2021 Hoggard Holiday Classic Girls Preview

Daily Schedule

Tuesday, December 28

Noon: Laney (7-0) vs. E.E. Smith (5-1) in Sheila Boles Gym

Noon: Ashley (4-2) vs. East Bladen (8-0) in James Hebbe Gym

3 p.m.: Topsail (6-1) vs. Whiteville (3-5) in Sheila Boles Gym

6 p.m.: Hoggard (8-1) vs. Northern Guilford (8-0) in Sheila Boles Gym

7:30 p.m.: Cardinal Gibbons (8-1) vs. West Carteret (5-4) in James Hebbe Gym

Wednesday, December 29

1:30 p.m.: Topsail vs. East Bladen in Sheila Boles Gym

1:30 p.m.: Laney vs. Northern Guilford in James Hebbe Gym

4:30 p.m.: Ashley vs. West Carteret in Sheila Boles Gym

6 p.m.: Hoggard vs. Cardinal Gibbons in Sheila Boles Gym

7:30 p.m.: Cape Fear Academy (1-6) vs. Whiteville in James Hebbe Gym

Thursday, December 29ASt 

Noon: Laney vs. Cardinal Gibbons in Sheila Boles Gym

1:30 p.m.: Ashley vs. Whiteville in James Hebbe Gym

3 p.m.: Cape Fear Academy vs. Topsail in James Hebbe Gym

4:30 p.m.: Hoggard vs. West Carteret in Sheila Boles Gym

Storylines to watch

Can any team stay unbeaten?

Three teams – East Bladen (8-0), Laney (7-0) and Northern Guilford (8-0) – enter the inaugural event without a loss. At least one of them will leave with a blemish on its record.

If Laney and Northern Guilford both win on the opening day, they will square off in a battle of unbeatens Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in James Hebbe Gym. The Buccaneers have the most difficult schedule of the event. In addition to playing the Nighthawks, they also face E.E. Smith (5-1) and Cardinal Gibbons (8-1).

East Bladen faces a pair of 4A teams from the Mideastern Conference – Ashley (4-2) and Topsail (6-1).

Chasing 500 career points

A pair of Hoggard players are nearing the 500-point milestone. While they might not reach the mark this week, they should come close.

Senior forward Madeline Elgart already has a pair of 30-point performances this season. She is currently at 417 points, so she would need to average 27.7 points over the three days to reach 500. Elgart is currently averaging 16.4 points per game.

Junior point guard Anya Massey is a little closer, as she currently sits at 430 points. Massey has reached double figures in five of the eight games she’s played in, including a season-high 18 twice. 

Confidence Builder?

Success at holiday tournaments can often help turn the momentum for struggling programs as they enter the second half of the season.

One team who would love to pick up a pair of wins this week is Cape Fear Academy, which is off to an uncharacteristically slow start at 1-6. The Hurricanes did snap a six-game losing streak with a 36-35 win over Dixon last week. 

Now, they are hoping to build on it. CFA won’t play on the opening day, but they will square off against Whiteville on Wednesday and Topsail on Thursday.

Hope you like defense

If you are a fan of good defenses, you should enjoy the action. Five of the 11 teams scheduled to play allow less than 30 points per game.

That group is led by East Bladen (25.4), Laney (26.3) and Topsail (26.6). Hoggard (28.1) and Northern Guilford (29.8) also play outstanding defense.

The only offense averaging more than 60 points is Cardinal Gibbons, which comes in at 66.4. E.E. Smith (59.8), Laney (59.3) and Northern Guilford (58.1) aren’t far behind.

15 players to watch

Senior guard Emme Baber, West Carteret: Leads the Patriots in points (10.6) and assists (4.0), while also averaging 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals. Barber reached double figures six straight games earlier in the season, but she has scored only 11 while going 3 of 18 from the field over the past two contests.

Senior forward Taylor Chism, Laney: The N.C. State soccer signee is a hard-nosed player who has been a key contributor for four seasons. Chism has already surpassed the 500-point mark for her career. Her next milestone will be 350 rebounds, which she might reach this week. Her current total is 324 rebounds. Through seven games, Chism is averaging 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.9 steals and 3.3 assists.

Sophomore guard Lexie Dawson, Topsail: Dawson has scored at least nine points in all seven games, including a season-high 17 on three occasions. She leads the Pirates at 12.9 points and 3.3 steals. If you take away a 2-for-11 shooting performance against Hoggard, Dawson has connected on 49 percent (32 of 65) of her field goal attempts.

Senior forward Madeline Elgart, Hoggard: As mentioned above, Elgart has surpassed the 30-point mark in a pair of games. She leads the Vikings at 16.4 points, while shooting 45 percent (57 of 127) from the field. Elgart is also a terrific free throw shooter, where she hits at a 75 percent (21 of 28) clip.

Junior guard Rhian Lawrence, Cardinal Gibbons: One of the most talented players in the event, Lawrence excels at every aspect of the game. Through nine contests, she is averaging 17.3 points, 7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.9 steals. Lawrence shoots 44 percent (27 of 61) from beyond the arc.

Sophomore guard MacKenzie Morton, Ashley: Morton’s emergence as one of the area’s best scorers has helped the Screaming Eagles get off to a 4-2 start. After scoring just 24 total points as a freshman, Morton nearly surpassed that in a season-high 22-point effort in a victory over Trask in the third game of the season. She enters the tournament averaging 14.3 points.

Junior guard Anya Massey, Hoggard: The floor general is coming off a terrific performance at the South Central Tournament, where she was named the MVP after averaging 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Massey is shooting a remarkable 43 percent (21 of 49) from 3-point range and 80 percent (16 of 20) from the free throw line.

Senior guard Maya McDonald, East Bladen: Coach Patty Evers always seems to have a dynamic do-it-all player and McDonald is just that. She enters the game averaging 12 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 5.4 steals.  

Senior forward Abby Mulry, Northern Guilford: The 6-foot senior does most of her work near the basket, which is a big reason why she is shooting an incredible 61 percent (31 of 51) through eight games. Mulry averages 8.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.

Junior guard Ava Palmgren, Cardinal Gibbons: Opposing defenses won’t want to leave this sharpshooter alone. Palmgren has connected on 21 of her 39 3-point attempts. She’s just as effective from inside the arc, where she is hitting on 64 percent (32 of 50) of her shots.

Junior forward Bella Erichsen, Cape Fear Academy: Erichsen averages 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds, which is well off her numbers from a season ago (14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds), but she has played well of late. In two home games last week, Erichsen averaged 12.5 points  and 7 rebounds while shooting 46 percent (11 of 24) from the field.

Junior guard Jada Simpson, Laney: The early frontrunner for Coastal Preps Player of the Year is off to an outstanding start after missing her entire sophomore season. Simpson leads the Buccaneers in points (18), steals (5.9) and assists (4.0). She is shooting 46 percent (50 of 109) from the field and 32 percent (18 of 56) from 3-point range.

Senior guard Trinity Smith, Whiteville: Whiteville relies heavily on their senior leader, who has averaged more than 10 points all four years of her high school career. This season, McKoy is averaging a team-best 14.1 points. She scored 30 points in a 58-45 loss to East Bladen on Dec. 3.

Junior guard Skylar White, E.E. Smith: Fans will only get a chance to see White once, as the only contest for the Golden Bulls comes Tuesday against unbeaten Laney. She averages a team-high 15.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 steals. White doesn’t shoot many 3-pointers, but is effective when she does. She has drained seven of her 14 attempts from beyond the arc.

Junior forward Laurel Zlotkowski, Northern Guilford: The leading scorer for a balanced Knighthawk attack, Zlotkowski averages 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 42 percent (27 of 64) from the field. She is still looking for her first double-double of the season, although she was close in the season opener (11 points and nine rebounds).