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Page 12 - Wednesday, September 7, 2022
The Sylvania Times
thesy lvaniatimes .com
Beginning with a pregame banquet and ending with a midfield halftime introduction the Screven
County Athletic Hall of Fame will induct a trio of new members on Friday, September 16. The new
inductees include a pair from the eighties and another in just her first year of eligibility. Nearly four
decades ago Terry Markovcic (SCHS c/o 1985) finished playing quarterback for the Gamecocks
while Cassandra Washington Hamm (SCHS c/o 1986) finished playing nearly everything possible
and just ten years ago Courtney Bums (SCHS c/o 2012)
finished a career here that led to a phenomenal four year collegiate softball career.
Courtney Bums joins her four softball teammates - Tiffanie Bums, Rochelle Shuman, Marla
Thompson, and Sydnee Weaver Griffin - inducted a year ago. At SCHS Bums lettered four times in
softball and basketball but also a year in track and soccer. Continuing her softball career she played
two years at Florence-Darlington Tech where she hit .388 in 2013 and was named NJCAA All-Region
X First Team before being Second Team All Conference the following year. Moving to Claflin
University in Orangeburg SC for her final two seasons she had a breakout season in 2015, hitting .486
with ten homers and 39 rbi in 37 games. Also pitching in 14 games she was the team MVR SIAC
Second Team All Conference, and was named one of five nationwide finalists for the Most Feared
Hitter in Division II softball. She finished second in the voting. She finished her softball career in
2016.
At SCHS Courtney was a fearless, four year starter at third base for the softball Lady Gamecocks.
She played in over 100 games with a career batting average of .310 with 76 rbi and 45 stolen bases.
In a four year basketball career she played in 93 games, scoring 666 points, and pulling down 670
rebounds. In 2010 she lettered in track and in 2011 she was a starting defender for the soccer team.
She received an Associate of Arts from Florence-Darlington Tech in May 2014 and a Bachelor of
Science in Mathematics with a minor in Applied Mathematics from Claflin University in may 2020.
During the school term 2016-17 Courtney was a student assistant coach for the SIAC Champion
Claflin softball team. While completing her degree she was a substitute teacher and interim Head
Softball Coach at Blackville SC High School. She currently teaches math in the Charleston SC
School District.
Cassandra Washington Hamm finished at SCHS in 1986 and lettered 11 times in four sports - four
times in basketball, three each in softball and tennis, and once in track. In the athletic department of
the eighties she was generally considered one of the best female basketball players of the decade.
She led the Lady Gamecocks in scoring in 1985-86 with 414 points (18.0) and in 1984-85 with 405
points (17.6). She finished her career with 993 points which at that time was the second highest
number of points for a Lady Gamecock ever. Now fellow Hall of Famer Relinda Walker topped the
1,000 point mark twenty years prior. Also very successful in
tennis Cassandra played at number one singles with a record of 7-3 for the 2AAA runners-up in 1985. Recorded records for her three years in tennis are very limited. She was also an outfield regular for the
softball team her junior and senior years and was the 1985 Homecoming Queen.
Enlisting in the Army after graduation, Cassandra completed Basic and AIT training at Fort Jackson, SC. She received the Army Service Ribbon, Good Conduct medal, Sharpshooter Badge Rifle Ml 6,
Army Lapel Button and Army Commendation Medal. During her tenure, Cassandra was assigned to the 519 th MP Battalion in Fort Meade, Maryland. She participated in two deployments, one in Panama
and one to Honduras. She was Honorably Discharged in 1990.
Graduating Magna Cumme laude from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, with a Business Management degree in 2007, she has been employed with Molson Coors for 25 years. She has held several
positions with the organization, the last being promoted to Material Services Lead in December 2021. In 2016, Cassandra was a recipient of the Leadership Excellence Award, a distinguished award that
recognizes only 10 individuals in the entire Operations Division of the company.
A year ahead of Cassandra at SCHS Terry Markovcic was a member of the SCHS Class of 1985. As a three year starter at quarterback Markovcic left the Gamecock program holding several passing
records. He still holds the career record for most passes attempted (391) and is second in completions (163), tied at that spot with Hall of Famer Don Aaron Jr. In 1984 he became the first SCHS quarterback
to ever throw for 1,000 yards in a season while leading the team to its first playoff appearance since 1962.
After graduating from SCHS Markovcic was a lay coach at the middle school for a time before working in local business. After graduating from Georgia Southern University with a degree in physical
education in 2003 he taught and coached at middle school before coming to SCHS in the fall of 2005. He continued to be an assistant football coach to four head coaches through 2019.
It will forever be the Lady Gamecock soccer program upon which Markovcic will leave his mark. Taking the reins in 2004, just the second season of the program’s existence, he has made it one of the most
outstanding female soccer programs in the area. Beginning with no competitive recreation league and no local travel team opportunities, the team has now won back to back region championships and has
made three consecutive appearances in the Elite Eight.
There have been seven consecutive state playoff appearances and ten in the last 11 seasons.
Since soccer moved into the region in which all other SCHS sports participate (2011) the program has gone 151-54-1. Overall his record is 195-124-4 with 12 state playoff appearances.
ISLANDS TOPPLES LADY GAMECOCKS 8-2
Scoring all of their runs in the first four innings, the AAAA visiting Islands Lady
Sharks got eight runs on just five hits on the way to handing the homestanding
SCHS Lady Gamecocks an 8-2 defeat on August 31. With their other game for the
week with AAAAA Greenbrier rained out on August 29 the Red and White carry a
4-6 record into their contest with Portal at 5:30 this evening. Tomorrow the team
will travel to Pembroke to face region leading Bryan County.
Next week will be the make or break week for the Lady Gamecocks. In the four
team Class A Region 3 Di SCHS is assured of a state playoff spot. Avoiding a fourth
place finish which most likely means a trip to 2021 Class AA state champion Heard
County, now in Region 4 Di, and a contest with the Lady Braves is the first goal. In
a four day period next week the Red and White will play three of their six region
games. In Sylvania on Monday will be a make up with Claxton followed by a trip to
Claxton on Tuesday. On Thursday is a visit by Metter. A
sweep of Claxton and a win by at least two over Metter will assure SCHS of at least
second place.
Tamia Pierce (3-4, 2.18) started against Islands and allowed four unearned
runs into the third before being relieved by Lauren McMillan (1-2, 3.41). A pair
of infield errors in the second gave Islands their first two runs before a two out
outfield error gave them two more in the third as McMillan appeared to have
pitched out of the jam. SCHS came back and scored two unearned runs of their
own in the third to close the score to 4-2. Islands scored four in the fourth
and the Red and White never got another base runner. McMillian retired 11 of the
last 12 batters she faced. Julia Dews and Ashley Stanley got the lone hits for SCHS.
As the injury list has increased the Lady Gamecock offensive production has gone
steadily downward. Currently the team average is but .205 (48 - 234) and includes
75 strikeouts in those 234 at bats. The lineup includes just three .300+ hitters in
Ashley Stanley and Shay Sasser at .370 (10-27) each and Julia Dews at .344 (11-
32). The defense has also suffered with 14 errors in the past three games alone,
31 for the season. Forty-three of the 66 runs allowed by SCHS pitchers have been
unearned.
Before last Wednesday's game against Islands came the introductions. Included in the nonstarters are
three players who would be starters. The first five introduced are Emma Jones out with ACL surgery, Layla
Williams, Aveonna Moore out with ankle surgery, Amber Moore out with an avulsion fracture in the ankle, and
Leanna Scott (photo by Ginny Atchley)
Sliding head first into the tag of Tamia Pierce for the third out of the third inning is Islands right
fielder Julia Tootle (photo by Ginny Atchley)
Making a first inning play against Islands last Wednesday was third baseman Lauren McMillan
(photo by Ginny Atchley)
