Shannon Forest routs Oakwood Prep; reaches SCISA 3A boys semifinals

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – After a heartbreaking double-overtime loss in last year's state tournament, the Shannon Forest Crusaders are back in the SCISA state semifinals after beating Oakbrook Prep Monday 66-46.

Guard Chris Agbomi led the Crusaders with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.

Shannon Forest found itself down 10-2 in the opening minutes of the game.

“They knocked down a couple threes and punched us in the mouth,” said Crusaders head coach Daniel Thompson. “

The slow start did not discourage the Crusaders as they outscored the Knights 16-4 to end the period.

Agbomi came up big for Shannon Forest in the quarter scoring 11 of his team’s 16 points.

From the second quarter onward, the Crusaders dominated the game.

“Our guys settled down, started playing a little bit more disciplined defensively, got some run outs, some buckets in transition, and that turned it for us,” Thompson said.

Transition scoring was a big part of Shannon Forest’s success. As soon as a Crusader would get a rebound they’d immediately be looking for the outlet pass.

“The first 25 minutes of our practices, you should be going up and down the court shooting live shots,” Thompson said. “ We lost our leading score and our fastest player a week ago. A lot of people think that that may not (run in transition). We will do it. We'll do it no matter what.”

The Crusaders were up 20 less than two minutes into the second half. They finished the third quarter up 17.

Shannon Forest coasted to the finish line in the fourth, expanding their final lead to 20. In every quarter, the Crusaders grew their lead.

Agbomi was not the only Shannon Forest player who found success. Three other players scored double figures,

Guard Nolan Paladugu recorded a double-double with 10 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. Guard Ricky Morris scored 14 points and center John Cardinal had 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks.

One Oakbrook player scored double-digits. Forward Zenai’ Davis scored 14 points but had just three in the second half.

The Knights end their season (16-12) overall and (3-5) in its region.

The win puts Shannon Forest back in the state semifinal after losing in last year’s 2A tournament. Now at the 3A level, the Crusaders will look to finish the job this time.

“This is a group of seniors that have done this before, so our message is one at a time,” Thompson said. “Bring every drop of it out that you can, because this is your last ride.”

Shannon Forest and Hilton Head Christian will play in the SCISA 3A upper state semifinal Wednesday with the winner advancing to the championship game Friday.