MAULDIN – After winning 17 games in a season for the first time since 2014, Fort Mill had to go on the road to begin their 5A playoff journey at top ranked Mauldin Tuesday night.
In the end, Mauldin showed why they are the favorite to repeat as 5A state champions defeating Fort Mill 69-31 to end the Yellow Jackets season.
The DJ was loud and the crowd was louder as the Mavericks fans did their part to build an intimating environment which included dimming the house lights during introductions.
The Yellow Jackets didn’t buy into it early as Clare Moore nailed two 3-pointers giving Fort Mill an 8-7 lead with a stoppage of play with 2:38 left first quarter.
Mauldin head coach Angel McGowan then went full court press forcing the Yellow Jackets into a 10 second violation. Even when the Jackets got the ball across half court, the Mavericks pressure was so intense it forced the Yellow Jackets into a plethora of turnovers.
After scoring eight points in the first stanza, Mauldin star Zara Leamon took the game over. She outscored the Yellow Jackets by herself as the Mavericks went on a 31-2 run to take control of the game by halftime 38-12.
Hoping the second half would bring some much-needed points, Fort Mill did keep up with Mavericks as Mauldin only outscored Fort Mill 15-13 in the third period.
Jada Chambliss scored five points in the period as the Yellow Jackets continued to hang around.
Then the fourth quarter began and that is when the Mavericks depth began to take its toll. Zaria Jones picked up 11 points in the period as Fort Mill only mustered six points.
Chambliss led the way for Fort Mill scoring eight points. The Yellow Jackets finish the season with a 17-10 record.
Fort Mill will miss seniors Reagan Reyes, Ella Marker and Ashley Kirby going into 2024-2025, but there are plenty of talented players in the pipeline for the Yellow Jackets moving forward.
