HS roundup: Fort Mill, Nation Ford had thrilling rivalry games. Here’s what happened
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Nation Ford 70, Fort Mill 63
Nation Ford showed some steely cool Tuesday night in the late stages of its boys’ basketball rivalry game against Fort Mill. The Falcons hit 16-of-17 shots from the foul line and pulled away from the Yellow Jackets in a 70-63 win that leaves Jared Adamson’s team unbeaten and in first place after the first round of Region 3-5A games.
“Our guys are battle-tested,” said Adamson. “We’ve had some really close games, some overtime games. We’ve been in this position, down late and up, and our guys weathered the storm.”
Nation Ford’s experienced and talented guards all took turns stepping forward. Zeb Graham (23), Shaman Alston (20) and Malik Bryant (15) combined for 58 of the team’s 70 and hit all 12 of their free throws in the fourth quarter to ice the win. Jacobi Wright led the Yellow Jackets (18-3, 3-1 Region 3-5A) with 27 points.
“We just played together as a team,” said Bryant. “We’ve been in a situation like that previous times. Just kept pushing.”
The visiting Falcons (18-4, 4-0) needed all of their veteran savvy because twice they fell behind by nine points. Wright’s floater pushed Fort Mill’s lead to 49-40 with a couple minutes left in the third quarter. But Nation Ford closed the gap to five headed to the final quarter, then outscored the Yellow Jackets 24-12 in the last eight minutes to get the win.
Sean McCabe dished to Ben Burnham for a dunk, plus the foul, to cap a 13-2 Nation Ford run, before Alston turned a steal into a dunk. A quick technical foul on Wright as he fought for a loose ball with McCabe added four more points to the Falcons’ lead. And a string of defensive stops coupled with converted free throws helped Nation Ford pull away incrementally in the last moments.
“They’re a little deeper than us,” said Fort Mill coach Dwayne Hartsoe, whose team is off to one of its best starts in recent history. “We go maybe six or seven deep, they go a little deeper than that. It was a good game, great atmosphere. Lets us know where we’re at.”
Northwestern 86, Rock Hill 57
The Northwestern Trojans defeated the Rock Hill Bearcats 86-57 in a Region 3-5A game at Northwestern Tuesday night.
Zay Martin led the Trojans offense with 24 points and Mason Grigg followed with 19.
Northwestern is 16-4 overall and 2-2 in the region. Rock Hill is 10-8 in all games and 1-3 in region competition.
Ardrey Kell 54, South Pointe 32
Ardrey Kell defeated the South Pointe Stallions 54-32 in a non-region game at South Pointe Tuesday night.
Ardrey Kell led 15-9 after one period and 27-18 at halftime. They outscored the Stallions in the second half to pull away for the win. South Pointe is 5-13 overall on the year.
Lewisville 79, Pageland Central 58
The Lewisville Lions topped Pageland Central 79-58 in a Region 4-2A contest at Pageland Tuesday night.
The Lions took an 18-13 lead after one period and upped it to 36-26 at halftime. A strong third quarter produced a 61-41 advantage, and they coasted home from there for the win.
Lewisville is 12-8 overall and 5-2 in the region.
Great Falls 86, Lamar 53
The Great Falls Red Devils toppled Lamar 86-53 in a Region 2A game at Lamar Tuesday night. The Red Devils are 12-3 overall and in first place in the region with a mark of 4-0.
Nation Ford 75, Brookland-Cayce 50
The Nation Ford Falcons topped Brookland-Cayce 75-50 in the MLK Showcase at York Monday afternoon.
The Falcons took a 17-8 lead after quarter and upped it to 32-22 at halftime A solid third period produced a 58-37 cushion, and they coasted from there for the victory. Malik Bryant led the way for the Falcons with 17 points. Zeb Graham added 16, while Shaman Alston contributed 15.
Fort Mill 67, Laurens 44
The Fort Mill Yellow Jackets topped Laurens 67-44 in the MLK Showcase at York Monday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets led 19-14 at halftime, but a solid third period produced a 44-24 lead heading to the final eight minutes. They cruised from there for the win.
Jacobi Wright led Fort Mill with 17 points. Will Ross and Lawrence Adams joined him in double digits with 12 and 11 respectively.
Northwestern 81, Eau Claire 59
The Northwestern Trojans defeated Eau Claire 81-59 in the MLK Showcase at York Monday afternoon.
Zay Martin led the Trojans with 23 points.
York 62, Chapin 60
The York Cougars nipped Chapin 62-60 in the MLK Showcase at York Monday afternoon
Jevon Long hit the game-winning three-pointer for the Cougars. York is 2-16 overall on the year.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Nation Ford 39, Fort Mill 38
Adrienne Ruffalo missed all of last basketball season after a serious knee injury. She didn’t get to play in the two annual Nation Ford-Fort Mill girls’ basketball games. But the Falcons are glad she was back in action for the first meeting of the 2018-19 season.
Fort Mill led 38-36, but after missing the second of two free throws, Nation Ford raced to the other end of the court. Ruffalo showed zero hesitation in draining the game-winning 3 with less than three seconds remaining, and the Falcons remained unbeaten in region play.
“That was a huge moment for her and I’m glad that she got that,” said Nation Ford coach Kate Edwards.
Elliona Moulds led Nation Ford (16-5, 4-0 Region 3-5A) with eight points, and she had an almost instant grip on the game, stealing the ball and laying in the first points. Her dish to Makayla Blackwell led to a layup, plus the foul, and a 7-4 Falcons lead.
But Moulds picked up her second foul midway thru the first quarter and Fort Mill took control with her on the bench. Cali Wells, who led Fort Mill (14-8, 1-3) with 15 points, drilled a 3 and Isabella Giarrizzi knocked in a pull-up jumper as the Yellow Jackets’ lead ballooned to 19-11 early second quarter.
The hosts carried that lead into the third quarter, scoring the first four points for a 29-21 advantage. But Nation Ford scored the final 12 points of the period to take a 33-29 lead. The Falcons cranked up their defensive pressure, causing a spate of Fort Mill giveaways, Moulds again making an impact after returning to the action.
“I was proud of our bench tonight,” said Edwards. “I thought they really picked up her slack. It was definitely a group effort to try and fill her shoes.”
Rock Hill 42, Northwestern 20
The Rock Hill Bearcats established a 23-12 lead at halftime and topped the Northwestern Trojans 42-20 in a Region 3-5A contest at Northwestern Tuesday night.
Rock Hill improved to 9-9 overall and 2-2 in region play. Northwestern fell to 4-13 in all games and 0-4 in region action.
South Pointe 59, Ardrey Kell 49
The South Pointe Stallions defeated Ardrey Kell 59-49 in a non-region game at South Pointe Tuesday night.
The Stallions led 19-17 after one period and 30-23 at halftime. South Pointe won the second half 29-26 to pick up the victory. Sierra McCullough led South Pointe with 19 points. Trinity Adams and Scarlett Gilmore added 14 points each to winning effort. The Stallions are 18-3 overall on the year.
Lewisville 51, Pageland Central 32
The Lewisville Lions defeated Pageland Central 51-32 in a Region 4-2A game at Pageland Tuesday night.
The Lions took an 8-2 lead after one period and stormed in front 28-13 at intermission. Central closed the deficit to 38-26 after three quarters, but Lewisville pulled away in the final eight minutes to secure the win.
Amber Bass led the Lions with 14 points, 17 rebounds, and five blocked shots. Allie Keels added 12 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. Olivia Dickman added eight points and got 11 rebounds, while Indy Tobias contributed four points and got 13 rebounds.
Lewisville is 6-6 overall and 2-5 in the region.
WRESTLING
Fort Mill 51, Naton Ford 21
The Fort Mill Yellow defeated the Nation Ford Falcons 51-21 in a Region 3-5A match at Nation Ford Tuesday night.
Nation Ford took a 8-0 lead after two weight classes, but the Yellow Jackets rallied for an 18-14 lead. They closed the match with a 33-7 advantage to record the win.
This story was originally published January 22, 2019 at 10:58 PM.