A quick start led to a convincing 84-51 win by the Catawba Ridge Copperheads boys’ basketball team over the Nation Ford Falcons Friday evening.
Catawba Ridge opened the game scoring the first eight points. That quick start was the catalyst that the Copperheads needed as they were able to set the pace and control the game.
Quh Webb was clutch early hitting two 3-pointers in the opening period as the Copperheads were just as good defensively as they were on offense. Catawba Ridge went up 18-6 after the first quarter and forced Nation Ford into multiple turnovers in the second quarter resulting in several points in transition.
The Falcons didn’t play bad offensively, but struggled to stop Catawba Ridge on defense and make up any ground.
The Copperheads hit 15-of-25 field goals in the first half compared to 9-of-21 for Nation Ford as Catawba Ridge took a 41-19 lead into the locker room at the break.
“We talked about wanting to have a four-quarter effort,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Brett Childers. “We have a very diverse attack. We can score a lot of various ways. It was an all-around great effort.”
The Copperheads opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run.
Nation Ford’s offense wasn’t able to get anything going in the second half. Catawba Ridge continued to pull away going up by 30 points or more at times. The Copperheads led 68-37 after the third quarter.
Nation Ford was led by Ben Chuttey with 14 points. Jackson Burnham added 13 points for the Falcons in the loss.
The Copperheads were led by four players in double figures. Webb led with 22 points. Lance Barnes added 20 points and Zyan Hager had 17 points. Landon Foley finished with 10 points for the Copperheads.
Up next for the Catawba Ridge boys is a three-day tournament over the Christmas break at Byrnes High School. Nation Ford next plays at Lancaster on Tuesday, Dec. 19.
Catawba Ridge is now 8-1 on the season, while Nation Ford falls to 4-4.
Lady Falcons pull away in second half
The Nation Ford Falcons girls team improved to 6-2 on the season with a 50-31 win over the Copperheads Friday night.
“The first half was terrible for us,” said Nation Ford head coach Kelly Bennett. “That was just the youth in us. The second half we got back to business.”
The girls’ game was close in the opening quarter as both teams traded points and turnovers often.
Nation Ford took a 13-8 lead with Aubrey Barney scoring 9 of those first quarter points.
Catawba Ridge continued to try and push the pace, but struggled to make free throws and get rebounds, especially on the defensive end.
Neither team was as effective in the second quarter as they were in the opening period. The Copperheads’ Addison Cunningham pulled Catawba Ridge to within three at 18-15 with about two minutes left in the half.
That was as close as the two teams would get before the half ended as Nation Ford led 20-15 with both teams scoring seven second quarter points.
Barney and Jalyn Bennett, who led the Falcons in the first half, helped Nation Ford to a 6-0 start in the second half before a Catawba Ridge timeout.
The hot second half start continued out of the time out as they extended the run to 8-0 before the Copperheads scored.
Catawba Ridge then went on a small run of their own scoring the next six points. The Copperheads did most of their damage in the quarter from the foul line. Turnovers prevented Catawba Ridge from getting any momentum when they weren’t shooting foul shots.
Nation Ford started the fourth quarter leading 31-24. Just like to start the second half, the Falcons extended their lead starting the quarter on a 6-0 run before a Copperheads timeout.
The Falcons kept the momentum out of the timeout and continued to pull away taking a 43-28 lead with about 3:15 left in the game.
Nation Ford’s Ariah Heard started hitting shots in the second half scoring all 11 of her points. The Falcons were led by 18 from Barney and 15 from Bennett.
Morgan Davis led Catawba Ridge with 13 points as they fell to 1-8 on the season.
Catawba Ridge will participate in the Winborn Classic at Rock Hill High next week as part of the Christmas break. Nation Ford next plays at Lancaster High Tuesday, Dec. 19.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
