Fort Mill head boys basketball coach Myron Lowery says his team is balanced, unselfish on offense, and “hangs its hat” on guarding with tenacity.
The Yellow Jackets put each of those strengths on display in a 62-37 win over visiting Northwestern High Thursday, Jan. 9 at Fort Mill High School.
Fort Mill doubleheader against Northwestern was bumped up from Friday night to avoid wintry weather that was forecast to hit the area on Friday afternoon.
Logan Parker led with 18 points, Wallace Campbell had 17 points and Jermier Nelson added 16 points as the three led the way for Fort Mill, which improved to 15-2 overall and 4-0 in Region 3-5A.
Campbell and Parker nailed back-to-back 3-pointers in the final minute of the first quarter to open up a six-point lead, and all three Yellow Jackets combined for layups during a 10-3 run to open the second quarter that pushed the lead as wide as 13 just before halftime.
“We’ve worked hard on our decision-making,” Lowery said. “I thought we had made better transitions. And it all starts with how we guard. When you have multiple guys in double-figures, it makes it hard to key in on one guy. You have so many options.”
Northwestern’s Grant Pursley knocked down four shots on his own in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 32-26. But Fort Mill responded with a 13-2 run of its own soon after.
The highlight play came at the end of the quarter when Fort Mill guard Nas Berry forced a block on Pursley shot, then dished to Campbell at the corner, who sank a deep trey to push Fort Mill up by 16. Campbell turned and roared his approval at the Yellow Jackets’ bench in celebration.
Lowery’s team locked in once the fourth quarter arrived. Berry and Nelson combined for six fast break layups, and the Yellow Jackets held the Trojans to just one field goal in the final quarter. Fort Mill emptied its bench with about 2:30 left to play.
“What’s unique is the balance,” Lowery said of his team. “They’ve really bought in wanting to guard. It’s a source of pride to do it. That’s where we hang our hat. They share the ball, pass, make the best basketball play. Our shot selection was great.”
Lady Jackets dominate
Sophomore point guard Colbie Wolf scored 19 points and nailed five 3-pointers, while senior forward Saylor Heberling tallied 13 points as Fort Mill’s girls’ basketball team cruised past visiting Northwestern winning 49-12.
Seven different Yellow Jackets scored in the win, and everyone who dressed out enjoyed floor time as early as the third quarter. Fort Mill improved to 9-7 overall and 3-1 in region play.
Wolf notched three of Fort Mill’s five first-half 3-pointers to help her team jump out to a quick lead. Fort Mill outscored Northwestern 17-1 in the second quarter and led 32-4 at halftime.
Fort Mill held Northwestern to just three field goals in four quarters of action. The Lady Trojans scored just six of their 12 free throw attempts.
