SPARTANBURG, SC - On Saturday, The Chesnee Eagles split a pair of games to finish the Steve Sanders Tournament with a 2-1 record.
"I'm proud of them, we played well,” said Chesnee head coach Scott Wease. “Always happy when you can pick up wins over tough competition." Chesnee started off the first game of the day with a 9-7 victory over Union County as they got off to a fast start as the first five batters reached in the top of the first inning with Jonah Epps hitting a RBI double and Carson Williamson driving in a run by drawing a bases loaded walk. The big blow came off the bat of Chesnee’s Jacob Webb who hit a two RBI double to put the Eagles up 4-0 after a half inning of play. Union County got a pair of runs back in the bottom half of the inning when Bryant Whitlock drove in a run on a fielder's choice and later stole second. The stolen base allowed him to score on Branson Cook's RBI double. Landon Thompson, Jonah Epps, and Davis Rising each singled to leadoff the top of the 2nd inning with Thompson scoring on a Tucker Johnson RBI sacrifice fly to put the Eagles up 5-1 through one and half innings of play. The lead set Eagles starter Jacob Webb cruise as he only allowed one hit over the next three innings on the mound. The Eagles backed Webb's effort by plating four runs in the top of the fourth inning to extend their lead to 9-2 over the Yellow Jackets. With one out in the inning, Chesnee saw six consecutive batters reach. Jonah Epps hit his second RBI double of the game and Carson Williamson picked up his second RBI with a single. Ethan Lawson had the big blow of the inning with a two RBI single that later proved to be the difference in the game. Union County scratched back into in the bottom of the fifth inning as they scored five runs as Nic Queen, TJ Betenbaugh, Bryant Whitlock, and Mason Small each collected an RBI. With the tying run at the plate for Union County, a ground out ended the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs thanks to the time limit being reached. Eagles seniors Landon Thompson and Jonah Epps combined to go 5 of 7 with two RBIs and five runs scored. "They are our leaders,” said Wease. “They have played for us since the ninth grade and we expect big things out of them. They have done an excellent job the first three games and I'm excited to see what they can keep doing." The Spartanburg Vikings downed Chesnee 6-1 in the final game at Duncan Park of the Steve Sanders Tournament on Saturday. The Vikings jumped out front on a RBI groundout from Ian Squires. Spartanburg plated two more in the bottom of the third inning when Garrett Fulmer hit a RBI sac fly and Ian Squires hit a deep RBI double for his second RBI. Fulmer collected his second RBI of the game on his second RBI sacrifice fly of the game in the fifth inning to extend their lead to 4-0. Chesnee plated a run on a wild pitch in the sixth inning. In the bottom half of the inning Dontarian Davis drove in a run after laying down a nice bunt and the Vikings plated another run on the play thanks to an errant throw to reach the final score of 6-1. On Friday, Chesnee picked up a 7-2 win over Woodruff. Chesnee was without the services of senior Luke Hollifield who had his own excitement this weekend as he earned All-State honors in the 120lbs class at the AA State Wrestling Tournament thanks to a third place finish. Chesnee will be back in action on Friday at 3:00pm as they play Hanahan to open the SCBA Sandlapper Shootout at Gilbert High School. Chesnee SoftballChesnee softball finished just one game short of the 2A state championship series last season and in 2022 they'll look to build on their success from last season with a new group of Eagles. "We look to compete for a region championship and be able to host some playoff games," said Chesnee head coach Tripp Fogle. "Our new team is excited about this opportunity to compete at the highest level." Last season the Eagles finished the season with a 26-6 record as they won a region championship, district championship, and fell just one game short of an Upper State championship. The Eagles will be returning five starters from last year's team, a group they expect to lead a young Eagles team, as they'll see Hannah Henderson, Kyleigh Thompson, Maddie Handy, Skylar Barrett, and Emily Pruett all return to the Eagles lineup. Chesnee expects this group to be keys to their success this upcoming season. Chesnee will also look to get key contributions from newcomers Emma Fogle, Nicole Helton, Brandolin Bearfield, Aubrey Aparis, and Harley Grady as they look to make another run in the playoffs. The Eagles will once again host their Chesnee Preseason tournament from March 3-4 that will see an expanded field, as part of the games will also be played at Boiling Springs as well. Chesnee will start the regular season when they host Chapman in a home game on March 8th at 7:30 PM. Chesnee Boys GolfThe Chesnee boys golf team is looking forward to a strong season this year that they expect to continue into the future as they return all five starters from last year without one player being a senior this season. The work the team has made in the offseason and the chance to grow during the season has Chesnee head coach Andy Pitt excited about the future of his Eagles program. ”Our guys have worked really hard this offseason in the weight room and on their golf game with their swing coaches,” said Pitt. “A challenging tournament slate in 2022 should continue to build our program and give them more experience that will ultimately help us as they push for postseason success.” With all five starters returning the Eagles will once again see a team made up of All-Region player Peyton Lawter along with Jake Hefner, Creighton Rentz, Jackson Ramsey, and Hughston Johnson. The young Eagles team finished last season third in the region, which was one spot short of making it to the Upper State tournament due to Covid restrictions, but they will look to improve on that positioning this year. They hope with another year of experience to be competing for a region championship and a spot in the state tournaments. Chesnee, who was recently voted #8 in the SC Golf Coaches Association preseason poll for AA/A teams, will kick off their season on March 7th in the Rebel Invitational at River Falls Plantation. They will also be once again be hosting the TC Ezell Invitational on April 26th at Meadowbrook Golf Club. Chesnee BaseballAfter a successful season last year that saw the Chesnee baseball team finish the year with a record of 17-10 that ended in the district series, the Eagles will look to improve on that performance in the 2022 season. The Eagles will return six starters from last season that include three seniors and three juniors. Chesnee will see seniors Landon Thompson (SS/P), Luke Hollifield (2B/P) and Jonah Epps (IF/OF) all return along with juniors Carson Williamson (CF/P), Davis Rising (3B/P), and Ethan Lawson (C). Of the returning six starters they return two players from last year who came away with impressive honors as senior Jonah Epps, who earned both All-State and All-Region player honors last season, along with senior shortstop Landon Thompson who earned All-Region honors last season, as both will be hoping to duplicate their performances from last year. Chesnee will also look to get key contributions from newcomers Eli Henderson, a left-handed pitcher, and Tucker Johnson who is also a left-handed pitcher that also will play first base for the Eagles. The Eagles will compete in two preseason tournaments, the Steve Sanders Tournament at Duncan Park from February 25-26 along with the SCSBA Invitational at Gilbert High School from March 3-6. They will kick off their regular season on March 8th in a home game against Broome. Chesnee Track And FieldLast year the Chesnee track team had an impressive season as two separate groups came away with state championships and with twenty returning starters this season the Eagles hope to build on that success as they head into the 2022 season. On the boys' side of team at the state championship last season, the Eagles saw their boys 4x100 team win the state championship and most of that team returns including All-State and All-Region runners KJ Valentine, Bryson Thompson, and Malikhi Franklin. Chesnee will also look to get strong seasons from returners Terrell Kesler, Jayden Williams, Exavion Valentines, Jaydon Gossett, Hudson Jones, Omarion Ocampo-Rios, and Tyrel Hamilton. They will also look to get key contributions from newcomers Adonis Burguess, Noah Lawter, KJ Proctor, and Aiden Allen. On the girls' side of the team the Eagles will have to replace a familiar face in state champion Jessa Beach, who is now competing for USC Upstate after winning the state championship in discuss last year. While Beach is gone the girls team will still have a lot of experience back as they have eight returners from last year's team that includes All-Region and All-State runner Ny'kerrea Proctor. She will be joined by fellow returnees Amy Rae Breitenbach, Claire Walker, Elysia Proctor, Lanie Arrowood, Olyvia Stowell, Riley Sumerel, and Tanner Jones. That group will be joined by newcomers Camila Tilley, Olivia Allison, Olivia Wampler, Zibi Edmonds, and Nardi Barnes as they look to make a return to the state championship meet. Chesnee track and field will open their regular season up on March 12th at the Chic-Fil-A Games that will be held at Eastside High School. Chesnee Soccer*The Boiling Springs Sports Journal sent emails for all information about our Spring Sports Preview to all coaches, if schedules or information is missing it's because we never received any information in return
GREENVILLE, SC - The Chesnee girls basketball team season came to an end after falling to Christ Church 61-33 on Wednesday night in the first round of the 2A playoffs.
Christ Church jumped out to a 15-6 lead at the end of this first quarter as Brie Smith and Heaven Kinnison combined for four of the Eagles six points in the quarter. In the second quarter the Eagles doubled their first quarter point total as they scored 12 points in the quarter but still couldn't gain on the Cavaliers as they were outscored 19-12 with Christ Church holding a 34-18 halftime lead. The Eagles Pearl Holloway accounted for all 12 of the Chesnee points in the quarter. The Eagles were unable to close the distance in the second half as the Cavaliers used a strong defense to outscore Chesnee 27-15 over the final two quarters of the game. Pearl Holloway led the Eagles in scoring on Wednesday night as she accounted for 21 of the Eagles 33 points. LANDRUM, SC - On Monday after the Chesnee basketball team played a tiebreaker game against Greer Middle College for third place in the region and they fell to the Blazers 55-51 to get the fourth seed along with a trip to Abbeville to start the 2A playoffs on Thursday.
"We tried to speed them up some and it created some opportunities, but we couldn't take advantage of our chances," said Chesnee head coach Andy Pitt. "We missed some shots and had some untimely turnovers late, when you do that in a close game it's hard to win." In the first quarter Greer Middle jumped out to a 6-0 lead but the Eagles clawed their way back grabbing an 11-10 lead with just over a minute to go when Daniel Wease hit a three-pointer from the left corner to give Chesnee their first lead of the game and held a 13-10 lead when the quarter ended. Greer Middle took advantage of a bad shooting quarter for the Eagles in the second quarter as Chesnee just couldn't get a shot to fall as the Blazers outscored them 18-7 in the quarter for a 28-20 halftime lead. Chesnee started out the third quarter on a 4-0 run to get back within four points on a jump shot from Ty Dawkins from the right ride. After Dawkins basket, it was pretty much all KJ Valentine for the Eagles in the third quarter as he scored 12 of the 16 points for the Eagles in the quarter. Chesnee narrowed the Greer Middle lead to 40-36 as they headed into the final quarter. The fourth quarter saw another Chesnee player have a big quarter as sophomore Brady Poole took control of the Eagles offense scoring all 15 points for the Eagles in the quarter. Poole started the quarter with three-pointer from the left corner before tying the game at 40-40 on a free throw with just over seven minutes to go in the game. He gave Chesnee their first second half lead at 42-40 on a layup down the middle as it looked like the Eagles may be taking control of the game. Greer Middle battled back though as Diondre Durham scored eight points in the quarter for the Blazers as he continued to hit clutch shots in response to any Eagles lead. Durham scored 16 of his game high 23 points in the second half on Monday night. Over the final three minutes of the game the Eagles saw a one-point deficit stretched out to seven points as they couldn't overcome turnovers and missed free throws down the stretch. Both Valentine and Poole ended the game with double-doubles for the Eagles as KJ Valentine ended the game with 18 points, 15 rebounds, one block, and a steal while Poole ended the game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and a steal. Chesnee will now travel to play Abbeville on Thursday night for the first round of the 2A playoffs after the Panthers defeated Christ Church in a tiebreaker on Monday night to win their region. Pitt said shrugging off this loss will be big as every team has to be ready to play each night once the playoffs begin. "We knew going into the game we were in the playoffs it was just a matter of where with the results of this game tonight," said Pitt. "Shrugging this loss off is important as we're only one of a few teams at the 2A level that will be playing in the playoffs, as only a few teams get this opportunity. It's a one game deal each night from here on out and we just got to leave it all out on the court each night." Pitt also added he's happy his seniors who missed out on this opportunity last year because of Covid get the chance to be a part of the playoffs this year. "We have some seniors that get this opportunity after the Covid year last year," said Pitt. "Having the seniors that missed out on this opportunity last year is big while it's also big for the younger guys to get this experience and being able to build on it moving forward." GREER, SC - With a chance to secure a playoff spot in their grasp, the Chesnee girls basketball team used a big third quarter to defeat Greer Middle College 36-28 on Tuesday night and grab a spot in the 2A playoffs.
Both teams got off to a relatively slow start in the first quarter as the Eagles held a slim 9-6 lead when the buzzer sounded to end the quarter as Chesnee was led in the quarter by senior Brie Smith who scored four of the Eagles nine points. In the second quarter the Eagles used a strong defensive performance to limit the Blazers to only three points as they extended their halftime lead to 15-9. The third quarter was the most productive quarter offensively for both teams as both teams came out of halftime looking to take control of the game but it was the Eagles who were able to keep control outscoring the Blazers 12-10 in the quarter to hold a 27-19 lead when the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter. The run in the quarter was fueled by Brie Smith, Pearl Holloway, and Haley Edmonds who combined to score all 12 points in the quarter for Chesnee. Both teams finished out the game scoring nine points each which was a result that favored the Eagles as they captured the 36-28 victory and the fourth place spot in the region. Chesnee head coach Derek Byars was very happy with his team’s results on Tuesday night and how they played overall. ”It was a great team win,” said Byars. “I’m extremely proud of how hard we played tonight.” Chesnee’s Brie Smith led all scorers with 15 points on Tuesday night followed closely behind by Pearl Holloway who added 13 points of her own. In the boy’s game the Eagles fell to Greer Middle College 67-65 as they got a look late to win the game but were unable to convert. Both teams will return to play on Friday night when they host Landrum for the final regular season game of the year. CHESNEE, SC- St Joseph’s downed Chesnee 59-50 on Friday night to snap the Eagles three game winning streak.
Carson Williamson hit a three to open the scoring on a night in which he turned in an impressive performance. The Knights ended the first quarter on a 13-2 run to allow them to build a 17-7 lead. Chesnee bounced back in the second quarter as they went on a 9-1 run to cut the Knight's lead to three with 2:27 left in the half. The Knights built their lead back up to five but a Coyie Poole three at the halftime buzzer cut the Knight's lead to 2. The third quarter was a difference maker for the Knights. They opened on a 9-0 run and won the quarter 22-10 to build a 43-29 lead. The Eagles tried to get back in it as Carson Williamson hit a pair of threes to pull the Eagles within ten early in the fourth but the Knights went 7-9 at the line in the closing minutes to help secure the win. Carson Williamson finished with 19 points including an impressive five threes as Brady Poole added 16 points. Jalen Gibson finished with 21 points to lead the Knights and Josh Burns added 14 points. The Eagles will be back in action on Tuesday as the travel to Greer Middle College with a 7:30pm tip. Girls Game The St Joseph Knights downed the Chesnee Eagles 34-27 to snap the Eagles two game win streak. St Joseph's Ginny Anne Dumont and Chesnee's Brie Smith each hit a three to open the scoring for both team's. Brie Smith scored all ten of the Chesnee points in the quarter and it would end tied at ten. After Heaven Kinnison made a shot in the lane during the second quarter, the Knights scored the final two baskets of the first half to take a 14-12 lead into the locker room. St Joseph’s won the third quarter 10-2 and Ginny Anne Dumont hit another three to open the fourth quarter to give the Knights a lead the Eagles could not overcome. Pearl Holloway scored five points in the fourth quarter as the Eagles tried to mount a comeback but the Knights went seven of eight from the charity stripe in the closing moments to seal the win. Brie Smith led the Eagles with 15 points while Pearl Holloway and Heaven Kinnison each added five points each for the Eagles. Ginny Anne Dumont led the Knights with 11 points and Adelia Stefanik added nine points. The Eagles will travel to Greer Middle College on Tuesday at 6:00pm to start the final week of Region II-AA play. CHESNEE, SC - The Chesnee Eagles downed Greer Middle College 65-51 on Wednesday night to pick up their second key region win in as many days and extend their winning streak to three straight games.
"It feels great to get this win," said Chesnee guard Brady Poole. "We are starting to come together as a team and play like we think we should." The Blazers got off to a hot start as they jumped out to an 8-1 lead thanks to five early points from Connor Raines. Chesnee responded with an 11-0 run over the next two and a half minutes to claim the lead, as a pair of threes by Brady Poole helped spark the run. Greer Middle pulled within one point with just over two minutes to go in the first half but a KJ Valentine layup and a Brady Poole three-point play, the Naismith way, helped the Eagles build a 24-21 halftime lead. The Blazers' Musa Muriithi sank a three-pointer two minutes into the third quarter to tie the game, but the Eagles responded with what proved to be a game deciding run. The 15-5 run saw the Eagles turn a twenty-six all tied game into a 41-31 lead as the run was sparked by the duo of Brady Poole and KJ Valentine as Poole scored eight points and Valentine had seven points of his own. Chesnee stretched their lead to sixteen points early in the fourth quarter thanks to an 8-0 run and the closest the Bengals got for the remainder of the game was thirteen points. Brady Poole led all scorers with thirty-seven points and KJ Valentine added nineteen points for the Eagles. "It's nice having two guys like KJ and Brady who can attack in different ways. It's one of those things we are blessed with right now." Chesnee Coach Andy Pitt said about his talented duo. Konnor Raines led the Bengals with seventeen points and Diondre Durham added sixteen points. The Eagles will be at home on Friday as they host St Joseph's. Girl's Game The Chesnee Eagles downed the Greer Middle College Blazers 37-33 to pick up their second key region win of the week. "It was great win for us, we really did great job of picking each other up throughout the game." Chesnee Center Heaven Kinnison said. The Eagles jumped out to a 8-1 lead the carried into the second quarter as Brie Smith sparked the offense with four early points. The Bengals would cut the Chesnee lead down to a single point, but a another 8-1 run allowed the Eagles to take a 16-8 lead into halftime. This time Smith got help from Pearl Holloway and Tahira Barnes to help spark the run. The Eagles would continue to build on the lead as they stretched it out to 22-10 after a Heaven Kinnison made basket, but the Bengals would end the quarter on a 12-4 run to get back into the game. Ninety seconds into the fourth Anya Anderson would sink a three to pull the Bengals to within one, but the Eagles would slam the door on the possibility of them getting any closer as they would go on a ten to five run to secure the win. Brie Smith led all scorers with Twenty-one points, and Pearl Holloway added eight points. Anya Anderson led the Bengals with fourteen points and Jasmine Norris added eleven points. Chesnee will host St Joseph's on Friday with a 6:00pm scheduled tip. CHESNEE, SC- Chesnee pulled out a 63-55 win on Tuesday night over Brashier Middle College to start an important week for the Eagles as they will host three home games this week.
"This win sets the tone for the week,” said Chesnee head coach Andy Pitt. “We have another big game tomorrow against Greer Middle College. Last week we played well on a back to back and hope for the same thing tomorrow night.” "This win helped us move closer to securing a playoff spot,” said Chesnee guard Ty Dawkins. “I feel like this is gonna help us build momentum and add some more wins." The Bengals jumped out to a 9-3 lead just over three minutes into the first quarter as Sam Stein scored their first nine points. Brashier maintained their distance against the Eagles even as Chesnee’s Brady Poole went on a personal 6-0 run early in the second quarter. The key moment of the game came at the 4:33 mark of the second quarter, and was not anything on the court, rather Chesnee coach Andy Pitt switching his team from a half court defense to an attacking full court defense that seemed to confuse and frustrate the Bengals. "Coach Pitt switched to the full court defense and we could see them panic,” said Chesnee forward KJ Valentine. “We were able to get easy buckets thanks to our defense." "We started slow, and needed spark as our offense had been dictating our defense and we needed to turn that around,” said Pitt. “We had success with it at Blacksburg on Friday and the kids are confident in it which turned the game around for us." It paid immediate dividends as the Eagles went on a 12-0 run to cut a 25-15 deficit into a 27-25 advantage in just over two and a half minutes of play. The run was paced by KJ Valentine who had six of the Eagles twelve points. Brashier came out of the locker room with a 13-5 run to build a nine point lead in the middle of the third quarter. Chesnee once again respond with a run of their own with a 9-3 run to make it 44-41 in favor of the Bengals with under ninety seconds to go in the quarter. The Eagles got a big three from Elijah Wease to open the fourth quarter to pull Chesnee to within two and it sparked an 11-3 run that saw Carson Williamson sink a shot to put the Eagles in front for good. The Eagles won the fourth quarter 19-6 to pull out the victory in the game. Brady Poole led all scorers with 28 points while KJ Valentine and Dawson added 12 points apiece. Elijah Wease added eight points including a pair of big threes for the Eagles. JC Whitesides led the Bengals with 22 points and Sam Stein added 17 points of his own. Coach Pitt credited the Chesnee Student Section for making an impact on tonight's game. “I have to give a shoutout to the students tonight,” said Pitt. “We had a big game tonight and their support means more than they realize. It helped create a great atmosphere." The Eagles will look to carry the momentum into Wednesday night's home matchup with Greer Middle College which is scheduled for a 7:30pm tipoff. Girls Game The Chesnee Eagles pulled out a 46-31 win thanks to a strong opening run that proved to be too tough to overcome. "This win gives us confidence and momentum heading into tomorrow night,” said Chesnee guard Brie Smith. The Eagles scored the first twenty-one points of the game including a 15-0 first quarter performance. "In the first quarter we were able to take advantage of the defense they were showing us,” said Smith. “Haley also shot the ball great tonight." Brie Smith scored seven of the fifteen points on the first quarter and Haley Edmonds finished the run with a pair of back to back threes. "It felt great to help my team out with some big shots,” said Chesnee guard Haley Edmonds. “It felt great to do it for the seniors, as we want to play as long as we can as we all play for each other.” The Bengals responded with a 10-0 run that saw Ansley Dowling score all ten Bengal points. Chesnee’s Pearl Holloway sank a shot to end the Bengals run and Edmonds hit her third three pointer of the quarter as the Eagles ended the half on a 7-0 run for a 28-10 halftime lead. Dowling started the second half strong for the Bengals as she went on an 8-3 run to cut the Chesnee lead to 31-18 but once again the Eagles responded. This time Brie Smith hit a shot to spark a 9-0 run to stretch the lead 40-18 to end the third quarter. Dowling went on an 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter but the Chesnee run to end the third quarter proved to be too much for the Bengals to overcome. Brie Smith led the Eagles with 15 points and Haley Edmonds finished with 14 points including four three pointers. Bengal's Ansley Dowling led all scorers with 29 points. The Eagles will look to carry the momentum into tomorrow night when they host Greer Middle College with a 6:00pm scheduled tipoff. |
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