Kicking off the action on Saturday, McCallie (Tennessee) and Indian Land (South Carolina) traveled from their respective states to battle it out. The primary takeaway from the Warriors was the utter dominance of Mike Jones and Sequel Patterson. Jones is a known bucket-getter whose size doesn’t deter his ability to put the ball in the basket. He’s somewhat slight in frame but incredibly fast, quick, and dynamic off the bounce. Jones gets to his spots with consistency and converts highly difficult jumpers on a regular basis. He also applies constant downhill pressure, which results in countless trips to the line. His backcourt mate, Patterson, showcased a lot of appeal. He highlighted scoring polish, defensive prowess, and a strong rebounding presence. Additionally, Brent Michael Terrell hit several meaningful shots. Those three guys proved to be major factors in the victory, combining for 54 of the Warriors’ 59 points (Jones 27; Patterson 16; Terrell 11).
On the other side, McCallie was without one of their top guys and still turned heads with their level of play. It doesn’t take long to recognize what makes Ryan Wingard a nationally regarded prospect. At 6-foot-6, he’s a long, explosive athlete with incredible instincts as a versatile defender and two-way rebounder. Wingard is a useful offensive piece who finishes and moves well without the ball. However, the fact that he’s able to dominate a game without needing real offensive involvement makes him a special talent. He defended multiple positions, both up and down the lineup, and forced turnovers with relative ease. Wingard’s ability to anticipate, recover, and contest or block shots is fairly uncommon—particularly for his age. He appeared comfortable spacing the floor or attacking as needed, but Wingard will be a legitimate force as his offensive repertoire expands. Outside of Wingard, Christian Lawhorn provided a well-rounded guard presence, Jayden Scott offered a reliable playmaking presence, and Artrell Knight caused matchup problems with his inside-out ability.