GREER – The Fort Mill boys basketball team was unable to overcome a slow start falling to the Riverside Warriors in the third round of the 5A Division II playoffs.
Riverside won 64-45 to move to the Upper State Championship on Friday, Feb. 27, where they will face the Greenville Red Raiders, winners over the Nation Ford Falcons.
“In the first five or six possessions, they executed us,” said Fort Mill head coach Myron Lowery. “They are really good. You have to give them credit. We just ran into a better team tonight. I am so proud of my guys and how they represented Fort Mill. They represented Fort Mill really well.”
Fort Mill was in the elite eight of the state for the second consecutive season, playing their second consecutive road game.
The Jackets started slow going down early and struggling to get any inside penetration offensively. Fort Mill went down 6-0 before Caleb Tooper was able to score for the Jackets.
Fort Mill would go down 10-2 before calling a timeout. The Jackets offensive struggles continued as Riverside took advantage of their possession going up 19-9 after the opening quarter.
The Jackets continued to try and attack the paint, but the Warriors’ defense was good at allowing them just one shot per possession for most of the quarter. Fort Mill started the second quarter going 1-for-7 and trailed 27-11 before another timeout.
Fort Mill struggled to find any rhythm on offense despite playing better out of the timeout. The Jackets put together a 6-0 run to cut the Riverside lead to just 10. Although, Riverside would keep a strong lead at the half 29-20.
The Jackets came out of the locker room on the attack and went straight at the Warriors. Jermier Nelson, who had six points in the first half to lead Fort Mill, scored to cut into the Riverside lead. The Jackets continued to chip away at the Warriors, but still found themselves trailing midway through the third quarter.
While doing well on offense, it was defense that was an issue at times for Fort Mill. The Jackets pulled within six with about three minutes left in the third quarter, the closest they had been since the opening period. Three turnovers during the final two minutes of the third quarter allowed Riverside to go back up by 10.
Fort Mill trailed by nine points to enter the fourth quarter as both teams dropped in 13 points in the third quarter. Scoring slowed for both teams in the fourth quarter which didn’t help the Jackets’ game plan.
Wallace Campbell scored the first five points for Fort Mill, but didn’t get any help on offense as the Warriors were able to maintain a 10-point advantage. Turnovers again became an issue for the Jackets as the Riverside defense collapsed in on the them as they struggled to get to the basket.
Nelson came around for the Jackets towards the end of the fourth quarter to help with the offense despite Riverside going on a 10-4 run in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors outscored Fort Mill 22-12 in the fourth quarter. Nelson finished with 16 points to lead the Jackets, as Campbell added 12 points in the loss. Fort Mill finishes the season 21-8 overall.
Feb. 23 Roundup
The Greenville Red Raiders beat the Nation Ford Falcons boys’ basketball team in the third round of the playoffs 85-46. Nation Ford finished their season at 20-8 overall.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
