Beaufort County is home to three public high schools. Northside and Southside’s athletics are in the 1-A classification, while Washington is 2-A. These schools are smaller than some in neighboring counties.

Just about every season presents opportunities for some of these teams to measure up against competition from larger schools in Greenville. Sometimes it doesn’t go so well, but there have been some David versus Goliath victories along the way, too. The Pam Pack knocked off a talented 4-A Conley team in football just a year ago.

This week’s Northside Holiday Tournament produced an entirely different level of that kind of matchup. Washington and Terra Ceia both advanced to Tuesday’s championship game. The Knights did it by way of defeating Northside in Monday’s nightcap game.

The Panthers and Knights have a past. They typically play each other close. Playing up another step to the 2-A level was an entirely different challenge for Terra Ceia, though.

Terra Ceia graduates around as many students each year — or perhaps fewer — as Washington has on its basketball team. On paper, the Pam Pack had a decisive advantage in size, length and depth. One would have thought it would have won the rebounding battle and worn down the Knights by the end of the game.

That wasn’t the case, though. Terra Ceia outworked Washington in most facets of the game en route to an almost 20-point win.

The Knights used a tried and true system that relies on speed, athleticism and an impressive degree of team chemistry. Each player on the court seems to know where the other four will be at any given moment.

Even more impressive, though, was the heart that Terra Ceia played with. The confidence it shot with, the way it competed on the boards and the seemingly never-ending energy — it was clear that the Knights wanted this one.

And they got it. They won the tournament, earning the designation of Beaufort County’s best basketball team. All it took was countless hours of dedication, 48 minutes on the court, and perhaps a bit of the magic that seems to go around this time of the year.