Freshman guard and Region 3-4A player of the year Skyla Tuthill scored 25 points and tallied seven rebounds to lead the third ranked Catawba Ridge Copperheads to a convincing 64-31 home postseason win over Irmo High School Wednesday night in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
The Copperheads, now 21-2, were firing on all cylinders, both on offense and defense. After the visiting Yellow Jackets notched the game’s first field goal, Catawba Ridge scored 27 unanswered points and kept the streak up deep into the second quarter.
The hosts led by as many as 43 points midway through the fourth quarter after holding Irmo to just seven points in the opening half.
With the win, Catawba Ridge will next host Easley in a second-round playoff matchup 6:30 p.m. Friday. Easley topped their first-round opponent Eastside with a 57-38 win on Wednesday night. The win for the Copperheads was their first ever playoff win in the sport.
Copperheads’ head coach Sheridan Pressley said she’s been telling her Catawba Ridge team all season that if they put in the work, they can make an impact in the postseason.
“It’s a special time,” she said. “It’s fun to play in front of our home crowd, get the win and move on.”
Freshman guard Makailah Davis picked up 14 points in a dogged performance on both ends of the court.
Junior power forward Tatum Postel had 10 points and sophomore guard Morgan Davis scored nine points to go along with her seven boards.
“We came out, first day of playoffs, and we were hyped,” Tuthill said. “We were ready to go. We knew we needed to play as a team. Defense needed to turn to offense, and that’s how we got it done.”
Makailah Davis was a constant thorn in Irmo’s side all evening, accounting for several steals that led to offensive opportunities, either for herself or for her teammates. During Catawba Ridge’s 27-0 streak throughout the first half, the Yellow Jackets missed 12 shots against the Copperheads’ defense.
Catawba Ridge led 35-7 at halftime and never looked back. Pressley subbed her starters out midway through the fourth quarter, giving her role players some valuable time on the floor.
“It takes everyone in the locker room,” Pressley said. “1-10, everyone has to be scoring, everyone has to be working hard on the defensive end.”
