Despite some struggles in the third quarter, the Fort Mill boys’ varsity basketball team was still able to beat the Clover Blue Eagles by 10.
Fort Mill won 59-49 to improve 8-0 in Region 3-5A and 19-2 overall.
Fort Mill jumped out to a 9-0 lead before a Clover timeout. Clover chipped away some, but Fort Mill was able to lead by 10 after the opening quarter.
Fort Mill used fast breaks and scoring in transition to keep pulling away from Clover. The second quarter was much of the same for Fort Mill as they put up another 15 points to keep the Blue Eagles at bay.
Fort Mill led 30-13 at the half and was smart with their shot selection when they weren’t scoring in transition.
The Jackets went up by 20 points to start the second half on a Nas Berry 3-pointer.
Clover did put together a 6-1 run about midway through the third quarter after a couple unusual turnovers by the Jackets. The Blue Eagles were able to continue to chip away at the Jackets’ lead, despite Fort Mill being able to score.
“We turned the ball over to much in the quarter,” said Fort Mill head coach Myron Lowery. “We were solid defensively. Sometimes you just need to have a talk to get them together.”
Fort Mill held a 45-30 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Jackets seemed to shake off their defensive struggles in the fourth quarter as they again were able to get to the basket leading to more foul calls going their way.
Fort Mill pushed their lead to more than 20 with about three minutes left in the game.
Berry led with 21 points for Fort Mill. Logan Parker added 17 points and Jermier Nelson dropped in 15 points in the win.
Slow start hurts Lady Jackets
The Fort Mill Lady Jackets dropped just their second Region 3-5A game of the season.
Clover beat Fort Mill 53-34 as they dropped to 6-2 in the region and 12-8 overall.
Clover started fast going up 8-0 to open the game before Fort Mill could convert a free throw. The Blue Eagles continued their strong play going up 15-3 before a Jackets timeout.
Fort Mill struggled with their offense through the first quarter as Clover took a 19-4 lead into the second quarter. Defensively, Fort Mill was able to cause Blue Eagle turnovers leading to better changes by the Jackets on offense.
The Jackets played better in the second quarter, but the Clover offense started picking up the pace to keep a comfortable lead. The two teams matched each other shot for shot, but the Blue Eagles had a 27-12 halftime lead.
Fort Mill was able to get to the basket early in the third quarter, but struggled to contain Clover.
Zoe Williams got hot for the Jackets and helped to power them back into the game. Fort Mill outscored Clover 17-11 in the third quarter and trailed by nine to start the fourth quarter.
The Jackets struggled to keep the momentum going as turnovers were an issue for Fort Mill. Clover took advantage of the extra opportunities and again pulled away.
Williams led Fort Mill with 15 points in the game.
Jan 28 Roundup
The Nation Ford girls’ basketball team fell to Weddington on the road 59-53 in non-region action to drop to 10-11 overall. The Nation Ford boys’ team fell 85-64 to Weddington as well falling to 9-12 on the season.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
