HS roundup: Nation Ford boys and girls sweep Northwestern
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Nation Ford 52, Northwestern 22
Nation Ford got its point guard back in the second quarter, and that made a big difference as the Falcons defeated Northwestern 52-22 in a Region 4-5A game at Northwestern Tuesday night.
Ellona Moulds sat out the first quarter because of a team rule, but she was the grease in Nation Ford’s offensive wheels during the final three periods.
After a sluggish first quarter offensively, Nation Ford (12-4, 3-0 Region 4-5A) out-scored the Trojan girls 20-4 during the second period. Amiah Lindsay, who led the Falcons with 14 points, started the quarter with consecutive buckets as her team got into an offensive groove. Much of that stemmed from the team’s zone defense, which closed the lane off to the Trojans like a humorless bar bouncer.
Falcon defenders pressured beyond the 3-point line, which led to a bunch of steals. Sami Tuipulotu took one end-to-end for a layup-and-one, before Victoria Jordan closed the half with steals and layups on back-to-back possessions.
Lisa Rivers’ Northwestern team (4-11, 0-2 in Region 4-5A) started the third quarter much better and cut the deficit to 13, before Nation Ford warmed back up. Denaundria Green hit 3s on two straight possessions to stretch the lead out to 37-13 and force a Northwestern timeout.
Check out highlights from the game and hear from Nation Ford coach Kate Edwards and Falcons standout Amiah Lindsay:
Rock Hill 81, Fairfield Central 30
Rock Hill established a 34-14 lead at halftime and routed Fairfield Central 81-30 in a non-region game at Fairfield Central Tuesday night.
Rikoya Anderson led fourth-ranked Rock Hill with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Makenna Thompson added 17 points to the winning cause.
Rock Hill improved to 13-3 overall on the year.
Westwood 63, South Pointe 58
Westwood came from behind in the second half and defeated South Pointe 63-58 in a Region 3-4A game at Westwood Tuesday night.
South Pointe led 36-27 at intermission, but Westwood outscored South Pointe 36-22 in the second half to pick up the victory.
South Pointe is 12-7 in all games and 1-3 in region action.
Ridge View 55, York 34
Ridge View toppled York 55-34 in a Region 3-4A game at Ridge View Tuesday night.
York is 4-13 overall and 1-3 in the region.
Lamar 47, Lewisville 38
Lamar pulled away in the second half and toppled Lewisville 47-38 in a Region 2A game at Lewisville Tuesday night.
Lewisville led 11-5 after one period, but Lamar regrouped and took a 21-19 lead at intermission. They extended the lead to 35-28 after three periods.
Simone Grant led Lamar with 27 points. Amber Bass led Lewisville with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Lewisville is 3-10 overall and 1-2 in the region.
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Nation Ford 90, Northwesrtern 84
Nation Ford hit six free throws in the final 100 seconds to outlast Northwestern 90-84 in an entertaining Region 4-5A boys’ basketball shootout Tuesday night at Northwestern.
Junior standout Zeb Graham led the Falcons (11-6, 3-0) with 32 points, while Shaman Alston added 19 before fouling out in a physical contest. Chris Leach was high scorer for Northwestern (6-9, 0-2) with 17, and Mason Grigg and Zay Martin had 16 and 15.
The Trojans led just once in the first half, with about four seconds left thanks to Leach’s run-out layup. That the Trojans were in front was pretty impressive considering the offensive onslaught they weathered from the visiting Falcons. Graham scored 13 in the first quarter and epitomized Nation Ford’s rim-assaulting style. Khydarius Smith’s two-handed slam and Graham’s steal and strong lay-in gave Nation Ford a 35-26 cushion.
But Northwestern had its own scoring machine on the floor in Martin. He hit several 3’s and capped a steal with a flush to help erase Nation Ford’s lead before the intermission.
The lead was barely more than four points for either side in the second half. The game was tied at 79 with just shy of four minutes to play. But the contest swung in Nation Ford’s favor when Martin fouled out on a controversial technical foul call. Northwestern’s offense lost its focal point and the Falcons took advantage to pull away.
Check out highlights from the entertaining game and interviews with Zeb Graham, Shaman Alston and Northwestern coach John Bramlett:
Rock Hill 74, Fairfield Central 62
Rock Hill took a 36-23 at halftime and went on to defeat Fairfield Central 74-62 in a non-region game at Fairfield Central Tuesday night.
Rock Hill is now 3-11 overall on the year.
Ridge View 83, York 57
Ridge View beat York 83-57 in a Region 3-4A game at Ridge View Tuesday night.
York is 9-9 overall and 2-2 in region play.
Lancaster 52, Richland Northeast 48
Lancaster edged Richland Northeast 52-48 in a Region 3-4A game at Lancaster Tuesday night.
Lancaster is 5-6 overall and 1-3 in the region.
Compiled by Sam Copeland and Bret McCormick
This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 9:08 PM with the headline "HS roundup: Nation Ford boys and girls sweep Northwestern."