charlotte to take on Mallard Creek, in what looked to be a pretty even matchup.
Southeast Guilford came out hot in this game, going up quickly by 10 points and taking the first-quarter lead, but eventually, Mallard Creek started to settle down and make plays. The seniors started to elevate their play before halftime, with Russell Hawkins and company leading the charge to help give Mallard Creek a narrow halftime lead, 27-24. Trace Moffitt was led SE Guilford with seven points in the first half.
Coming out of halftime, it felt like both teams were looking to make runs. Mallard Creek came out strong but Southeast Guilford was able to punch right back and build upon a lead with the third quarter coming to an end. It allowed SE to hold a 45-39 lead, but this was a game of runs. In the fourth quarter, these teams continued to make small runs and the lead was going back and forth. With the game tied, Jalyn Connor hit a huge 3 to go up late. In the final seconds and SE Guilford down by one, they had one last heave but came up short, with Mallard winning 57-56.
Final: Mallard Creek 57 – Southeast Guilford 56
MC: Jalyn Connor 14pts, Deontae Walker 13pts, Russell Hawkins 9pts
SE: Trace Moffitt 15pts, Kenny Miller 13pts, Jason Hancock 8pts