High school basketball rewind: Lancaster boys survive test in Columbia

Lancaster’s boys remained unbeaten in Region 3 4A play Friday night, but the Bruins had to survive a bizarre ending to their game in Columbia against A.C. Flora.

The scoreboard shows that Lancaster won the game 56-52, but the final few seconds of the game took about 10 minutes to complete and were settled with two technical free throws.

Lancaster (16-1, 6-0) led 51-46 when A.C. Flora made a three-point field goal with 17 seconds left.

The Bruins’ Columbus Parker was then fouled, and he made two free throws with 15 seconds remaining, giving Lancaster a 53-49 lead.

But A.C. Flora’s Corbin Wiley then hit a 3-pointer from the right side, making it 53-52 with 10 seconds left.

The Falcons (10-10, 4-4) then fouled Lancaster’s Jacarey Ballard. He made the first of two free throws, giving the Bruins a 54-52 lead.

That’s when it got strange.

A.C. Flora hurriedly drove the ball into Lancaster territory. The Falcons’ Conner Wiley made a game-tying shot with 1.1 seconds left, but the Falcons had called a time out.

Fans and players rushed the floor, apparently not hearing the whistle and thinking Wiley’s shot was a game-winning 3-pointer.

After about 10 minutes of discussion, referees called a double technical foul against A.C. Flora, apparently because of the people who came on the floor.

Lancaster’s Parker made two free throws, the Bruins inbounded the ball, and the game ended.

Jordan Watford led the Bruins with 22 points and nine rebounds.

The problem is, Lancaster must turn around and do it again Saturday.

The Bruins host second-place Dreher (12-6, 7-1) as part of a girls-boys doubleheader at Lancaster. The girls’ game is set for 1 p.m.

Elsewhere on Friday night:

GIRLS

South Pointe 66, Camden 53: The Stallions won this first-place showdown in Region 3 4A, building a big lead in the second half. JaNyia Cunningham led the way with 25 points, and Kaleigh Lucas added 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists. South Pointe improved to 21-0 overall and 8-0 in the region, while Camden dropped to 12-5, 6-2.

Clover 43, Northwestern 3: The host Blue Eagles ran their record to 19-2 overall and 9-0 in Region 3 5A with this dominating performance. Clover led 34-0 at halftime.

Rock Hill 50, Fort Mill 45: Aubrey Stevenson scored 24 points, and the Bearcats (15-6, 6-3) moved into a second-place tie in Region 3 5A with Fort Mill (12-9, 6-3). Chloe Hudson added 10 points for Rock Hill.

Nation Ford 44, Indian Land 40: The visiting Falcons (14-11, 5-3 Region 3 5A) led by seven points in the second half before the Warriors cut it to 1. Ariah Heard led Nation Ford with 18, and Kayla Wilmore added 15.

Andrew Jackson 95, York Prep 16: The powerhouse Volunteers (19-3, 8-0 Region 4 2A) put on an offensive show, scoring 73 points in the first half before relaxing the pace.

Rabun Gap School (GA) 50, Legion Collegiate 40: Rabun Gap (14-6) held Legiion Collegiate (18-12) scoreless in the second quarter for a 20-12 halftime lead and maintained the margin.

BOYS

Fort Mill 60, Rock Hill 36: The Yellow Jackets reached the 20-victory mark, as freshman Jermier Nelson scored a career-high 25 points. Nas Berry and Wallace Campbell each added 10, as Fort Mill improved to 20-2 overall and 9-0 in Region 3 5A.

Indian Land 75, Nation Ford 53: The Warriors (19-2, 6-1) remained right behind Fort Mill in the Region 3 5A race, as Mike Jones scored 35 points. Sequel Patterson added 16, and 11 Indian Land players got in the scoring column.

South Pointe 61, Camden 47: The Stallions (13-6, 5-2) moved into a virtual tie for second place in Region 3 4A, as Tre Raymon had a double-double, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. R.J. Hill also had a double-double, with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Westminster Catawba 52, Gaston Day 46: Westminster Catawba earned its third straight Metrolina Athletic Conference victory, as M.J. Littlejohn totaled 14 points and 10 rebounds. Brycen Redmon led the victors in scoring, with 19 points.

Chester 56, Mid-Carolina 55: The Cyclones had a remarkable comeback for this Region 3 2A victory. They trailed 42-29 after three quarters but rallied. Mid-Carolina led 51-48 late in the fourth quarter, but Chester went on an 8-0 run and held on for the victory.

Andrew Jackson 70, York Prep 54: The Volunteers (13-5, 8-0 Region 4 2A) built a 45-22 halftime lead and maintained that margin for the victory. Zeke Clyburn led the victors with 17 points, and Bryce Peterson scored 15. Peterson made three-of-five shots from three-point range. York Prep fell to 12-9, 5-3.

Bob Jones Academy 74, Lake Pointe Academy 63: Senior James Jacobs scored 20 points, but the Mariners (14-4) dropped this road game. Bob Jones Academy improved to 14-6.

Saturday’s previews

Here is a look ahead at Saturday’s top high school games.

(Boys) Dreher (11-6, 6-1 Region 3 4A) at Lancaster (15-1, 5-0), around 2:30 p.m. — This will be the third game in five days for Lancaster, and it’s a showdown for first place. These two teams will face off again Tuesday night at Dreher, so the Bruins have a chance to put some distance between themselves and their challengers. Guard Austin Glasscho drives the Dreher attack, as he leads the team in scoring and assists. Lancaster’s Jordan Watford is averaging 22.4 points a game, second-best in the Rock Hill area. He also ranks second in the area in assists, steals and blocked shots.

(Girls) Queen’s Court Showcase, at South Pointe High, begins at 2 p.m. — South Pointe will host a four-game girls’ showcase that will feature some of South Carolina’s top teams. Leading that group, of course, is the host Stallions, who are unbeaten. They will face River Bluff in the 6:30 p.m. finals. At 5 p.m., Region 3 5A leader Clover meets Greenwood. Maybe the best game is at 3:30 p.m., when Charleston’s Military Magnet (18-3) faces 4A power Westside (14-2).

Weekend scores, schedule

FRIDAY

BOYS

Region 3 5A

Clover 55, Northwestern 40

Fort Mill 60, Rock Hill 36

Indian Land 75, Nation Ford 53

Region 3 4A

Dreher at Richland Northeast

Lancaster 56, A.C. Flora 52

South Pointe 61, Camden 47

Region 3 2A

Chester 56, Mid-Carolina 55

Region 4 2A

Andrew Jackson 70, York Prep 54

Cheraw 52, North Central 42

Chesterfield at Pageland Central

Region 2 1A

Great Falls at C.A. Johnson

Lamar at Governor’s School

Lewisville at Lee Central

McBee 82, Midlands STEM 19

Metrolina Athletic

Concord Academy 83, Hickory Grove Christian 24

SouthLake Christian 54, Metrolina Christian 43

Westminster Catawba 52, Gaston Day 46

Nonconference

Bob Jones Academy 74, Lake Pointe Academy 63

Rabun Gap School (GA) 76, Legion Collegiate 38

GIRLS

Region 3 5A

Clover 43, Northwestern 3

Nation Ford 44, Indian Land 40

Rock Hill 50, Fort Mill 45

Region 3 4A

Lancaster 56, A.C. Flora 52

South Pointe 66, Camden 53

Region 3 2A

Clinton 50, Columbia 5

Mid-Carolina 54, Chester 25

Region 4 2A

Andrew Jackson 95, York Prep 16

Cheraw 57, North Central 27

Chesterfield 57, Pageland Central 20

Region 2 1A

Great Falls at C.A. Johnson

Lamar at Governor’s School

Lewisville at Lee Central

Metrolina Athletic

Concord Academy 79, Hickory Grove Christian 15

Gaston Day at Westminster Catawba

Metrolina Christian 72, SouthLake Christian 49

Nonconference

Rabun Gap School (GA) 50, Legion Collegiate 40

SATURDAY

Region 3 4A

Dreher at Lancaster, 1 p.m.

Queen’s Court Showcase (girls)

(at South Pointe High)

West Mecklenburg vs. Spartanburg, 2 p.m.

Military Magnet vs. Westside, 3:30 p.m.

Clover vs. Greenwood, 5 p.m.

South Pointe vs. River Bluff, 6:30 p.m.

Nonconference

Legion Collegiate at Asheville School (boys), 3:30 p.m.

This story was originally published January 31, 2025 at 5:30 AM.