Local basketball fans lost out Friday night as the coronavirus led to the first basketball postponement of the season.
The Fort Mill-Catawba Ridge boys varsity basketball game was postponed Friday due to COVID-19. A make-up date has yet to be set, but if you had tickets for the home game at The Arena at Catawba Ridge, those will be honored.
However, the varsity girls’ game was still played with the Copperheads coming out on top 34-28 over Fort Mill.
Catawba Ridge was led by senior Victoria Jordan, who scored 14 points as the Copperheads improved to 4-1 on the season. Fort Mill was led by senior Paige Wasiela, who scored 11 for the Yellow Jackets in the loss dropping them to 2-3 overall.
Fort Mill looked like they were going to run away with the game opening the first quarter up on an 8-0 run in the first 3:10. Wasiela scored eight of the 11 points in the quarter for the Jackets hitting two back-to-back 3-pointers for Fort Mill. Catawba Ridge didn’t score until 2:35 left in the quarter as Jordan broke the Jackets’ momentum with a free-throw. Fort Mill hit 4-of-6 shots from the field, while the Copperheads hit just 2-of-7.
“I am proud of their resiliency,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Kate Edwards. “They played through the bad moments.”
The second quarter was all Catawba Ridge as they went inside to Jordan outscoring Fort Mill 13-3 in the quarter. Jordan scored nine points in the period hitting all four of her shots in the paint. The Copperheads also shot better hitting 5-of-7, mostly inside the paint. Fort Mill on the other hand hit just one shot in the quarter.
The third quarter was a struggle for both teams as they combined for just five field goals. Catawba Ridge came out of the locker room with an 18-14 lead and by the end of the quarter was clinging to a one-point lead at 22-21.
The struggle got even worse in the fourth quarter as they went a combined 2-for-16 from the field. Catawba Ridge was able to pull away by going 9-for-16 from the foul line. Fort Mill started 0-for-8 from the field and didn’t hit a field goal until 18 seconds left in the game.
“We got three wide open looks, they just didn’t fall,” said Fort Mill head coach Heather Klipa.
Despite the loss, Klipa said she feels like her team is heading in the right direction.
“I saw a ton of growth tonight,” she said. “We played well on defense.”
Catawba Ridge is scheduled to play Charlotte Latin at home next Tuesday, while Fort Mill is scheduled to play York at home that same day.
Nation Ford sweeps the Demons
The Nation Ford girls’ basketball team improved to 3-6 on the year with an impressive 67-34 win over Lugoff-Elgin.
The Falcons had five players in double figures as three players – Harper McKain, Elizabeth Cohen and Kaley Reagan – all scored 12 points each. Payton Brookover added 11 points and Victoria Robinson had 10 points.
“Kailey Reagan played with poise and concise ball handling to assist her team to a victory,” said Nation Ford head coach Coretta Richmond. “Our twin towers (Brookover and McKain) played spectacular team ball. Our returning players (Robinson and Cohen) took the torch to balance the game.”
The Nation Ford boys picked up their first win on the season improving to 1-5 with a 52-35 win. The Falcons were led by Quadeir Hand, who scored 23 points. Nation Ford got off to a good start and dropped in double figures three of the four quarters, while holding Lugoff-Elgin to single digits in three of the four quarter.
Nation Ford next travels to Rock Hill next Tuesday.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
