High school basketball rewind: Fort Mill boys, Clover girls retain region leads
The Fort Mill boys and Clover girls each survived the test of games on back-to-back nights and remain atop the standings in the Region 3 5A basketball races.
The early-week winter storm forced several of Tuesday’s games to be pushed back to Thursday, including contests involving the region pace-setters.
With the victories, Fort Mill is now 7-0 in the region, with Indian Land second at 4-1.
In the girls’ race, Clover is 7-0 with Fort Mill right behind at 6-1.
Here is a recap of the Thursday and Friday games:
THURSDAY (boys)
Fort Mill 51, Nation Ford 36: The Yellow Jackets scored a road victory, as Logan Parker had a game-high 16 points and Wallace Campbell added 13.
Hampton Park Christian 76, Lake Pointe Academy 41: James Jacobs led Lake Pointe with 11 points.
UR Academy 66, Riverwalk Academy 65 (OT): Jordan Miller’s 20 points led Gastonia-based UR Academy to a narrow victory.
FRIDAY (boys)
Clover 77, Rock Hill 67: George Stewart’s 19 points led the Blue Eagles to a road victory. Devin Agard added 18 points, and Owen Galeota had 12.
Fort Mill 51, Catawba Ridge 34: Logan Parker once again led the Yellow Jackets, scoring 20 points as Fort Mill completed a two-night sweep of its neighborhood rivals. Wallace Campbell added 11 for the Jackets.
Northwestern 45, Nation Ford 42: The Trojans improved to 4-2 in region play, good for third place and favorable playoff positioning.
C.A. Johnson 52, Lewisville 46: Lewisville trailed 43-28 after three quarters in this Region 2 1A game but battle back in the fourth quarter. The outcome left C.A. Johnson second in the region (7-2) and Lewisville (6-3) third, trailing first-place Great Falls.
Westminster Catawba 86, University Christian 10: Westminster Catawba pummeled its Hickory (NC) opponent, as M.J. Littlejohn scored 25 points. Kaleb Santos and Brycen Redmon each added 12.
FRIDAY (girls)
Clover 52, Rock Hill 42: The Blue Eagles raced to a 16-4 first-quarter lead and held off the Bearcats for the victory. Rock Hill fell to 4-3 in region play.
Northwestern 54, Nation Ford 33: Kaydence Woods scored 11 points in leading the Trojans to a Region 3 5A victory.
Cheraw 60, York Prep 22: Cheraw improved to 6-0 in Region 4 2A and set up a first-place showdown Saturday with Andrew Jackson.
Saturday’s previews
(girls) Andrew Jackson (16-3, 5-0 Region 4 2A) at Cheraw (13-5, 6-0), 2:30 p.m. — It’s a showdown for first place in the region. Guard Jaleah Faulkner powers the Cheraw attack, as she averages 14.1 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 steals per game. Andrew Jackson’s Tamia Watkins leads the Rock Hill area in scoring (25.3 ppg), rebounding (13.8) and steals (5.1). This could be the biggest test that Andrew Jackson faces in the region this season.
(girls) South Pointe (18-0, 5-0 Region 3 4A) at A.C. Flora (8-11, 4-1), 3 p.m. — A.C. Flora gave South Pointe a tough time in a Jan. 3 meeting, losing only 65-59 after South Pointe had raced to a 23-8 first-quarter lead on its home floor. Now the teams meet in Columbia, and the host Falcons have won four of five. Skyler McCray hit four three-pointers for A.C. Flora in that first meeting. The Falcons held South Pointe’s Kaleigh Lucas to nine points that night — less than half her season average.
Weekend schedule, scores
FRIDAY
Region 3 5A
BOYS: Clover 77, Rock Hill 67
GIRLS: Clover 52, Rock Hill 42
BOYS: Fort Mill 51, Catawba Ridge 34
GIRLS: Fort Mill 60, Catawba Ridge 27
BOYS: Northwestern 45, Nation Ford 42
GIRLS: Northwestern 54, Nation Ford 33
Region 3 4A
GIRLS: Clinton 49, Mid-Carolina 39
BOYS: Fairfield Central 62, Chester 57
GIRLS: Fairfield Central 40, Chester 33
Region 4 2A
GIRLS: Chesterfield 53, Buford 17
GIRLS: Cheraw 60, York Prep 22
Region 2 1A
BOYS: C.A. Johnson 52, Lewisville 46
BOYS: McBee 59, Lamar 50
Nonconference
BOYS: Christ School (NC) 72, Legion Collegiate 34
BOYS: Westminster Catawba 86, University Christian 10
SATURDAY
Region 3 4A
Camden at Richland Northeast, 3 p.m.
South Pointe at A.C. Flora, 3 p.m.
Region 4 2A
Andrew Jackson at Cheraw, 2:30 p.m.
North Central at Buford, 4:30 p.m.
Pageland Central at York Prep, 6 p.m.
Nonconference
Rock Hill vs. Carolina International (boys), in Well Invitational at Hopewell High, 11:15 a.m.
This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 5:30 AM.