Top performances: Calvary Day boys basketball team upsets No. 1 Johnson
Region 3-3A has been one of the top basketball leagues in the state as Savannah area teams have made their mark in the state playoffs in the last few seasons.
This year, the region has a different look with Calvary Day, Savannah Country Day and Savannah Christian coming up, while the region lost Savannah High and Windsor Forest to lower classifications.
But the region is still drawing plenty of interest and it showcased a big upset on Saturday night as the host Calvary Day boys upset Johnson, ranked No. 1 in the state among Class 3A teams by Sandysspiel.com, 65-62.
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The Cavaliers got a big-time performance by junior Michael Smith, who had 21 points and 15 rebounds, with 25 points coming in the second half. Senior guard Sean Stoddard scored 16 points and C.J. Gaines and D.J. Seabrook added nine points each for Calvary Day (3-1). After the win, Calvary cracked the top 10 in the state rankings -- coming in at No. 7, while Johnson dropped to No. 3.
Josh Quarterman led Johnson with 21 points, Malachi Robinson had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Antonio Baker had 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Favion Kirkwood added 10 points for the Atom Smashers (6-2).
Both teams will be playing in the Holiday Classic Tournament this week. Johnson hosts SLAM at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the opening round of the Crawford Square Bracket. Calvary Day will face off with Benedictine at Woodville-Tompkins with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m.
St. Andrew's 96, First Presbyterian 22
The Lions, the defending GIAA state champions, extended their school record winning streak to 21 games with a blowout victory at First Presbyterian.
Zyere Edwards, who has committed to play at Augusta University, leads the Lions averaging 19.8 points, 4.5 assists and 4.5 steals per game. His younger brother, sophomore Zayden Edwards, is averaging 13.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 4.3 assists per game.
Beach 56, Savannah Christian 37
The Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 4 among Class 3A teams by Sandysspiel.com, beat host Savannah Christian 56-37 Saturday to improve to 7-0 on the season.
Shamarrie Hugie is averaging 22.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and four assists per game for the Bulldogs, James Leach averages 10.8 points and nine rebounds per game and Chandler Reid is putting up 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Beach hosts Windsor Forest (4-2) in the Holiday Classic in an opening game of the Crawford Bracket Thursday night at 8:30 p.m.
Richmond Hill 57, Woodville-Tompkins 53
Woodville, which entered the week ranked No. 7 among Class A Division I teams in the state by Sandysspiel.com, lost on the road to Richmond Hill, a Class 7A squad.
The Wolverines (7-3) were led by Alfonzo Ross, who scored 16 points. Zyaire Smart and Joey Bell added 10 points each for Woodville, which will host Hilton Head Prep at 8:30 Thursday in the Holiday Classic Tournament in a first-round game in the Crawford Square bracket.
A.J. Bynum had a strong game for Richmond Hill (3-5). The junior leads the team, averaging 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Potter's House Christian 69, Windsor Forest 55
The Knights lost on Saturday night and are now 4-2 on the season and ranked No. 9 in the state among Class 2A teams.
Through the first two games, Qurahn Anderson averaged 25 points, with Larry Pounds averaging 17 per game for Windsor Forest, which will play at Beach Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. in the first round of the Holiday Classic Tournament.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Calvary Day 69, Johnson 31
Hannah Cail scored 21 points, Maris Shields had 17 and Destini Gooddine added 16 for Calvary Day as the host Cavs beat Johnson in a Region 3-3A game Saturday night. In a 44-31 win over Liberty County Friday, Gooddine had 19 points and Cail scored 12.
South Effingham 63, Calvary Day 53
South Effingham improved to 7-1 on the season with a 10-point win on the road over the Cavaliers on Dec. 3. It was a big win for the Mustangs and coach Alexus Parker, who was a star in her prep playing days at Calvary Day before going on to play college ball at Prairie View A&M in Texas.
The Mustangs, who are currently ranked No. 10 in the state among Class 6A teams by Sandysspiel.com, had their only loss of the season come on the road to Camden County in a 53-48 setback on Dec. 2. South Effingham will host Camden County on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Laney Dobbs leads the Mustangs with 12.5 points per game, and is grabbing seven rebounds per contest. Kay'mar Griffin is averaging 10.9 points and 9.6 rebounds and Elena Hairston is averaging 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game for South Effingham.
Football
St. Andrew's represented in GIAA All-Star game
St. Andrew's football coach Kevin Prisant served as the offensive coordinator for the Red team in the GIAA All-Star game held in Macon Saturday.
Tight end Ethan Wilkins played for the Blue team in the game, with Lion kicker Gordon Standing as a punter and kicker on the Red squad.
Standing, the standout soccer player in his first year playing football, had a field goal and an extra point for the Red team, which won 16-6.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Calvary Day boys basketball upsets No. 1 Johnson
