A fourth-quarter surges led by Fort Mill’s AJ Washington pushed the Jackets to a five-point win over the Catawba Ridge Copperheads.
Fort Mill won 56-51 to improve to 17-4 overall on the season and 6-1 in Region 3-5A. Washington scored 13 of Fort Mill’s 17 points in the fourth quarter.
“We ran three beautiful sets for him,” said Fort Mill head coach Myron Lowery. “AJ stepped up. He is a big-time player. The last three minutes he took over.”
Fort Mill and Catawba Ridge both took advantage of their short game hitting midrange jumpers and layups to start the game.
The Copperheads Mark Caslaru hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Catawba Ridge an early lead.
Fort Mill’s Jermier Nelson paced the Jackets in the first quarter to keep up with Catawba Ridge.
Washington’s put back of a Wallace Campbell shot tied the game at 11 to open the second quarter.
Catawba Ridge was good at backdoor screens to open the baseline allowing them to get a four-point lead at 17-13.
The Jackets were able to claw back and tie the game. That seemed to be the trend in the first half, as Catawba Ridge would take a four-point lead only to have Fort Mill rally to tie the game.
Fort Mill was able to take a 26-23 lead at the half with Nelson hitting a 3-pointer as time expired.
The Jackets opened the third quarter with a three-point play by Campbell. Fort Mill held the slight edge in the quarter as both teams struggled with their ball possession. The Jackets also didn’t get a lot of shot attempts as Catawba Ridge tied the game at 29 on two Caslaru foul shots.
The Copperheads jumped ahead with about 2:15 in the third quarter, before a Fort Mill timeout.
Campbell was able to lead the Jackets offense early and on the opposite end, Caslaru guided the Copperheads mostly with inside baskets.
Fort Mill was able to gain a one-point lead to start the fourth quarter. Catawba Ridge relied heavily on Caslaru to guide them in the fourth quarter.
Tied at 42, the Copperheads’ Kevin Butler hit a 3-pointer to start a 5-0 run by Catawba Ridge.
Washington then hit another 3-pointer to start the Jackets’ rally. Washington’s play for the Jackets was key in the fourth quarter as he pushed them to a 50-47 lead with 90 seconds left in the game. He scored the first 11-points for Fort Mill in the fourth quarter.
“Those two 3-pointers made the difference in the game,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Brett Childers. “We have played everybody tough, we just have to finish games.”
The Jackets iced its foul shots in the fourth quarter going 8-for-8 down the stretch. Washington scored 19 points for the Jackets and Nelson scored 20 points. Campbell added 11 points in the win.
Catawba Ridge was led by Caslaru with 21 points and Butler added 12 points in the loss. Catawba Ridge dropped to 3-4 in the region and 13-7 overall.
Girls’ basketball
A second half surge by the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets led them to a 30-point win over Catawba Ridge.
Fort Mill won 71-41 over the Copperheads. Both teams started slow to open the game. The two teams combined for just six points through the first four minutes of the game.
Catawba Ridge played better in the second meeting and was more aggressive on the glass to start.The Copperheads were able to make the most of getting Fort Mill in foul trouble and making their free throws to go up 10-7 after the first quarter.
Fort Mill was able to tie the game at 12 shortly after the start of the second quarter. The Jackets put more pressure on Catawba Ridge, but the two teams were able to start trading baskets and the lead.
Kate Marker starred getting to the basket more during the quarter, which allowed Fort Mill to surge ahead 20-15. Mia Williams and Colbie Wolf also aided the Jackets as they went up 24-17 at the half.
Fort Mill started the second half on a 9-2 run to start pulling away, mostly off Copperheads turnovers.
The Jackets were able to outscore Catawba Ridge 29 to 9 in the third quarter. Fort Mill scored as many points in the third quarter as they did the first half. Wolf scored 13 points in the quarter as the Jackets led by nearly 30.
Fort Mill continued to pull away in the fourth quarter. The Jackets were led by Wolf with 17 points. Marker added 13 points and Mia Williams scored 11 points. Fort Mill improved to 10-11 overall and 5-2 in the region.
Brooke Berninzoni led Catawba Ridge with 17 points. The Copperheads dropped to 9-9 overall and 2-5 in region.
Jan. 23 Roundup
The Nation Ford girls’ basketball team beat Northwestern 52-27 to improve to 9-11 overall and 4-3 in Region 3-5A. The Nation Fort boys’ basketball team lost to Northwestern 51-48 to fall to 14-7 overall and 3-4 in the region.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
