Porters Chapel Academy stuck its toe in the pool at the MAIS Class A Tournament on Tuesday and came away refreshed and ready for another dip.

Kawayne Gaston scored 15 points, Talbot Buys had 10 points and nine rebounds, and the Eagles routed Humphreys Academy 51-24 in their tournament opener.

PCA led 16-4 after one quarter and was never seriously threatened. Coach E.J. Creel was able to clear the bench in the second half and get all of her players some state tournament experience. In addition to easing their first-time jitters, Tuesday’s blowout allowed the Eagles — who only use a six-man rotation in most games — to rest their starters for long stretches.

Beginning with Thursday afternoon’s second-round game against Claiborne Academy, PCA will need to win three games in three days to claim the school’s first boys basketball state championship.

“I guess I’d rather go in like that. We have a group of kids that have not played in this atmosphere. It was good to get a feel for the rims, and the gym and the atmosphere,” Creel said.

Claiborne should provide a tougher test than Humphreys did. Claiborne finished third in both the District 7-A and South State tournaments, but earned a 14-point victory over Greenville Christian in the opening round of the state tournament on Monday.

Creel said Claiborne has some big players that could cause problems for her squad.

“They’re good,” Creel said. “Fundamentally, they box out well, and they’re big. They have a kid that’s 6-5 and is bigger than Talbot, except for the couple inches of height.”

Humphreys (8-17) finished fourth in the North Central Tournament and was quickly overwhelmed by PCA. The Eagles took their 12-point lead in the first quarter, and led by 19 at halftime. Gaston hit three 3-pointers and Buys barely played in the second half.

Humphreys’ last gasp came early in the third quarter, when it opened with a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to 30-18. Creel then brought back in her starting lineup, went to a man defense that generated a few fast-break opportunities, and the Eagles ripped off 10 straight points to end the quarter and restore their comfortable lead.

Peter Harris and Ted Brisco finished with eight points apiece for PCA, while Gaston and Brisco also grabbed six rebounds apiece. Preston Forbes scored 10 points to lead Humphreys.

Up next

Thursday, 4 p.m.

Porters Chapel vs.

Claiborne Academy

at Delta Academy

On the web

An online broadcast of the game can be found at

www.deltaacademy.org/tournamentstatea.htm