St. Andrew’s School honored its basketball past and present on Friday night. The future will get here soon enough for the two-time defending GIAA boys basketball state champions.
It was Senior Night, so there was a parade of players with their families or representatives announced between the girls and boys doubleheader. Also recognized were state championship teams for the girls (2003) and the boys (2004).
Commemorative basketballs were handed to senior Will Thompson for setting the school’s single-season record for 3-pointers this season; to junior Zayden Edwards for reaching the 1,000-career point milestone; and to head coach Mel Abrams for 150 career victories in nine seasons at the Wilmington Island private school.
Then it was time to go to work for the Lions boys, who won their 10th straight game in beating Frederica Academy 59-38.
The Knights of St. Simons Island have only two losses in their last 10 games, and those are both to the Lions in GIAA Region 4A/3A District 2. Frederica is 15-4 overall, 6-2 in the region; while St. Andrew’s is 17-7, 7-0.
“We had a lot of festivities going on tonight,” Abrams said after the victory. “What I really wanted the guys to focus on, more importantly, was this was another region game. That was the focus. We emphasized getting off to a good start, trying to block out all of the stuff that was happening – and they did a pretty good job of that.”
That’s putting it mildly. Thompson hit a 3-pointer from the left baseline about 22 seconds into the game, then hit a jumper for a 5-0 lead in the first minute. RaKari Harrison, also a standout football player on the defensive line, worked inside to receive slick assists for two layups.
When Thompson hit another trey from the left baseline, St. Andrew’s led 12-4 and Frederica called a timeout with 3:35 left in the first quarter.
“The last time we played them, we had a slow start in their gym, came out kind of flat,” Thompson said, noting the Lions’ 49-35 road victory on Jan. 13, “so we made sure to not repeat that and come out with energy and be active on defense and just get after it.”
The Lions finished the quarter with a flurry after giving up a 3-pointer to Knights guard Josh Gray (team-high 10 points). After the score, Richaard Williams beat the defense back down the floor for a fast-break layup and 16-10 advantage.
St. Andrew’s spread out its offense and Edwards took over in the last minute. He hit a 3-pointer, then made a steal and dunk, then stole the inbounds pass and converted the turnover into a layup and old-fashioned three-point play with the foul shot.
Edwards scored eight points in about 10 seconds, and the guard totaled 20 points in playing nearly the entire 32-minute game.
“When you have somebody as dynamic as he is, both physically and mentally, he’s a coach on the floor,” Abrams said. “Something we talk about is numbers are a little down in terms of how many guys we’ve got playing this year, so a lot of these guys have put the work in to be able to play major minutes, him being one of those guys.”
Williams, who played major minutes off the bench and totaled 12 points, squeezed more highlights into the last 25 seconds of the first quarter. The 6-foot-2 forward blocked a shot from 6-10 William Jobe in the paint, then used a well-timed leap to put in an offensive rebound in the closing seconds for a 26-10 SAS advantage.
The defense was fueling the offense, which seemed just fine to take open outside jumpers in the second quarter while the Knights stuck with a 2-1-2 zone defense with Jobe in the center to clog the lane.
“When you’ve got 6-10 (Jobe) in there, kind of protecting the rim, we don’t have the size sometimes to go down in there and finish effectively,” Abrams said. “I thought we did a good job, RaKari (Harrison) moving around, and we were able to find some holes in there to get some bounce passes and dump-offs where he finished.”
The 6-2 Harrison, both the coach and Thompson noted, marked Jobe on defense and limited him to seven points for the game.
Thompson ended a bit of a dry spell by hitting a 3-pointer as he was fouled and fell to the floor, flat on his back when the ball went off the rim, then the backboard, and then through the net. He missed the free throw but the Lions still led 34-14.
The lead grew to 24 before they took a 39-18 advantage to halftime. When Williams hit back-to-back shots from long range, the bulge was 25 points, 45-20, with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.
The biggest margin was 26 points in the fourth quarter, initially reached when Edwards made a putback and then a 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer, then Jaylen Sheppard sank an open 3 for 55-29 with about 4:55 left in regulation.
Playing college hoops
Thompson, who finished with 14 points, already was having a good Friday before he extended his 3-pointer record to 101 and counting, he said afterward. He said that Zayden’s older brother Zyere Edwards set the old mark of 90 in his stellar senior season of 2022-23.
Thompson earlier had committed to play basketball at Oglethorpe University, an NCAA Division III program in the Atlanta area.
“I loved the vibe there,” Thompson said of his visit. “It felt like home. Love the coaches and the players. Their play style, when I watched practice, it fits my game. They shoot a lot of 3s there. They love the 3.”
Serving the community
Among the special activities at the doubleheader Friday, St. Andrew’s also made it LB3 Foundation Night. Foundation president Lawrence Bryan III was in attendance, having been honored in the St. Andrew’s Howard & Mary Morrison Civic Leadership Program Class of 2023 in recognition of distinguished civic service.
The LB3 Foundation is a local nonprofit organization for community programming and advocacy. Programs including providing access to golf for children ages 9-12 from underserved areas; a Celebration of Life each August, when thousands of bags of school supplies and personal-care products are distributed to those in need; giveaways of food and new bicycles for children; as well as awards to local student-athletes for achievement in the classroom and athletic competition, including at St. Andrew’s.
In April 2023, the foundation announced its first basketball team, coach and player of the year. The coach was Abrams, the player was then-senior Zyere Edwards and the team was the Lions after they went 28-1 and won the GIAA Class 3A state title for the second consecutive season.
Friday’s summaries
GIRLS BASKETBALL
FREDERICA ACADEMY 31, ST. ANDREW’S 17
FA|17|5|2|7|--31
SAS|6|2|1|8|17
FREDERICA ACADEMY (31)
Gandy 9, McClain 2, Price 8, Wessel 5, House 7
ST. ANDREW’S (17)
G. Holmes 1, S. Holmes 2, Yates 6, Fleming 4, Dare 2, Wrieden 3
Records—FA 15-5, 4-4 GIAA Region 4A/3A District 2; SAS 6-17, 1-6 region.
BOYS BASKETBALL
ST. ANDREW’S 59, FREDERICA ACADEMY 38
FA|10|8|10|10|--38
SAS|26|13|8|12|--59
FREDERICA ACADEMY (38)
Jackson 2, Josh Gray 10, Holmes 8, Preston 6, Jobe 7, Ford 3, Baldwin 2
ST. ANDREW’S (59)
Sheppard 3, Harrison 8, Zayden Edwards 20, Richaard Williams 12, Will Thompson 14, Baillie 2
Records—FA 15-4, 6-2 GIAA Region 4A/3A District 2; SAS 17-7, 7-0.
PHOTO Credit: Prep Sports Report
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