Region play opens with wins over Clover

Despite struggling during its nonregion start to the season, the Nation Ford Falcons girls’ basketball team is perfect to start Region III-4A play.

The Falcons held on for a 31-30 victory over Clover to open region play and improve to 2-5 overall on the season.

Nation Ford’s boys’ team also defeated Clover.

In the girls’ game, the Falcons had a 25-17 lead to start the fourth quarter before Clover went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to two points. Nation Ford struggled to get shot attempts in the fourth quarter and didn’t attempt one until the 5:40 mark.

Nation Ford also struggled with turnovers, but was able to keep its composure throughout, which head coach Tamara Washington said shows as a sign of maturity.

“They showed some mental toughness and that is a mark of growth,” Washington said. “That is going to help us get better. The region is like a clean slate.”

Nation Ford led for the majority of the game and had its best shooting performance in the fourth quarter despite getting just seven shots off. The Falcons’ leading scorer was Sydney Adams with 12 points.

Fourth quarter flurry lifts boys’

The Nation Ford boys’ team defeated Clover 66-56.

Tied at 46-46 to start the fourth quarter, Nation Ford scored 10 points in four minutes to go up 56-48. The Falcons went on a 10-2 run to start the final quarter and take a commanding lead. Nation Ford was helped with fast break points and the hot shooting of Cameron Holmes, who drained his sixth 3-pointer of the game.

Nation Ford shot 44 percent from the field in the first half, while Clover shot about 42 percent as neither team was able to get much of a lead. The main difference between the two teams in the first half was that the Blue Eagles were a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line, while Nation Ford didn’t go to the line at all in the first half.

In the second half, both teams again came out trading baskets, but Nation Ford edged ahead with the help of two Holmes 3-pointers to go up 37-33.

Holmes led the charge for the Falcons in the third quarter as Nation Ford sent Clover to the line often, though with mixed results. Clover did use its height to get shots inside the paint. Nation Ford started the second quarter on an 8-0 run causing three straight Clover turnovers to go up 19-16. Even after Clover stopped the run, Nation Ford kept the lead with the help of a 3-pointer by Ben Tuipulotu.

Holmes scored 24 points for Nation Ford and Terry Galloway and Will Lawhon had 12 each for the Falcons.

Nation Ford head coach Michael Tew said getting players bacj from football season helps.

"We rebounded the ball well," Tew said. "Defensively we played better. We have our whole team intact and that is a big thing. I am happy for our kids."

Nation Ford takes on South Pointe this week in a nonregion game before the girls’ team heads to Charleston for a holiday tournament and the boys’go to Bluffton for a different holiday tournament.

This story was originally published December 19, 2015 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Region play opens with wins over Clover."