Rock Hill girls headed to Upper State
RiKoya Anderson turns 16 years old on Tuesday.
Monday night the Rock Hill High sophomore standout gifted herself and her teammates an early birthday present. Anderson’s free throw with 6.9 seconds left pushed Rock Hill girls’ basketball past Ridge View, 45-44, and into Saturday’s 4A Upper State championship game.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” Anderson said, even after missing the first of two shots. “I was relaxed. I just knew I was gonna hit that second one.”
She did, putting a fitting cap on a third round game that was riveting from beginning to end and contested by two physical and fast teams hankering for an Upper State berth in Greenville. Ridge View (19-7) delivered a firm pop to the Bearcats’ gut in the second quarter, building a 13-point lead, but the hosts gradually reeled in the visitors, passing them early in the fourth quarter and then holding on in a spine-jingling final minute.
Madison Hendrix beat the Ridge View defense down the court to give Rock Hill (26-2) a 44-40 lead, but the Blazers halved the deficit with a layup from Armanii Grice. With about a minute left Orr’s team tried to drain the clock, but after a timeout to set up strategy, missed a perhaps ill-advised drive to the rim with 44 seconds to go. Ridge View called timeout with 31 seconds left and got exactly what they wanted, Destiny Gainey rebounding a miss for two points, while drawing the foul.
But she missed her free throw with 17 seconds to play and the game tied at 44, allowing the hosts one last chance. Rock Hill got the ball to All-State sophomore Anderson and she barged into the lane, drawing a foul with less than 7 ticks remaining.
Anderson missed the first but stroked the second through. Ridge View raced the other direction, Genell Addison getting all the way to the rim, only for her layup to fall short. The Bearcats hauled in the rebound and a vocal Rock Hill student section poured onto the floor, their team headed to Greenville’s Bon Secours Arena to play Spring Valley at 5 p.m. Saturday.
“They played hard, they made clutch shots and they’re a very good team,” said Ridge View coach Terrance Gibson. “You can’t hold your head down playing a team as talented as they are and as composed as they are.”
Turning point
Orr’s Bearcats showed some real gumption in winning their 15th straight ball game, especially when trailing by nearly two touchdowns in the second quarter.
“We were letting the moment and their tempo get to us,” said Orr, catching his breath still.
They clawed back into the game with a critical 8-0 run in the last minute and some change of the first half to cut the deficit to a more manageable five points. Whitney Malone was key in the Rock Hill run, as she initiated or finished off a flurry of steals. Ridge View had applied the pressure early, but the Blazers’ sloppiness with the ball late in the half led to three easy layups for Malone, including one off a sweet wraparound pass from Monique Stevenson.
“Confidence in each other, we just kept pushing,” said Anderson.
“That run right there, that’s more credit to them,” said Gibson.
Critical
Ridge View’s physicality and tempo ensured a first half as calm as a cruise ship in a hurricane. The Blazers pressed after made baskets and dead ball turnovers, of which there were plenty in the first five or so minutes. The relentless pace caused Gibson’s team to screw up plenty, but also prevented Rock Hill from getting into a first half rhythm, especially shooting the ball.
But the Bearcats gradually turned that chaos against the visitors, quick hands forcing turnovers and empty possessions once the Blazers’ 3-point shots started drying up. The avalanche of steals just before the half gave Rock Hill a blueprint for success in the second half, one it followed to victory.
Star contributions
Anderson was the only Bearcat in double figures, finishing with 13 points despite an 0-for-5 shooting night from beyond the arc. Rock Hill senior Madison Hendrix added six points, six rebounds and four steals in an all-action performance. Grice led Ridge View with 13 points.
On deck
The Bearcats face Spring Valley Saturday at 5 p.m., after the Vikings battered Dorman 95-46 Monday night.
“They are the gold standard by far,” said Orr, his mom clinging to his arm. “Couldn’t ask for a better situation.”
Box score
Rock Hill 45, Ridge View 44
Ridge View;13;13;11;7- 44
Rock Hill;8;13;13;11- 45
Ridge View: Armanii Grice 13, Erica Tisdale 10, Destiny Gainey 10, Genell Addison 7, Lauren Ajukwa 4. Rock Hill: RiKoya Anderson 13, Brooklyn Bailey 9, Whitney Malone 8, Madison Hendrix 6, Monique Stevenson 5, Jasona Ballard 4, .
Team fouls: Ridge View 16; Rock Hill 12.
Foul-shooting: Ridge View 5-12; Rock Hill 11-21.
3-pointers: Ridge View 5 (Tisdale 3, Grice 1, Addison 1); Rock Hill 4 (Bailey 3, Stevenson 1).
Records: Ridge View 19-7; Rock Hill 26-2.
This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 9:15 PM with the headline "Rock Hill girls headed to Upper State."