Rock Hill basketball wins twice versus Clover. Here’s how — and what it means for future
The Rock Hill Bearcats swept a Region 3-5A doubleheader from the Clover Blue Eagles Tuesday night at Rock Hill.
The eighth-ranked Bearcats won, 41-40, in overtime in the girls’ game. The win for Rock Hill avenged an earlier loss to Clover and snapped the Blue Eagles 21-game winning streak.
The Rock Hill boys’ made a game-winning 3-pointer from Shane Blakeney to win, 57-56, in the boys’ contest and avenge an earlier loss to the Blue Eagles.
Girls: ‘A great win’
The Bearcats controlled the tempo in the girls’ game. When JuJu Stringfellow nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing, the ‘Cats had a 5-4 lead with just less than five minutes remaining in the first period. Jada Jones and Myra Wise added layups and Stringfellow canned another three, and Rock Hill had a 12-4 advantage which they carried until the end of the quarter.
The Bearcats scored the first goal in the second period for a 16-8 cushion, but Clover came charging back. They closed the half with a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to 18-17. Taylor Thomas and Marianna Ballard each scored four points in the run. Rock Hill opened the third period with 3-pointers from Stringfellow and Gracie Wilson for a 24-17 lead.
The Blue Eagles countered. They used a 10-1 scoring spree to take a 27-25 lead when it was over. Ballard banked home a trey at the third quarter buzzer to cap the rally.
The fourth period was back and forth: Clover took a 35-34 lead with 2:07 left when Janelle Carter scored on a layup. Aylesha Wade’s free throw with five seconds left gave Clover a 36-34 lead. The Bearcats’ Myra Wise was fouled on the ensuing possession and made both charity tosses to send it to overtime.
When Wise scored on a layup with 1:37 remaining in overtime, the ‘Cats were in front, 41-40. Rock Hill missed four free throws down the stretch, and Clover had the ball out in the back court with five seconds left. The Blue Eagles moved the length of the floor, but missed a layup at the buzzer — and the streak was over.
Wise and Stringfellow led Rock Hill with 10 points each. Wilson added nine to the winning effort. Thomas paced Clover with 12. Ballard added 10, and Carter tossed in nine.
“This was a great win for us,” Rock Hill head coach Kenny Orr said. “We are guaranteed a home game in the opening round of the playoffs next week. That is huge for us.”
Clover head coach Sherer Hopkins, whose team had already won the region title, will have its first two playoff games at home.
“You always want to win all of your games, but it was not to be tonight,” said Hopkins. “However, getting those home games in the playoffs is big for us.”
Rock Hill is 18-7 overall and 5-2 in the region. Clover is 23-2 in all games and 7-1 in the region.
Boys: ‘Weather their comeback’
Rock Hill broke the boys’ game open early. The Bearcats used a 14-4 run in the first five minutes to set the tone. They added a 7-0 spree to close the period with a 21-4 cushion. Keshon Fletcher led the charge with six points, and Blakeney, Josh Stradford and Donaven Brown all had 3-pointers. The two teams played nearly even in the second period. When intermission rolled around, Rock Hill was in front 38-17.
The Blue Eagles regrouped at halftime and came charging back. When Markus Nastase drained a 3-pointer from the left wing, a 15-5 Clover run had cut the deficit to 43-32 with 2:02 left in the third quarter. Vice Popejoy scored on a layup and Cory Adams nailed a trey with 12 seconds remaining, and the Bearcats’ lead was sliced to 43-37 at the end of the third quarter.
The Clover rally continued. When the clock got to 4:45, Rock Hill’s lead was down to 48-44. Stradford drained a trey to make it 51-44, but Clover answered. A 9-3 run capped by Popejoy’s layup cut the deficit to 54-53 with 40 seconds to play.
After a Rock Hill turnover, Noah Caulder scored on a layup and added the free throw for a 56-54 Blue Eagle advantage with 19 ticks left.
After both teams turned the ball over, Rock Hill called a time out to set up the last shot, and Blakeney delivered a long-range 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer for the victory.
Brown led Rock Hill with 16 points. Blakeney added 11, and Luke Bracey chipped in 10. Caulder paced the Blue Eagles with 15 points. Nastase joined him in double digits with 11, and Adams added eight.
“We blew a big lead, but I liked our composure in the end when we were able to weather their comeback and get the win,” said Rock Hill head coach Douglas Pearson. “This locks up a playoff berth for us, and that was one of our goals at the beginning of the year.”
C.lover head coach Bailey Jackson talked about a tale of two halves.
“I do not know why, but we came out flat in the first half,” said Jackson, whose team has earned a playoff spot. “I liked the way we regrouped at halftime. I was proud of our effort in the second half. We worked and got back in the game.”
Rock Hill is 12-10 overall and 4-3 in the region. Clover is 17-8 in all games and 5-3 in region action.
Both teams play again on Friday. Rock Hill will be at Northwestern in a Region 3-5A contest, while Clover goes on the road to take on North Gaston in a non-region encounter.
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 11:54 PM.