By Roger Lee
HSSR Contributing Writer
Summerville – The Pinewood Prep Boys won twice as many basketball games as they lost this season, but it wasn’t enough to get them the finish they were shooting for.
The Panthers finished the season with a 22-11 record. The team was 15-6 when point guard Jonathan Slawson went down with a season-ending foot injury. Pinewood coach Pat Eidson says that was a huge loss.
“It’s a lot like a football team losing their quarterback,” Eidson said. “He not only was our team leader but he also was our energy guy. We fought hard to offset his loss but his injury certainly changed our season.”
Before the injury, Slawson was averaging 9.2 points, 4.4 assists, 2.9 steals and 2.3 rebounds per game. The Panthers were 7-5 the rest of the way and were eliminated from the playoffs with a 53-47 loss to Trinity Collegiate in the first round.
The Panthers returned several starters at the beginning of the season and had good depth so it wasn’t the ending to the season many envisioned. However, while the team will graduate some talented seniors, Slawson and several other key contributors are expected to return for the next campaign.
Senior Michael Jones led the team in scoring while freshman Tripp Eidson and senior Za’Qari Heath were the team’s leading rebounders. Sophomore Jayden Alexander moved from shooting guard to point guard and led the team in steals. Jones, Alexander and Eidson were selected to the All-Region team.
“Michael Jones did a great job providing us with consistent scoring and was a much improved rebounder and defender from his junior season,” Eidson said. “Jayden Alexander was our best on ball defender and seemed to always come up with a big play when we needed it. Tripp Eidson, as a freshman, was huge on the boards and led the team in blocked shots and field goal percentage.”
The coach also has high praise for several other members of his team.
“Senior Troy Dandridge was our glue guy throughout the season,” he said. “He was such a versatile player we had to have him on the floor. Arden Murray, Briland Morgan and Steele Robinson gave us a lot of valuable minutes this season. Freshman Kais Parris improved throughout the season and should also play a big role on next year’s team.”
Jones finished as the Panthers’ leading scorer, averaging 15.6 points per game. Alexander averaged 9.2 points per game while Heath averaged 7.2 and Tripp Eidson averaged 5.7. Murray, Dandridge and Robinson all averaged 3 or more points per game. Alexander averaged 3.2 steals per game and Jones averaged 2.
Heath averaged 7.3 rebounds per game while Eidson averaged 6.9 rebounds per game and Dandridge averaged 6.8. Jones and Robinson were also among the team’s leading rebounders. Eidson had 63 blocks this season while Dandridge had 36 and Jones had 24.
Other members of the team are Tre Arena, Asa Windham, Terrance Stallworth, Preston Heath, Jason Ochieng and Pascal Ochieng.
Lady Panthers
The Lady Panthers were eliminated from the playoffs Feb. 16 with a 51-37 loss to Augusta Christian in the opening round. Pinewood finishes with a 3-22 record while Augusta Christian improved to 20-8.
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