Fort Mill players pleaded for a time out in playoff game. Guess what happened next?

With six seconds remaining and the clock running, several members of the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets boys’ basketball team pleaded for a time out to any of the three officials who would grant them one.

None of them did.

Thus, the Riverside Warriors won 60-59 in the second round of the 5A state boys’ basketball playoffs Saturday night.

“I thought we should have gotten a time out, but we didn’t,” said Fort Mill head coach Dwayne Hartsoe. “We made a great comeback. The kids have a lot to be proud of this season.”

Riverside opened the game with a 3-pointer, but Fort Mill kept pace and scored off of two Warrior turnovers. Ryan DeLuca got the offense going for the Jackets scoring their first six points.

The Warriors opened the second quarter like the first with a 3-pointer to give them a five-point lead. Fort Mill stayed close, but Riverside’s 3-point shooting was on point and able to again extend the lead for the Warriors each time the Jackets closed in. Riverside was able to out rebound Fort Mill in the first half as the Jackets struggled offensively to get short range jumpers and put-backs to go in.

Fort Mill struggled to keep pace with Riverside in the second quarter as the Warriors hit the gas pedal in the period. Fort Mill hit 10 first half shots, while Riverside shot just fewer than 50 percent for the first half. Riverside hit six first half 3-pointers, while Fort Mill was 0-6 from past 3-point land. For the game, Riverside hit 10-of-18 3-pointers.

Riverside opened the second half on a 5-0 run to go up 40-22 before Austin Grainger was able to get a bucket for Fort Mill. The Jackets came back with a 5-0 run of its own, but any momentum Fort Mill got, the Warriors quickly extinguished with a basket of their own. The Warriors continued to take advantage of open looks throughout the third quarter, while Fort Mill struggled hitting any 3-point baskets to cut into the Warriors’ lead.

Through three quarters of play, Riverside was 9-for-16 from beyond the arc, which allowed them to lead 54-35 heading into the fourth.

Hartsoe said the accurate shooting by Riverside was the big difference in the game.

“They shot the ball extremely well,” he said.

Turning point

Riverside was able to go on short runs throughout the first half, which didn't look like much, but was able to add to its lead. The Warriors were also hot from beyond the arc, hitting four 3-pointers in the second quarter alone to take a 35-22 lead at the half.

Fort Mill opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run to cut the Riverside lead in half and bring the Jackets' fans to frenzy. This was aided by three Riverside turnovers as the Warriors missed their first three shots in the quarter. The run was part of a 21-1 run by Fort Mill in which Josh Amigo put the Jackets ahead at 56-55 with about two minutes left. Despite 11 fourth quarter turnovers, Riverside was able to hold on as Jimmy Fritzsche hit a go ahead lay-up with six seconds in the game to put the Warriors ahead for good.

Critical

Riverside set the pace early and Fort Mill was never able to keep up in the second quarter. The Warriors were able to get good looks at the basket and convert on multiple first attempts, while Fort Mill struggled in the first half in getting offensive rebounds and converting those they did to the points it needed.

Star contributions

Riverside was led by Kris White, who scored 18 points, to go along with Fritzsche’s 13 points and Carl Kahaleh’s 11 points. Fort Mill was led by DeLuca who scored 20 points.

On deck

Riverside heads to the third round of the playoffs to face the winner of Dorman and Westside. Fort Mill ends its season with a 19-6 record.

This story was originally published February 19, 2017 at 8:24 AM with the headline "Fort Mill players pleaded for a time out in playoff game. Guess what happened next?."