Fort Mill girls basketball coach Bowser steps down

By Barry Byers - The Herald

Todd Bowser has stepped down from coaching the Fort Mill varsity basketball team after two seasons.

During that time, Bowser's teams were 5-41, but the Lady Yellow Jackets were hit hard with Nation Ford opening last year, losing several of its top players including Class AAAA all-state pick Katie Kozlowski.

"I'm stepping down for family reasons,'' Bowser said. "I want to spend more time with my twin boys, who are 19 months old. It was a tough two years and we did about as good as we could with what we had there.''

Bowser will continue to teach math at Fort Mill.

"The decision to give up coaching was mine. I enjoyed it, and I had a good group of girls. We just weren't able to put it all together. There are seven of eight players coming back, and I think the next coach to come in will be able to build with them and compete in the region.''

• ALL-REGION: Girls basketball in Region 3-AAAA was a tangled mess this season.

After the final games, Gaffney, Nation Ford, Northwestern and York were tied for first place and tiebreakers had to be used to determine the four playoffs seeds awarded the region.

Another decision that had to be made was far from complicated. The coaches voted Northwestern junior Kelia Shelton their player of the year.

Shelton heads a team that eight Herald players, including senior Kozlowski. Shelton and Kozlowski were also voted Class AAAA all-state players by the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association.

Nation Ford's Brian Turner was named coach of the year.

There was a tie for newcomer of the year between Nation Ford sophomore Haley Sanders and York freshman Ashanti Wilson.

• STALLIONS: If you are one of those folks thinking the cupboard is dry and graduation wiped out a large number of players that helped South Pointe go 15-0 and win the Class AAAA Division II state football championship, keep reading.

Stallions juniors Jacob McQueen and Rafael Ratliff were among the 970 high school players who attended the Nike Football Combine held in Charlotte on Sunday. McQueen and Ratliff were among the 25 players chosen to the All-Nike Combine team.

McQueen is a 6-4, 235-pound offensive lineman. Ratliff is a 5-9, 158-pound running back.

McQueen's evaluation said: Has good frame and athleticism and was all-area pick for state champs a year ago.

It said about Ratliff: Event's fastest man can absolutely fly and would've had even bigger day without hamstring tweak on second 40.

Other South Carolina players of note who made the top 25 were: Irmo running back Mustafa Greene; Daniel defensive lineman DeShawn Williams and Dreher defensive lineman Farrington Huguenin.

• UPPER STATE: Most of you know that Northwestern's boys play Gaffney for the Class AAAA Upper State title tonight at Greenville's BI-LO Center, and that Great Falls is there against Landrum at 12:45 p.m. Saturday in the Class A boys game.

But those aren't the only games.

At 7 p.m. today, Dorman plays Spring Valley in the Class AAAA girls game.

Saturday, the day kicks off at 11 a.m., with Christ Church playing Hunter-Kinard Tyler. Pendleton plays Strom Thurmond in the Class AA girls game at 2:30 p.m., and Saluda plays Keenan in the Class AA boys game at 4:15 p.m.

The final two games involve Class AAA team. In the girls game, Lower Richland plays Riverside at 6 p.m. Greer plays J.L. Mann in the boys game at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $8 tonight and $10 on Saturday.

The Lower State games are being played at eight different Lowcountry high schools.