Victoria Jordan of Catawba Ridge, Keyan Mims of Fort Mill lead respective teams to wins

The first meeting between the Fort Mill and Catawba Ridge basketball programs resulted in a split decision.

The Fort Mill boys team picked up a win, 45-36, while the Catawba Ridge girls earned a 34-21 win.

In the boys’ game, the Jackets struggled with turnovers, but they were still able to use a strong first half to pull away. Fort Mill was led by senior Keyan Mims, who scored 20 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter. He scored all but three points in the quarter for the Jackets.

Fort Mill improved to 4-1 on the season, while the Copperheads fell to 2-3 overall.

“He is the most experience on the floor,” Fort Mill head coach Dwayne Hartsoe said. “He played well down the stretch. We are just turning it over too much. We have got to make some shots.”

The Jackets opened the game on a 5-0 run, but Catawba Ridge clawed its way back into the game. Both teams played each other closely in the opening period; Fort Mill had an 11-10 lead after the first quarter.

The second period was a different story as Fort Mill’s defense held the Copperheads to just 1-5 shooting in the quarter. The Jackets used three 3-pointers in the quarter on four-of-seven shooting to take a 22-14 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, it was more of a defensive game for both teams. Combined Fort Mill and Catawba Ridge shot 16 shots in the third quarter. Despite the struggles, Fort Mill took a nine-point lead into the final period.

Catawba Ridge was led by junior Luke Krawczyk, who had 10 points. The Copperheads played their best basketball in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 points, but still struggled to close the gap because of Fort Mill’s Mims.

Nevertheless, Catawba Ridge head coach Brett Childers said he was proud of the effort his team gave. Childers knew it would be hard to play in the type of atmosphere created at Fort Mill — having coached there for six years before going to Catawba Ridge this year.

“We played hard,” he said. “If we would have gotten some shots to fall, it would have been a different ball game. It is tough to play here.”

Girls game: Victoria Jordan outscores team opponent

In the girls’ game, Catawba Ridge used a fast start and never looked back as junior Victoria Jordan scored 24 points in the Copperheads’ win over Fort Mill.

“She was looking forward to coming out strong,” Catawba Ridge head coach Kate Edwards said. “She was aggressive. We want her going strong to the basket.”

Jordan scored 10 of her 24 points in the first quarter as Catawba Ridge held a 12-2 lead after the opening period. Fort Mill tried shooting from the outside but hit just one of 14 shots in the first quarter and struggled to turn things around.

Catawba Ridge took a 23-8 lead into the half. Fort Mill made a run in the third quarter,outscoring the Copperheads 7-2, but that only cut the gap to 10 entering the final period. Jordan and Catawba Ridge again started to pull away as she scored all but one point for the Copperheads in the final period.

Up next for Fort Mill is a road game at River Bluff on Dec. 10. The team’s next home game won be until January 2020.

Catawba Ridge next plays at home on Dec. 10 against North Gaston, and then it’ll host Fort Mill on Dec. 13.

Mac Banks: mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM