BE basketball teams fare well in holiday tourneys

The Christmas season always brings a dose of nostalgia for obvious reasons. The Bishop England boys’ basketball team might be feeling nostalgic for other reasons.

The Bishops posted three victories in the Ashley Ridge Hoops for Hope tournament over Christmas break.

The sweep gives the Bishops a 9-3 record and hope for their best season since 2008 when they went 18-7.

The year 2008 was the end in the Bishops’ most recent golden era of basketball. The Bishops went 19-9 in 2005, and proceeded to produce a 78-31 record over four seasons under former coach Jeff DiBattisto.

Now the Bishops seem to be poised to make a similar run under coach Bryan Grevey. He led the team to a 15-11 record last winter and now has them on pace to finish well over .500.

The Bishops traveled to Summerville for the holiday tourney and fared well. They blasted Military Magnet 70-43 in the opening round and survived Woodland, 56-51, in a semifinal game.

The Bishops capped the big week with a win over the host school, 62-42.

Bishops junior Leo Albano, who also excels in football and baseball, was named the tournament MVP, averaging 20 points and six rebounds for the three games.

Albano got off to a great start in the victory over Military Magnet, collecting 29 points and seven rebounds. He shot 69 percent from the field.

Teammate Christian Drummond tallied 15 points and six rebounds.

Bishop England struggled in the first half in the five-point win over Woodland, but used a strong defense to overcome the Wolverines.

Brendan McHale led the Bishops with 22 points. Albano collected 17 points and seven rebounds. Grevey’s squad also received a strong effort from Drummond, who grabbed a dozen rebounds and scored 11 points.

McHale, who was named one of the top five seniors in Class AAA in the state coaches association’s preseason survey of top teams and players, scored 27 points to lead the Bishops to the impressive title-game win over the Swamp Foxes.

Albano scored 13 points while Drummond collected nine points and 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Bishop England girls’ basketball team finished third in the Palmetto Division of the sixth annual Carolina Invitational, which was contested at Father O’Brien Gymnasium.

The Bishops captured third place with a 70-36 victory over the Beaufort Eagles. The win pushed the Bishops’ record to 9-2.

Rhetta Moore led the Bishops with 14 points, including eight in the first period as the Bishops took a 22-9 lead after one stop. The Bishops were in control with a 20-point lead at halftime.

Center Christine Egede had a big effort with eight points and 11 rebounds while Kelly Drummond scored a career-high 13 points.

Katie Cullum scored all of her eight points in the final period.

Bishop England beat Assumption High School of Louisville, Ky. 46-37 in the opening round of the tourney. Keenan edged BE 40-38 on a last-second shot in the second round, but the Bishops bounced back in the bronze medal game.