HS roundup: what happened in Tri-County Classic high school basketball all-star game?
The second annual Tri-County Classic All-Star games unfolded at Northwestern High School on Saturday afternoon with some of the areas outstanding players participating.
In the girls’ game Team Butler, which was coached by South Pointe head coach Stephanie Butler, topped Team Childers, which was led by Fort Mill head coach Bret Childers, by a score of 45-33.
Team Butler took a 13-12 lead after one quarter and was in front 24-21 at halftime. When the third period was in the books, Butler led 33-21. Childers won the final quarter 12-11.
Sierra McCullough from South Pointe led Butler with 14 points. Northwestern’s Brittany Bumpers added nine points and Scarlett Gilmore from South Pointe tallied six.
Ellona Moulds of Nation Ford and Lancaster’s Tookey Mackey led Childers with eight points each. Tiona Walls from Clover chipped in seven points.
In the boys’ contest Team Bramlett, headed up by Northwestern head coach John Bramlett, defeated Team Wright, piloted by Andrew Jackson head coach Danny Wright, by a count of 82-73.
Bramlett exploded for a 25-11 cushion after one period. Wright rebounded in the second quarter to close the deficit to 46-39. They continued to cut into the deficit in the third quarter by outscoring Bramlett 21-18. When the final session began, Bramlet was in front 64-60, and they pulled away down the stretch for the win.
Northwestern’s Zay Martin led Bramlett with 18 points. Leon Goldsborough and Dorrien Bagley, both from Chester, added 17 and 14 points respectively to the winning effort, and Rock Hill’s Malilk Logan chipped in eleven.
Wright was led by Deuce Dean of York Prep with a game high 19 points. Isaiah Benjamin, also from York Prep, added 18 points, and South Pointe’s Issac Ross scored 15.
The games gave local players another chance to be on the hardwood in front of family, friends, and fans, and was very important for all of them.
“Playing in this All-Star Classic was huge for them,” said Bramlett. “Some of them played in an organized basketball game for the last time in their lives, and it meant a lot to them to be out here just one more time.”
Rock Hill girls’ coach Kenny Orrr, who coached in the inaugural event a year ago, echoed the same sentiment.
“We have quite a few area players who had outstanding careers and will not get the chance to play at the next level,” said Orr. “Just seeing the smiles on their faces as they practiced this week and played today in front family and friends was great.”
Orr also sees a very bright future for the event.
“Having been involved with the event a year ago, I can tell you it has grown,” added Orr. “We had more fans today than a year ago. I do not think it will be too many more years until this will be a marquee event.”
BASEBALL
Northwestern 12, Spring Valley 1
The Northwestern Trojans hammered Spring Valley 12-1 in a non-region game at Spring Valley Thursday night.
The Trojans erupted for seven runs in the first inning and coasted from there for the win. They added one more run in the second and closed out the game with four more in the fourth.
Zack French and Joel Haney led the Trojans with two hits each. Ethan Bell added a hit and drove in three runs. Dustin Noller turned in a dominating performance on the mound. He worked four innings and struck out nine in recording the win.
Northwestern is 3-1 on the year.
BOYS’ SOCCER
Nation Ford wins twice
The Nation Ford Falcons won a pair of non-region home matches at the end of the week.
They defeated Eastside 3-1 at home on Saturday afternoon and nipped Gaffney 1-0 on Friday night.
Against Eastside, the Falcons took a 1-0 lead at halftime and pulled away in the second half for the win. In the match with Gaffney, Josue Garcia scored the only goal of the contest to give Nation Ford the victory. The Falcons are 8-1 on the year.
Northwestern 4, Bluffton 1
The Northwestern Trojans defeated Bluffton 4-1 in a non-region match at Bluffton Saturday afternoon.
The Trojans scored three second half goals to break a 1-1 tie at halftime to record the win. Northwestern is 3-1-1 on the year.
Clover 1, J. L. Mann 0
The Clover Blue Eagles edged J. L. Mann 1-0 in a non-region match at Clover Friday night.
Ethan Stevenson scored the only goal of the game on a long distance free kick to give the Blue Eagles the win. Nationally-ranked Clover is 9-0 on the year.
North Central 4, Chester 2
North Central topped the Chester Cyclones 4-2 in a non-region match at Chester Friday night. Chester is 0-3 on the year.
GIRLS’ SOCCER
Fort Mill 4, Sun Valley 1
The Fort Mill Yellow Jackets defeated Sun Valley 4-1 in the Queen City Classic on Saturday afternoon in Charlotte.
The Yellow Jackets took a 3-1 lead at halftime and added another score in the second half. Fort Mill is 3-1-2 overall on the season.
Columbia 2, Chester 1
Columbia nipped the Chester Cyclones 2-1 in a non-region match at Columbia Friday night. Chester is 0-3 on the year.
BOYS’ LACROSSE
Nation Ford 13, Clover 8
The Nation Ford Falcons defeated the Clover Blue Eagles 13-8 in a Region 3-5A contest at Clover Friday night.
Nation Ford is 3-1 on the year, while Clover falls to 2-4.
GIRLS’ LACROSSE
Fort Mill 15, Eastside 2
The Fort Mill Yellow Jackets blasted Eastside 15-2 in a non-region contest at Fort Mill Saturday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets raced to a 12-2 advantage at intermission and cruised from there for the win.
Charlotte Anderson led the Yellow Jackets with four goals. Sydney Coston and Alexa Strelick added three goals each to the winning attack.
Fort Mill is 2-1 on the year.
BOYS’ GOLF
Northwestern 163, South Pointe 172, Indian Land 207
The Northwestern Trojans won a pair of non-region matches at Waterford Golf Club Thursday afternoon. The Trojans defeated South Pointe by nine strokes and topped Indian Land by 44 strokes. Payne Gettys of Northwestern was the medalist with a round of 38.
Northwestern - Payne Gettys 38, Wes Wilson 41, Graham Elkins 41, Garrett Jackson 43.
South Pointe - Wilson Walker 40, Corey Craven 42, Logan Craig 43, Grier Gettys 47.
Nation Ford 171, York 186
The Nation Ford Falcons defeated the York Cougars by 15 strokes in a non-region match at Spring Lake Golf Club Thursday afternoon.
BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD
South Pointe 86.5, Indian Land 66, Chester 22.5
The South Pointe Stallions won a three-way meet Thursday afternoon by defeating Indian Land and Chester. The Stallions won the 4x400 relay and six individual events. Melvin Hall (110 hurdles), Timothy White (1600), Morgan Galusha (High Jump), Jalen Curry (Pole Vault), Rontarius Aldridge (Shot put), and Chance Lopez-Coleman (Discus) claimed the top spots for South Pointe.
The Warriors won the 4x800 relay, the 4x100 relay and five individual events. Devonte Harris was a double winner for Indian Land. He won the 400 and the 200. Grant Witherspoon (400 hurdles), Andrew Lafollette (800) and Austin Reeves (3200) were the other first place finishers for Indian Land. Chester won three events. Jordan Coleman was a double winner as he was first in the long jump and triple jump, while Jacobe Reid won the 100.
GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD
Indian Land 96, South Pointe 65, Chester 3
The Indian Land Warriors won a tri-meet Thursday afternoon by topping South Pointe and Chester. The Warriors won the 4x100 relay, the 4x800 relay and six individual events. Hannah Sawyer won two events (1600, 3200) for Indian Land. Ella Noll (800), Blakely Hardin (100 hurdles), Kaitlyn Mohr (High jump), and Empress Fitzgerald (Long Jump) all won one event for the Warriors.
South Pointe claimed the 4x400 relay and seven individual events. Casey Douglas was a triple winner for the Stallions. She won the 100, 200 and 400 meters. Indongesit Ekonem won the shot put and the discus. Icesis Gaston (400 hurdles), Kierra Belton (Triple jump) were the single winners for the Stallions.