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Savannah Country Day Swarms in 2nd Half to Sting Benedictine in a Heated Thriller

By Travis Jaudon/For the Prep Sports Report | December 30, 2020

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Two Savannah private schools who are no stranger to each other in athletic competition met for the first time on the basketball court this season in an early non-region test for both Savannah Country Day and Benedictine. As the nightcap on Day 2 of the SCDS Basketball Showcase, the Cadets and Hornets didn’t disappoint in front of a packed Demere Gymnasium. 

Country Day outlasted BC down the stretch, winning 60-52 in a heated back-and-forth affair with a frantic pace throughout. With the contest all locked up at 49-49 with 66 seconds remaining, SCDS buckled down and closed on an 11-2 run to clinch the victory.

The tempo of the game was noticeably faster (and some would say noticeably more exciting) thanks to a 30-second shot clock used for the first time by Savannah high schools this week at the three-day SCDS Basketball Showcase. It will not be mandatory for GHSA schools to use the shot-clock until the 2022-23 season.

SCDS (6-3) outscored Benedictine (1-2) 41-21 in the second half after trailing 15-14 through one quarter and 31-19 at halftime. 

The Hornets were led by senior guard Erik Brown’s 19 points, 10 of which came in the clutch quarter. Brown, who entered averaging 11.3 points per game, made up for a slow initial three quarters by icing the game from the charity stripe. He was the lone SCDS player to finish in double-digits scoring as Brown was a dynamite 11-of-15 from the free-throw line, knocking in 6-of-7 in the fourth quarter alone.

A star senior guard in his own right, BC’s Trent Broadnax struggled from the floor all evening, but still made his presence felt as best he could. The wide receiver signed to play football at Duke next fall, Broadnax finished with a team-high 14 points (also the only BC double-digit scorer) but managed just one made field goal in the loss. He was 11-of-14 in the free-throw department — the rest of the BC squad was 7-of-16.

Savannah Country Day and Benedictine each won on the showcase’s opening day (Monday). The Hornets won 76-48 over Bethesda Academy while the Cadets bounced Effingham, 57-50.

Both SCDS and BC made the GHSA state playoffs last season (2019-20), and BC won the only matchup a year ago. The Hornets have now won four of the last five games against the Cadets dating back to the 2017-18 campaign. Four of those five games were decided by nine points or less.

Country Day’s freshman big-man Timo Moeller added eight points, and senior Gray Grayson had four points including an emphatic fourth-quarter slam along the baseline with 1:08 left. Guard Ethan Meyers matched Moeller with eight points as a balanced Hornet stat sheet was highlighted by a 25-for-38 shooting performance at the free-throw line. Jamel Mainer added nine points for the visitors and BC was 18-of-30 shooting free-throws.

In June of 2020, the GHSA’s Executive Committee passed the rule to “phase-in” the 30-second clock over the next three years, beginning with “Showcase” tournaments only this year. All GHSA games will have a mandatory shot-clock beginning with the 2022-23 season. It’s likely the only week of the season during which SCDS or BC will play with a shot-clock.

The Cadets are back in action at the SCDS Showcase on Wednesday morning at 11:30 against GISA opponent Bethesda. Country Day will host Class 6A’s No. 6-ranked team, Richmond Hill, in the showcase’s finale at 5 pm.

BEN — 15 - 16 - 6 - 15 — 52 

SCD — 14 - 5 - 17 - 24 — 60

RECORDS — SCD 6-3; BEN 1-2.

NEXT — SCD vs. RHHS, Wed., Dec. 30, 5 pm; BEN vs Bethesda, Wed., 11:30 am (at SCD).

Follow Travis Jaudon on Twitter @JaudonSports and contact him at travisLjaudon@gmail.com.

Follow the Prep Sports Report Scoreboard ticker at the top of the website's page at prepsportsreport.com for all the final scores. 

Optim Orthopedics  supports Savannah Country Day School  Athletics. Dr. Thomas Alexander  is the school's orthopedic physician. Remember, Optim Orthopedics gets you back into the game!

Photo by Prep Sports Report Staff

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The "Coach" Karl DeMasi has been teaching and coaching for the past 35 years on all levels of academia and athletics. One of his hobbies has been writing, announcing and talking about sports. DeMasi has been involved in the Savannah Area sports scene since 1995, and he created the high school magazine "The Prep Sports Report" in 2000. In 2010, the "Coach" started broadcasting The Karl DeMasi Sports Report. He's still going strong, broadcasting on Facebook live and Twitter live every Saturday morning. You gotta love it!


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