The Hargrave Military Academy Post Graduate basketball team opened their defense of the 2016 National Prep Championship in convincing fashion, topping Patrick Henry Community College on Friday and Mt. Zion Christian Academy on Saturday.
HMA 103, PATRICK HENRY CC 70
The Tigers featured a balanced scoring attack against Patrick Henry in the season opener on Friday, placing five players in double digits, led by Xavier commit Naji Marshall, who logged 18 points in just 19 minutes of game action. Ohio State Commit Braxton Beverly paced the Tigers with 8 assists to go with his 10 points, as Georgetown commit Antwan Walker added 10 points (with 6 rebounds) , West Virginia commit Brandon Knapper had 11 points with three 3-pointers made, and Clayton Hughes rounded out the scoring leaders with 10 points of his own.
The Tigers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back against the Patriots, building an early 25-8 lead and cruising to a 103-70 victory. The Tigers had 14 different players score in the contest, with every player making a meaningful contribution to the result.
Friday night’s game also featured a Halloween Costume Contest in partnership with the Danville area Boys and Girls Club. The Boy’s and Girls club came out in full force to support the Tigers, and their presence was felt and appreciated by all. Shala, Harper and Andi received the highest marks in the costume contest and walked away with some sweet rewards!
HMA 124, MT. ZION 89
Saturday featured more of the same for the Tigers as they dispatched Mt. Zion Christian Academy of Durham, NC. The Tigers were paced by the dynamic duo of Naji Marshall and Brandon Knapper, who each ended the afternoon with 27 points. The two high-major commits combined to shoot 18 for 25 from the floor overall (72%), 9 for 15 from 3pt range (60%) and 9 for 11 from the free throw line (81%). Justin Brown (10) and Trey Kelley (12; 2-2 3pt) also chipped in with double digit scoring performances.
Hargrave once again opened up a big early lead, which only grew over the course of the game, leading to a 124-89 final score. 13 different Tigers scored in the contest, which also saw five different Tigers pull down at least 5 rebounds. Braxton Beverly continued his strong point guard play, dishing out 7 assists while Iran Bennett added three blocks to increase his team-leading total to 5 on the season.
Hargrave will put it’s 32 game overall win streak and 57 game home win streak on the line against Washington Academy on Tuesday. The tip-off is scheduled for 6:00pm in historic Walter Davis Gymnasium.
