ROCK HILL – Fort Mill head coach Myron Lowery said his Yellow Jackets made the plays it needed to hold off a spirited comeback attempt from the Northwestern Trojans in a 58-48 road victory Friday night.
The visitors led 29-9 at halftime, but an 18-3 run by Northwestern cut the lead to five deep in the third quarter. But in the end, Fort Mill hit the right shots at the right time, including eight fourth-quarter free throws, to ice the win.
“I stress to them all the time, you know we’ll get pressed and trapped, and we talk about how to be physical, use your footwork,” Lowery said of his team’s efforts. “All of these games are preparing us for region and the postseason. When it gets more physical, more intense, we’ll know how to close it out.”
Nas Berry led the Jackets with 18 points, while Christian McCain scored 14. Darryl Carrington added 7 points, while Logan Parker and Tillman Campbell each scored 6 points to contribute in the win.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, thanks to six made field goals from five different scorers.
Theron Young’s jumper gave the Trojans their first points of the game with 7:24 left in the second quarter, and Fort Mill extended its lead to 20 by the halftime buzzer.
But the Trojans fought back in the third quarter, staging a spirited rally in front of their home fans. Jackson Wilson, Ryland Meszaros, and Jaylan Moore all hit 3-pointers as part of an 18-3 run to kick off the second half and cut the lead to 32-27 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
But following a Fort Mill timeout, McCain hit a contested jumper and Carrington knocked down a trey of his own to give Fort Mill more momentum entering the final quarter.
That’s when Berry showed up the most. He hit his only two field goals of the game in the final eight minutes. For the game, Berry sank 12 of his 14 free throws, including six straight in the fourth.
“Nas does a really good job of getting to the paint,” Lowery said. “We’re continually working on closing out games. We’ve just got to make the plays.”
Fort Mill is now 4-3 on the season.
Lady Jackets double up Trojans to stay undefeated
Ten different Lady Yellow Jackets scored in Fort Mill’s 46-23 win Friday night over Northwestern.
Sophomore Jada Chambliss led her team with 12 points, while senior Ella Marker and sophomore Kate Marker both chipped in 8 points each.
The Yellow Jackets, now 7-0, led by three after the first quarter and extended their lead to seven with a 5-0 streak to end the first half.
Fort Mill outscored Northwestern 17-6 in the third quarter, including a 11-2 streak in the last five minutes, to extend the lead to 33-15 with eight minutes to play.
Reagan Reyes, Ashley Kirby, and Clare Moore each hit 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to round out the straightforward victory.
Fort Mill will next play at Christ Church Episcopal in Greenville Saturday, Dec. 16.
