If Grand Strand residents smelled smoke in the air Monday night, there’s no reason for concern. It was just the SC Warriors scorching the nets at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
The upstart ABA franchise lit up the scoreboard to a 171-77 victory over the Fayetteville (N.C.) Flight, a last-minute substitute after the scheduled Columbus (Ga.) RiverBallas had to cancel for transportation problems.
Playing before a small crowd of about 300, the Warriors put out on an impressive offensive display, led by former Coastal Carolina standout Jack Leasure. The sharpshooter scored a game-high 27 points, including a rare 4-pointer under the ABA rules.
Fellow former Chanticleer Joe Harris notched a double-double with 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, and ex-College of Charleston star Tony White Jr. dished out 10 assists as the Warriors ran circles around the hapless Flight.
The Warriors (2-0) jumped out to a 30-13 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. White lobbed a picture-perfect alley-oop pass to Dustin Scott that got the small crowd rocking, but the game was out of hand by the time SC built an 80-29 advantage in the second period. The second half was more of the same.
The Warriors hit the road next for their first away game of the season on Sunday at the Carolina Cougars.
- Photo bu Chuck Silvey
