LANCASTER – What was supposed to be a close battle of top 10 teams, turned into a blowout win by the Catawba Ridge Copperheads.
The No. 4 Copperheads beat the No. 6 Lancaster Bruins 78-47 Tuesday evening outscoring them 49-24 in the second half.
Catawba Ridge opened the game on a slow, but methodical 10-0 run against the Bruins, who struggled to make shots missing their first five shots from the field. The Copperheads were strong in transition, but Lancaster was able to claw their way back into the game.
Catawba Ridge kept their foot on the gas to start the second quarter, as Lancaster struggled inside, but were able to make the most of their opportunities from the perimeter.
Lancaster was able to limit Zyan Hager and Lance Barnes for the Copperheads in the second quarter which helped them close the gap.
The Bruins’ Jordan Watford pulled Lancaster to within two at 20-18. However, Barnes scored two consecutive baskets as Catawba Ridge finishes the half on a 9-5 run going up 29-23 at the half.
The Copperheads were strong in getting rebounds which led to points in transition for them. Hager and Barnes combined for 25 of Catawba Ridge’s 29 first half points.
The Bruins again used their outside shooting to keep the game close to open the second half. Hager and Landon Foley came up with key 3-pointers about midway through the third quarter setting the tone for the second half.
As Catawba Ridge was unable to get the ball inside, they started converting from the outside which allowed them to widen the gap. Lancaster on the other end struggled to hit 3-pointers in the quarter as they went 1-for-7 in the period. The Copperheads hit 9-of-13 shots from the field in the third quarter.
“Our game plan was to make them shoot from the perimeter,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Brett Childers. “I thought we owned the boards. It is a tough place to play. The guys executed brilliantly.”
Catawba Ridge led 53-36 to open the fourth quarter. The Copperheads opened the final period going on a 6-0 run forcing Lancaster into a timeout. The Bruins missed their first four shots in the first two minutes of the fourth.
After the timeout, Catawba Ridge continued to pull away going up by 30 at 66-36 with about 4:30 left in the game. The run was part of a 13-0 run for the Copperheads. Lancaster went 0-for-11 during the stretch. In the second half, Lancaster hit just 2-of-13 3-pointers, while Catawba Ridge was 6-for-9 shooting 3-pointers.
Barnes led Catawba Ridge scoring 31 points in the game and Hager added 18 points in the win. The Copperheads are now 16-2 overall and 3-0 in Region 3-4A.
Lady Copperheads keep momentum with win
The Catawba Ridge Lady Copperheads improved to 2-1 in Region 3-4A with a 60-35 victory over Lancaster.
The Copperheads came out of the gate hot starting the game on a 7-0 run. Taylor Reilly established some offensive strength for Catawba Ridge scoring 11 of their first 15 points in the quarter.
Lancaster struggled only getting off two shots from the field in the first six minutes of the game.
The Copperheads had full control of the game leading 19-6 after the first quarter. Reilly had 12 points for Catawba Ridge in the opening quarter.
Lancaster played better in the second quarter cutting into the Copperheads lead. The Bruins got Eliza Baskins more involved in the game as she and Angel Couser paced Lancaster. Lancaster did struggle with turning the ball over, which led the Copperheads to shake off a slow start to the quarter. Catawba Ridge hit just 6-of-21 shots in the second quarter, yet still took a 32-20 lead at the half thanks to the play of Morgan Davis, who scored nine of the Copperheads 13 points in the quarter.
Catawba Ridge opened the second half scoring the first two baskets to extend their lead.
Both teams’ offense slowed down tremendously in the quarter. Through the first six minutes of the third quarter, the two teams combined for 10 points. Turnovers also became an issue in leading to the low scoring quarter.
Catawba Ridge held a 12-point lead to open the fourth quarter. The final quarter had the Copperheads start on a 10-4 run to extend their lead as Davis led Catawba Ridge in the quarter. Davis scored 11 of her 24 points in quarter as the Copperheads outscored Lancaster 20-7 in the final period.
Along with Davis, Reilly had 24 points as well. Catawba Ridge improved to 4-14 overall.
Catawba Ridge next host Indian Land Friday, Jan. 19 at home in another region contest.
Jan. 16 Roundup
The Fort Mill boys’ and girls’ basketball team felt on the road at Spring Valley. The girls lost 72-58 and dropped to 0-3 in Region 3-4A and 14-5 overall. The boys lost 62-56 and fell to 2-1 in the region and 12-7 overall. Fort Mill stays on the road for the next region contest traveling to Clover Friday, Jan. 19.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
