Clover girls’ basketball downs Westside behind Aylesha Wade’s 34 points, team defense

The Clover Blue Eagles got 34 points from Aylesha Wade coupled with a solid team effort on defense and defeated Westside, 54-38, in the second round of the 5A girls playoffs Friday night in Clover.

Both teams played good defense early, and it took both offenses a while to get going. Wade provided the early spark for the Blue Eagles. She scored the first seven points for Clover, and when she scored on a layup with 4:12 left in the opening quarter, Clover was up 7-6. The Blue Eagles never trailed again.

Wade continued her hot shooting by scoring the next five points for Clover, but Westside countered to tie the contest at 12-12 after one period. When the clock reached 4:12 until halftime, Clover got a six-foot jump shot from Janelle Carter for a 22-19 lead. The Blue Eagles used a 12-2 run to close the first half and take a 32-21 advantage to the locker room. Wade added 12 more points in the second quarter.

When Ashley Farmer buried a 3-point basket from the corner, Clover had its biggest lead of the game at 42-26 with 5:17 remaining in the third period. Westside countered and cut the deficit to 42-34 with 2:17 remaining in the period when Keshuna Fair scored on a layup. They would get no closer.

Wade scored a trey with 59 seconds left in the quarter, and the Blue Eagles took a 45-34 lead to the final eight minutes.

When Wade made a layup with 3:35 to play in the game, Clover led 52-38. The Blue Eagles went to a ball control offense the rest of the way and got their final two points from the charity stripe.

Janelle Carter added seven points for the Blue Eagles, and Farmer chipped in five. Fair led Westside with 17 points.

“We played a great team defensive game tonight,” said Clover head coach Sherer Hopkins. “We got on the boards, disrupted their offense, contested their shots, and created a lot of turnovers.”

The Blue Eagles offense belonged to Wade, and Hopkins knows what a leader she is.

“She is a very special player,” added Hopkins. “She is a great leader, and when she gets going everyone else follows.”

Wade had help in leading the Blue Eagles to the big victory.

“We work on defense first,” added Hopkins. “We got the break going, and our defense created a lot of transition baskets for her. We knew she was hot, so we fed her the ball. Every player contributed to our win tonight.”

Clover is 26-2 and will play at Byrnes in the third round on Monday night.

Basketball scores around the Tri-County

• The Andrew Jackson girls’ basketball team — with help from sole senior Osha Black, who scored 16, and seventh grader Tamia Watkins, who scored 31 — never trailed against Blacksburg in the second round of the 2A state playoffs.

• The Great Falls Red Devils routed Blackville-Hilda, 86-52, in the second round of the 1A boys’ playoffs Friday night at Great Falls. DJ Adams led the way with 21 points, and Kelton Talford added 20. The Red Devils are 24-3 on the year and will play Estill on Tuesday night at home in the third round.

• The Indian Land Warriors defeated Chapman 95-86 in overtime in the second round of the 3A boys playoffs Friday night at Chapman. When the third quarter was over the score was knotted at 62-62. The teams battled on even terms in the final quarter, and it was tied at 83-83 heading to overtime. The Warriors won the extra session 12-3 to claim the victory. Indian Land will face Seneca in the third round of the playoffs on Tuesday.

• Irmo came from behind in the final period and toppled the Rock Hill girls’ basketball team, 58-43, in the second round of the 5A playoffs Friday night at Irmo. Rock Hill led 13-8 after one quarter and 28-24 at intermission. When the third period was in the books, the Bearcats were in front 42-41. Rock Hill ends its season with an overall mark of 20-8.

• The South Pointe Stallions defeated Lower Richland 54-28 in the second round of the 4A girls playoffs Friday night at Lower Richland. South Pointe led 29-9 at halftime as they improved to 25-2 on the year. They will host Ridge View in the third round of play on Monday.