Cane Bay Cobras counting on depth this season
By Rob Gantt
Special to the HSSR
SUMMERVILLE – Cane Bay High School’s boys basketball team has produced some sensational performances during the first half of the year, including a school-record output in one contest and a 22-point victory at a top 3 squad in its classification a few days later.
The Cobras’ latest success might be their best win of the campaign. Cane Bay improved to 9-4 with a signature win over Wren High School, 58-56, Dec. 30.
“They’re really, really good,” Cane Bay coach Shawn McKeen said about the Hurricanes, who won a 3A title in 2023 and played for the Upper State title in 4A in 2024. “They’re always very well-coached. We’ve played them three times in the Carolina Invitational. It’s always a good test for us. They’re going to be in the hunt in Class 4A.”
Also notable, Cane Bay torched Beaufort, 107-36, Friday, Dec. 6, and pulled away from then No. 3 Summerville 76-54, Tuesday, Dec. 10.
“Right now, I love where we’re at,” McKeen said. “Everybody is healthy. We have 16 kids on the varsity team, and there have been a couple of games where we have been able to play everybody. They’re putting the team first. They’re buying in.”
In particular, the Cobras’ depth has been on display. They were down a handful of guys in two of their losses but competed well.
Junior forward Jarvis Roper and senior forward Kevin Dukes lead the Cobras on the scoreboard, tallying 14 and 10 points per game, respectively. Sophomore guards Jahleel Sanders and Landon Thompson average seven and six points.
Dukes and sophomore forward Christian Davis are out front in rebounds, with better than five per contest. Sanders leads in assists and junior Amare Merrell in steals.
Junior guard Jayden Waring has been a consistent contributor night in and night out. Freshman forward Jamel McKinley and junior guard Andre Hagler have made their presence felt recently, too, since coming up from JV and returning from an injury.
The Cobras travel to Cathedral for another non-region game Tuesday, Jan. 7, before cranking up Region 7-5A play Friday, Jan. 10, at Goose Creek.
“The biggest thing now is not going backward,” McKeen said.
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