The Hargrave Tigers capped a magical 2016 with a decisive 119-83 victory over SG Academy out of Raleigh, NC in the annual Hargrave Holiday Classic. With the win in the always festive annual event, Hargrave’s record bumps to 16-1 on the as the players head into a well deserved two week holiday break. The win also extends Hargrave’s home winning streak to 64 games, with their last home loss coming nearly three years ago in January of 2014.
Once again, Naji Marshall and Brandon Knapper delivered explosive and efficient performances. Marshall led all scorers with 24 points on 7-8 shooting from the floor overall, 3-4 from 3-point range and 7-7 from the free throw line. He also collected a game high 13 rebounds to secure his third double-double of the year, and boosted his team leading 9.2 rebounds per game average in the process. Knapper connected for 19 points of his own on 7-11 shooting, including 5-8 from the 3-point line. Knapper also stuffed the stat sheet himself, collecting 7 rebounds to go along with 7 assists. The Marshall and Knapper combination has been deadly all season as the guard duo ends the calendar year averaging a combined 34.9 points per game on 66% shooting.
Braxton Beverly (11 points, 8 assists), Josh Livingston (11 points, 6 rebounds) and Justin Brown (10 points, 9 rebounds and a season-high 14 deflections) also reached double-digits in scoring and had major contributions in other areas.
The Tigers will be back in action after the break against Combine Academy at home on January 5th. The program wishes a happy and safe holiday season to the entire Hargrave Basketball Family, near and far.
