Falcons move into state rankings, beat Indian Land

With a newly acquired position in the top 10 in the 5A rankings, the Nation Ford Lady Falcons celebrated by beating the Indian Land Warriors handily, 53-32.

Nation Ford is now ranked 9th in 5A with a 10-3 record and will open Region IV play this week. In their most recent game, the Falcons jumped out to a quick start and never worried about trailing. Nation Ford scored the first nine points of the game and with its consistent defensive pressure, forced Indian Land into several turnovers in the first quarter.

Junior Sami Tuipulotu set the pace for Nation Ford in the opening period scoring eight points as the Falcons took a 10-point lead to start the second quarter. Neither team scored early in the second quarter and both teams’ offenses slowed down. Senior Lauryn Butler took control for the Falcons in the second quarter as the Nation Ford defense kept Indian Land at bay.

The Warriors didn’t score a field goal until about 3:45 left in the quarter.

Turning point

While both teams struggled with turnovers in the third quarter, Nation Ford’s shot better than Indian Land as they hit four of six shots from the field. This helped to extend the Falcons lead as they would close out the third quarter with a 15-point lead.

In the fourth quarter, Nation Ford outscored Indian Land 17-11 as they again looked for high percentage shots and used the Warriors’ turnover trouble for fast break points.

Critical

Nation Ford’s play early on in the first quarter helped them to set a pace they were able to manage the rest of the game

“We tried to play fast in the first half,” said Falcons’ head coach Kate Edwards. “The effort was there and we had some high energy play.”

Star contributions

Nation Ford was led by both Tuipulotu and Butler, who scored 11 points each in the win. Senior Courtney Wells added 10 points as well.

On deck

The Falcons open Region IV play this week hitting the road against Rock Hill. They will travel to Clover Jan. 13 and host their first home region game Jan. 17 against Northwestern.

Box score

Nation Ford 53, Indian Land 32

Nation Ford 18;9;9;17;-53

Indian Land 8;5;8;11;-;32

Scoring Summary

Nation Ford – Sami Tuipulotu 11, Lauryn Butler 11, Courtney Wells 10, Ellona Moulds 8, Kelci Adams 6, Alexis Clement 5, Sydney Adams 2. Indian Land – Nia Pressley 13, Tianah Miller 5, Breana Yacoob 5, Meghan Martin 3, Nikiyea Gordon 3, Daniella Wilson 1.

3-pointers: Nation Ford 0, Indian Land 4 (Miller, Gordon, Pressley, Martin).

Team fouls: Nation Ford 16, Indian Land 16. Fouled out: Tuipulotu (NF).

Records

Nation Ford 10-3, Indian Land 3-6.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 8:04 PM with the headline "Falcons move into state rankings, beat Indian Land."