Nation Ford defense holds off Dorman

Two quarters of nearly perfect defense helped the Nation Ford Falcons girls’ basketball team weather the storm from the Dorman Lady Cavaliers in the fourth quarter as they escaped with a 53-39 road win.

Nation Ford held Dorman to just one basket between the second and third quarters, which helped them pull away.

“We played good defense,” said Falcons’ head coach Kate Edwards. “They are getting better every day. That shows we are improving. We want to be focused on getting better.”

The Falcons’ struggled early trying to stop Dorman center Jasmine Webb, who scored 10 first quarter points to put the Cavaliers ahead 14-12 after the first quarter. The second quarter was when Nation Ford started to get momentum swinging in its direction as the Falcons shot over 50 percent from the field, opening the quarter on an 8-0 run with the help of lay-ups and short-range jumpers to take a 26-18 lead at the half.

Despite leading by 21 points to start the fourth quarter, Nation Ford struggled to hold Dorman at bay as the Cavaliers nailed six 3-pointers to outscore the Falcons 19-12 while climbing back into the game. Nation Ford hit just three field goals in the fourth quarter, but made half of its 12 foul shots to hold off the Cavaliers.

Turning point

In the third quarter, Nation Ford continued with its defensive pressure, holding Dorman to just one of 15 shots from the field.

Critical

Nation Ford’s defense caused 15 Dorman turnovers – most of them coming in the second and third quarters as the Cavaliers scored just six points between those quarters and hit just one field goal in 16 minutes of play.

Star contributions

Nation Ford junior Sami Tuipulotu led with 18 points for the Falcons as freshman Kelci Adams added nine and senior Courtney Wells and sophomore Makayla Blackwell each added eight points as well.

On deck

Up next for Nation Ford is a road game at Fort Mill and then hosting Rock Hill Friday.

Box score

Nation Ford 53, Dorman 39

Nation Ford 12;14;15;12;-;53

Dorman 14;4;2;19;-;39

SCORING SUMMARY

Nation Ford– Sami Tuipulotu 18, Kelci Adams 9, Courtney Wells 8, Makayla Blackwell 8, Ellona Moulds 6, Alexis Clement 2, Lauryn Butler 2.

Dorman – Jasmine Webb 13, Alexis Rice 12, Grayce Black 6, Jazmyne Nelson 3, Brittany Mack 2, Nina Otah 2, Alex Washington 1.

3-pointers: Nation Ford 0, Dorman 6 (Rice 4, Black 2)

Team fouls: Nation Ford 10, Dorman 19

Fouled out: Mack (D)

Records

Nation Ford 13-4, Dorman 10-6

This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Nation Ford defense holds off Dorman."