MYRTLE BEACH, SC — The Bishop O’Connell Knights (8-3) made a loud statement in their Beach Ball Classic opener, overwhelming Socastee (7-5) with a dominant 72-30 victory on Friday night. If there was ever a basketball equivalent of a tidal wave, the Knights brought it.
This one wasn’t close. At all. After a sluggish first quarter that ended with a modest 13-5 lead, O’Connell hit the gas and never looked back. They poured in 26 points in the third quarter alone, suffocating Socastee with relentless defensive pressure and a paint presence that screamed, “Try us.”
Wyatt Norton was a one-man wrecking crew, leading the Knights with 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting while snagging nine rebounds. When he wasn’t finishing at the rim, Makel Minor was lighting it up from deep. Minor drained four of his five three-point attempts on his way to 18 points, proving he could torch defenses from anywhere on the court.
The Knights did it all: 44 points in the paint, 26 points off turnovers, 10 fast-break points. They were a machine on both ends, forcing 26 turnovers while committing just five themselves. Their bench got in on the act, too, contributing 24 points to round out the onslaught.
“We pride ourselves on depth and defensive intensity,” Bishop O’Connell coach Joe Wooten said. “Tonight, we showed what that looks like.”
Socastee, to its credit, started with some fight, even grabbing an early three-point lead. But as the game wore on, their offense struggled to break through O’Connell’s defensive fortress. Bryson Sams led Socastee with 19 points and 11 rebounds, but the support was sparse. The Braves shot just 34.4% from the field, including an icy 11.1% from beyond the arc.
“This was a tough one,” Socastee coach Alvin Green admitted. “They’re a great team, and we didn’t respond the way we needed to. We’ll learn from it.”
Bishop O’Connell’s dominance was so complete that their largest lead—a jaw-dropping 42 points—came with just 11 seconds left. From the second quarter onward, Socastee had no answers.
The Knights move on to the next round of the Traditional Division, looking like a team on a mission. Socastee, meanwhile, will regroup in the consolation bracket, hoping to bounce back from a night they’d probably rather forget.
In Myrtle Beach, the waves may come and go, but on this night, Bishop O’Connell’s tide was unstoppable.
