CORDOVA -- Jamar Washington encouraged his team to continue to play hard as his Bowman team held on to a 1-point lead with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter Wednesday at Edisto High.

His coaxing along with a little defense was just enough to help his team defeat Orangeburg number two, 40-38, and advance to the Orangeburg County Summer Basketball Tournament’s championship game. For 20 years, Orangeburg County has provided this recreational outlet for teenagers while giving them a chance to compete for local bragging rights.

“We wanted to give the kids something to do from each area from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. because they said they have nothing to do,” tournament director Hercules Mack said.

Nine boys’ teams and six girls’ teams competed at seven different sites around the county. Then, the teams are brought to Edisto to compete for the tournament championship. While some high school teams use the tournament as a way to sharpen their skills, some teams are merely young men and women from around the area who simply want to play.

“The two Orangeburg teams are not really affiliated with a high school team per se,” Mack said. “So, they get an opportunity to play in the tournament recreationally. It benefits them as recreation because, if we don’t run this, they really don’t have anything organized to do from 4 to 9 at night.”

The county’s summer basketball program has remained successful thanks in large part to the children who take part in it and this year was no exception.

“All we need is participation to keep it going,” Mack said. “The county will continue to foot the cost of it. We just need the continued support of the school districts.”

Despite the less-than-desirable state of the local economy, the county ensured that their summer basketball program continued to remain successful.

“The county said they were not going to let the economy affect what they were going to do for the kids,” Mack said. “The money was there and this was something that the county said they were going to do. The county foots the whole bill. We’ve got almost 100 trophies that we’re giving out. We pay the staff, everybody for working at the seven sites and the officials. All folks have to do is come out.”

The Orangeburg County Basketball Tournament will conclude today with three championship games at Edisto. The first champoionship game will tip off at 5 p.m. approximately. Admission is free.

Wednesday’s Orangeburg County Summer Basketball Tournament Results

Girls

Holly Hill #1 def. Edisto 23-14

Orangeburg #2 def. Bowman 34-17

Sr. Boys

Orangeburg #1 def. Holly Hill 49-46

Bowman def. Orangeburg #2 40-38

Today’s Championship Games

Jr. Boys

5 p.m. -- H-K-T vs. Edisto

Sr. Girls

6 p.m. -- Holly Hill #1 vs. Orangeburg #2

Sr. Boys

7 p.m. -- Orangeburg #1 vs. Bowman

T&D Sports Writer Emery Glover can be reached by e-mail at eglover@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5532. Check out his blog, Cover 2, at www.thetandd.com.

 

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