The Nation Ford Falcons held off a determined Catawba Ridge Copperheads comeback in the fourth quarter and survived 55-54 despite a last-second 3-point shot that would have swayed the entire game.
The Falcons led by nine entering the final quarter of regulation, but Catawba Ridge outscored the Falcons 16-8 in the final period to set up a wild last possession in front of a nervy crowd Tuesday night at The Arena in Fort Mill.
Following a missed Nation Ford free throw with nine seconds left, freshman forward Lance Barnes found junior guard Zyan Hager on an outlet pass and Hager threw up a prayer from beyond the arc, but the effort clanged off the front of the rim and Nation Ford came away with the ball with less than a second remaining.
JJ Rembert led the Falcons, who improved to 2-5, with 16 points, while Nick Chuttey pitched in eight and Jackson Falkner had six points. Grant Lovette led Catawba Ridge, who fell to 4-1, with 17 points, while Hager scored 15 points and Barnes added 11 points rounding out the Copperheads in double-figures.
Nation Ford head coach Charles Brown said the win was an important step forward for his program. He said he’s been working to adjust the mindset of his players so that they’re prepared to want to win.
“It was kind of character-building for our guys,” he said. “We have to start developing a will and a want to win. We haven’t figured out how to want to win yet. This was a real game situation… and I thought we all handled it really well.”
The Falcons built leads in both halves, only to see Catawba Ridge fight back. Rembert worked hard in the paint to put together three consecutive layups to establish the Falcons’ lead at 24-14 midway through the second quarter.
But a 13-1 Copperheads run, including quick-reaction buckets from Barnes, Lovette and Landon Foley, eventually erased that advantage heading into halftime.
Matthew Middlekauf and Shelden Joseph combined for three-pointers to help spark an 18-point third quarter for Nation Ford.
And that lead turned out to be just enough to hold off a hard-charging Catawba Ridge. The Copperheads converted eight of their 12 fourth-quarter free throws. Meanwhile, Barnes went coast-to-coast on back-to-back possessions in the final 30 seconds to cut the Nation Ford led to one.
But Hager’s shot was just a hair too short, and Nation Ford survived to earn its second win of the season.
Brown said his team was excited about the rivalry matchup.
“I figured they would be ready for tonight,” he said. “I hope they come with this same energy every time we step on the court.”
Catawba Ridge girl’s combine for 10 treys in comfortable win
The Catawba Ridge girls’ basketball team combined for 10 3-pointers against local rivals Nation Ford in a 54-42 home win in non-region action.
Tatum Postel, who scored 23 points, accounted for six of those long-range shots, including three in the second quarter to help the Lady Copperheads overcome an early Falcons lead.
The Copperheads used a 16-3 run in the middle of the second quarter to overtake the visiting Falcons and earn their third win of the season.
Makailah Davis secured 19 points, including three second-half 3-pointers, while Brielle Windisch, Morgan Davis and Kaitlyn Garvin combined for 12 points for the Copperheads as they improved to 3-3 overall.
Meanwhile, Jalyn Bennett had 12 points for the Falcons, who dropped to 3-2. Georgia Sharpless had 11 points, Camille Kerridge and Kayla Wilmore both had eight points each for Nation Ford.
Postel scored half of Catawba Ridge’s 24 points in the second quarter, including back-to-back 3-pointers. Her second straight trey helped cut the Nation Ford lead to 18-16 and her third one gave Catawba Ridge its first lead of the night with about three minutes to play in the first half.
Catawba Ridge led 30-23 at halftime and extended their lead to 14 after the break with a 7-0 run to open the third quarter. Postel and Makailah Davis combined for three unanswered 3-pointers to push the lead to 46-28 by the end of the third quarter.
“It was great for us to get hot at the right time,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Sheridan Pressley. “We had a lot of different people scoring for us, lot of different people getting shots and that was nice to see. We had to settle in a little bit, Catawba Ridge-Nation Ford is an emotional game for everybody, but once we settled in, we did a good job executing.”
Nation Ford will play on the road over the next week. The Falcons play Marvin Ridge on Friday, Dec. 9, then travel to Rock Hill to play Northwestern on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
Catawba Ridge next travels to Fort Mill on Thursday, Dec. 8 before hosting Forestview on Monday, Dec. 12.
