Catawba Ridge boys’ basketball’s win over Rock Hill instills hope in its playoff chances

With less than a handful of Region 4-3A games to go, the Catawba Ridge boys’ basketball team earned its first win over a 5A opponent against Rock Hill — and took another step toward earning a playoff berth in its inaugural year.

The Copperheads (9-13) — who won, 59-56, on Wednesday night — had four players in double figures and were led by sophomore Jacobie Henderson, who had 19 points. Carter Hendrick had 14 points and both Davante Gonzalez and Luke Krawczyk each added 11 points for Catawba Ridge.

Wednesday’s win, said head coach Brett Childers, proves to the Copperheads that they can hang with any team.

“We have to go out and attain these things,” Childers said postgame. “We have been talking about finishing games, and we did that. We just built on our lead.”

Catawba Ridge has four more region games to make the playoffs. Both the boys and girls sit at 2-4 in the region and need two more wins to qualify. The Copperheads have to play Camden and Indian Land, both at home on Jan. 31 and Feb. 4 respectively, and then travel to Keenan and Chester on Feb. 11 and Feb. 13 to finish the regular season.

The boys’ team needs to win two of those games to make the playoffs. Four teams from Region 4-3A make the playoffs.

The two wins Catawba Ridge has in the region are both against Fairfield Central. The losses, except for when they played Chester, have all been by more than 15 points, so it could be a tough excursion for the Copperheads.

Against Rock Hill, Catawba Ridge shot over 50 percent from the field in the second half as they pushed a three-point halftime lead out to a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Copperheads successfully held off a Bearcat rally in the fourth quarter to win.

In the game, Rock Hill (10-9) was led by Shane Blakeney, who scored 18 points, and Donaven Brown had 10. The Bearcats are 2-2 in Region 3-5A.

Bearcat girls handle Catawba Ridge

Things seemed to be a lot harder for the Catawba Ridge girls, who fell, 34-23, to the eighth-ranked 5A team in the state on Wednesday night.

Neither team had a double-digit scorer, but Dynasty Pichardo led Rock Hill (16-6) with seven points, and Taylor Sibley led with eight points for the Copperheads (12-10).

Turnovers plagued Catawba Ridge most of the game, while Rock Hill took a 12-7 lead after the first quarter and cruised the rest of the game.

The Bearcats are 3-1 in the region — their only region loss coming against top-ranked Clover — and are in good position to finish second in the region and secure a playoff berth.

The Copperheads, conversely, are 2-4 in the region, but unlike their male counterparts, their region wins have come against more than just one opponent.

Catawba Ridge head coach Kate Edwards feels confident that her team can pick up two more wins to qualify for the playoffs. Catawba Ridge’s wins have come against Indian Land and Chester, both of whom are struggling this year.

“We played well against both of them,” she said. “And we played well against Camden.”

Edwards said playing stronger competition like Rock Hill helps for getting over the hump against teams like Camden, which edged Catawba Ridge earlier in the season, 41-38.

“It reminds our kids we have to execute better,” she said.

Mac Banks: mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM

This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 12:02 PM.