Over Thanksgiving Break, the Magnet Boys Varsity Basketball team took part in two preseason tournaments to start their season.

First, the Raptors played in the Riptide Classic at Charleston Math & Science and opened the tournament with a win over Pinewood Prep to set up a showdown with Porter-Gaud. The Raptors hung around early, trailing by just 9 after the first quarter, but Cyclones pulled away in the second quarter, hitting 8 threes, and extending their lead to 25 at the half. Porter-Gaud kept their foot on the gas pedal in the second half and the game finished with a score of 89-50, knocking the Raptors out of the Riptide Classic, but with a solid performance nonetheless.

Then, Magnet played in the Stall Thanksgiving Tournament. After a rough 85-36 loss to Goose Creek in the opener on Wednesday, the Raptors had the opportunity to play 4A rival Wando on Friday in the second round of the tournament. AMHS came out firing on all cylinders, taking an early 15-2 lead over the Warriors, but Wando bounced back and took over the second and third quarters, leading by 15 at the end of the third. Magnet rallied to cut the lead to just six points, but the deficit proved too much to overcome and Magnet came up just short in 78-69 loss to the Warriors. Senior Danny Cunningham led the way for the Raptors scoring 19 points and Junior Alex Pastis had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Then, Magnet played the hosts of the Tournament, Stall, in a consolation game Saturday. The Raptors led for the majority of the game and knocked down their free throws at the end of the game to cap off an 82-75 victory in the final game of the tournament. The Raptors were led by Sophomore Bryson Rose, who scored 26 points including six threes, and Senior Danny Cunningham who finished the day with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists.

It was a rough week for the Raptors, but up against higher level competition, Magnet performed well and finished the week on a high as they head into region play this Tuesday at Stall. The Raptors also play at home Friday against St. Johns, so come out and support your Raptors in their first home game of the season!