On the final day of the 21st annual Battle at the Border tournament in Landrum the Boiling Springs basketball team used a big third quarter to defeat Spartanburg Christian Academy 64-54 on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ve had a bad habit about losing close games here recently so it was good to pick up a win like this one today,” said Bulldogs head coach Curtis Nash. “I’ve been preaching all season to our guys that the third quarter is huge and that you can win or lose a game with how you play in that quarter. Tonight our guys just came out of halftime with the fire I expected from them and played a great third quarter.” The Bulldogs held a one point lead at the end of the first quarter at 18-17 with a strong performance from Khalil Brown who had eight of the points in the quarter and Boiling Springs was able to push the halftime lead to 35-32 behind seven points from Cam Earls in the second quarter. In the third quarter is where the Bulldogs separated themselves as they outscored SCA 10-2 over the first two minutes of the quarter and ended on an 8-2 run over the last three minutes of the quarter to complete a 24-8 run over the entire third quarter. Julius Camp Jr led the Bulldogs during the run with eight points and was followed closely by Brown who had six points, all of which came from the free throw line. SCA made a run in the final quarter outscoring Boiling Springs 14-5 but it wasn’t enough and the Bulldogs held on for the 64-54 victory. Khalil Brown led the Bulldogs on Wednesday with eighteen points followed closely by Cam Earls with fifteen points. They were joined in the double digit scoring club by Julius Camp Jr who finished the game with eleven points. The two other games in the tournament saw the Bulldogs lose close games as they fell to Riverside 75-69 on Monday night and 72-70 to Landrum on Tuesday night. Corey Johnson led the Bulldogs in scoring on Monday as he scored twenty-four points while Cam Earls led the Bulldogs on Tuesday night against Landrum with twenty-eight points. Khalil Brown was the only Bulldogs player to finish in double figures as he had twelve against Riverside, thirteen against Landrum, and saved his best game for SCA where he finished with eighteen points. Earls was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging fifteen points a game for the tournament. Boiling Springs will return to action on Tuesday night as they jump into region play with a home game against Nation Ford. Despite the game not officially being played this year the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas still announced their teams on Saturday afternoon and Boiling Springs' Caden Sullivan was named to the 2020 South Carolina roster.
It has been a busy week of celebrations for Sullivan as on Wednesday he also officially signed to play football for Appalachian State next season. Sullivan had an impressive senior season this past year where he played both safety and wide receiver for the Bulldogs. On defense he came away with thirty-five tackles and six interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. On offense and special teams he accounted for over eight hundred yards of all-purpose yards along with four receiving touchdowns and one punt return touchdown. Sullivan was joined on the team by other local players like Chapman's Camden Gray and Andrew Collusardo, Dorman's Chance Black and Demarice Rice-Williams, Gaffney's Undre Lindsay and Tyrion Ingram Dawkins, along with Byrnes' Nazeviah Burris and Spartanburg's William Joyce. The complete list of Shrine Bowl Players are listed below. On Wednesday night three members of the Boiling Springs football team signed to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level next season and the event is something the trio has been looking to for quite a few years.
"It means the world to me to get to sign along with these guys," said Caden Sullivan. "We've literally been talking about this since middle school. We grew up together and always talked about getting to have a picture together on signing day and today I got to check that off my bucket list." Sullivan will be continuing his career at Appalachian State next season and will be enrolling at the school in January. While Sullivan started at safety for the Bulldogs where he registered thirty-five tackles and six interceptions (two of which were touchdown) he also finished this past season with over eight hundred yards of all-purpose yards while scoring four touchdowns on offense and a punt return. He said that he liked Appalachian State from his first visit and the support from their coaches only helped build that connection to the school. "Appalachian State was one of my first recruiting trips back in February and I immediately saw it as somewhere I could see myself but I wanted to make sure so I checked out other options before I made my decision," said Sullivan. "It was one of the first schools to make me an offer and from that point on they made me a priority which meant a lot." Sullivan says he is looking to major in marketing and public health. Fellow starting safety Dre Pinckney also committed on Wednesday night choosing to continue his collegiate career at Coastal Carolina University next season. Pinckney was the second leading tackler for the Bulldogs this past season as he registered forty-seven tackles in seven games this year while also forcing two fumbles. He says that his decision was made before the recent success by the Chanticleers and was made because of how comfortable the coaching staff made his family and himself about the decision. "I'm just thankful to have this opportunity and beyond happy to be able to finally make this decision official, it's like a weight being lifted off my shoulders." said Pinckney. "During the whole process they were constantly talking to me and my parents just making sure my parents felt comfortable with this decision and once my parents felt comfortable with the choice it made me comfortable with it as well." Pinckney says he will be majoring in marketing at Coastal Carolina and says it's going to be fun to continue to build on what Coastal Carolina has started building this season. "It feels great to get to be a part of what's going on down there but at the same time it's a lot of pressure so I got to come in there with a level head," said Pinckney. "You can't go in there big headed because you got to earn everything you get and with all the success there will a target on our backs. I just got to come in there ready to work and continue what the senior class has started for us." The third member of the group to sign on Wednesday night was defensive tackle Ethan Rennels who signed to continue his career at Campbell University next season. Rennels finished his senior season with thirty-seven tackles including four tackles for loss and a fumble return for a touchdown while anchoring a defensive line that allowed less than eighty yards rushing a game in region play this season. He said that his decision was influenced by the attention he got from the coaches as well as a chance to contribute early. "They showed me a lot of love even though it was virtual and just made me feel like I was part of the family," said Rennels. "I feel like I can go up there and make an immediate impact as a freshman. I feel like I fit perfect into their defensive scheme and I feel like I can fit into the three spot really well for them." Rennels plans to major in psychology at Campbell where he will be coached by former Carolina Panther Mike Minter who is the head coach of the Camels and Rennels says his communications with Minter meant a lot to him. "The fact that he never backed off his recruiting throughout the whole process and really showed he wanted me to be there meant a lot," said Rennels. "During the process you see some coaches come and go but he never did. That really sold me on him and the program." After trailing by twelve points at halftime the Woodruff basketball team used a 24-12 run in the third quarter to defeat Boiling Springs 84-79 on Tuesday night.
"We tried to play good defense there in the second half but we just couldn't get things to go our way," said Bulldogs head coach Curtis Nash. "We still got to learn to battle through that adversity and we just couldn't close it out tonight." Boiling Springs jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind back-to-back baskets by Jacob Webber and claimed a 24-13 lead at the end of the quarter as the Bulldogs Khalil Brown led all scorers in the quarter with seven points. In the second quarter Brown led all scorers again picking up ten points in the quarter as the Bulldogs led 47-35 when the halftime buzzer sounded. The start of the second half saw Woodruff get on the board first on a three pointer by Zy Scott that started the Wolverines run in the third quarter. The Wolverines were able to narrow the Bulldogs lead down to three with thirty-four seconds left in the quarter and after a missed Boiling Springs shot was able to tie it at 59-59 on a three pointer from the right side of the key by Sharmare Dendy. Dendy, Scott, and D'Yon Bartley combined to score eighteen of the Wolverines twenty-four points in the third quarter run. In the fourth quarter Woodruff took the lead on a free throw by Nick McConnell to give the Wolverines their first lead of the game. The Bulldogs battled back to take a 64-62 lead on a three pointer by Corey Johnson with just over five minutes to go in the game. After the Bulldogs took the lead the two teams swapped the lead back and forth throughout the rest of the fourth quarter until Woodruff was able to grab a four point lead on a layup by Nathan Montjoy with just over a minute to go in the game. After taking the lead the Wolverines used clutch free throw shooting to capture the victory over the Bulldogs. "The style we played in the first half is what I've really been wanting to see from our guys," said Nash. "When we're allowed to do that for four quarters we're going to be a really good ballclub." Boiling Springs will hit the court again on Friday when they travel to Northwestern. The Lady Bulldogs game against Woodruff on Tuesday night was cancelled just a few hours before game time. Boiling Springs used a strong performance from All-Region player Khalil Brown to capture a 58-54 road victory over their district foes Chesnee on Friday night. "We've had too many exciting games here lately," said Bulldogs head coach Curtis Nash with a laugh. "I'm always glad to come away with a win and the boys played hard tonight." Boiling Springs jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter behind strong play from senior Jacob Webber and junior Charkei Singleton who both scored five points in the quarter to give the Bulldogs a 17-13 lead. While the Bulldogs held the lead they had to fend off a strong first quarter performance by Chesnee junior KJ Valentine who scored seven points in the quarter. In the second quarter the Bulldogs extended their lead by one to lead 32-27 at halftime behind a strong second quarter performance from senior Cam Earls who scored nine of his thirteen first half points in the quarter. Chesnee's Cole Hoskyns started the scoring in the second half hitting a layup to bring the Bulldogs lead to three but Boiling Springs responded with a three pointer by junior Khalil Brown, who led all scorers with eight points in the quarter. Brown was joined by senior Corey Johnson who scored the other five of the Bulldogs thirteen points in the quarter. Johnson had a rare occurrence on Friday night as he was held scoreless in the first half but Coach Nash said that even being held scoreless Johnson was key as he had picked up three defensive steals in the half. "Early on Corey didn't get a lot of touches and when he did they just didn't fall but I told him to just keep working," said Nash. "I told him to do the other little things to help us win tonight and he did just that with his steals and defensive play." In the fourth quarter the game went back and forth as Chesnee was able to grab a 47-45 lead with just under seven minutes to go in the game on a Valentine shot in the post but Boiling Springs reclaimed the lead for good when Charkei Singleton stole an Eagles pass at midcourt for a layup to go ahead 51-49 with four minutes to go in the game. As the teams continued to battle into the final quarter the Bulldogs led 55-54 when Johnson hit a big three-pointer to put Boiling Springs up 58-54 and seal the victory. Chesnee coach Andy Pitt said that he knew a game like this would come down to the final shot. "I told our guys that this was one of those games that was likely going to come down to someone hitting a big shot and Corey Johnson hit that big shot," said Pitt. "In a game like this that was going to be the difference and it proved to be right tonight." Boiling Springs' Khalil Brown led all scorers on Friday night as he finished the game with nineteen points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. Brown's performance is something that Coach Nash says he has been waiting to see since the season began. "Khalil is a great player and I've been waiting all season for this Khalil to show up," said Nash. "He's been telling me all week after our game against Woodruff that he was going to show me what type of player that he is and he done just that tonight." Chesnee was led in scoring by Nyquille O'Fair who finished the night with sixteen points along with three rebounds and two steals. O'Fair's leadership is something that Coach Pitt says he saw develop this fall. "Nyquille has really become a great leader for us and I think he grew a lot during football season where he played quarterback and parlayed that into basketball," said Pitt. "He's the leader we need and takes over in the tough moments." Boiling Springs will next play again on Tuesday in a road matchup against Woodruff while Chesnee will next play on Tuesday as well in their first region matchup, a road game against Blacksburg. Blair Leads Eagles Fourth Quarter Rally Over Lady BulldogsChesnee used a 21-4 run in the fourth quarter to defeat Boiling Springs 41-34 on Friday night that was led by senior guard Kymiah Blair who scored nine of her game high thirteen points in the fourth quarter.
"We were down going into the fourth quarter and I knew as a leader I needed to step up to give our team some momentum to start off the quarter," said Eagles senior guard Kymiah Blair. "We were a little dead in the first three quarters so starting the fourth quarter I just came out and started shooting the ball and it started going in. Once I started shooting everyone started to do the same and we were able to pull out the win." The fourth quarter rally began with Blair making back-to-back free throws that started the Eagles on an 11-0 run in the quarter as Blair also hit a three pointer with just under five minutes to go to give Chesnee a 31-30 lead at which point the Eagles never looked back. Blair finished the game with thirteen points to go along with three rebounds and three steals. "I told the girls at halftime we needed a leader and they stepped up especially Kymiah," said Chesnee head coach Carey Burns. "I think the whole team just responded and stepped up in the fourth quarter." The rally also saw strong performances around the rim by seniors Jessa Beach and Shenandoah Bishop along with junior Brie Smith. Beach ended the game with a double-double after recording ten points and ten rebounds while Bishop finished the night with six points, six rebounds, and two steals. Smith added seven points and seven rebounds along with a steal while also coming up with some very crucial rebounds in the fourth quarter. The senior leadership of the Eagles stepping up to take over the game for Chesnee was no surprise to Coach Burns. "We have a great group of seniors here and I just can't say one bad thing about them," said Burns. "They come out every night and just do exactly what we ask them to do." While the Eagles came away with the victory after an impressive fourth quarter the Bulldogs had led at every break in the game before that as they were able to control a lot of the area around the rim thanks to great play from junior D'Marria Glenn and freshman Sarah Ezell. Glenn finished the night with twelve points and eight rebounds along with a steal while Ezell led all players on Friday night with thirteen rebounds. The Bulldogs also had a good night from senior guard Laisha Labra who had seven points in the game to go along with four steals. Chesnee will return to action on Tuesday as they start region play in a road matchup against Blacksburg. Boiling Springs will continue their out-of-region play on Tuesday as they travel to face Woodruff. After finishing the preseason 2-1 the Boiling Springs basketball team opened the regular season with a heartbreaking 69-66 overtime loss to Woodruff on Tuesday night. "I knew coming into this game that Woodruff had an athletic and scrappy team that played hard," said Bulldogs head coach Curtis Nash. "They outplayed us when it came to the scrappy plays and just made their free throws down the stretch." The free throw shooting was a big factor in the game as over the final quarter and into overtime Woodruff went nine of eleven from the line while the Bulldogs went eight of fifteen. The Bulldogs went twelve of twenty-eight from the line throughout the game. "I tell them everyday that free throws can win or lose us the game and tonight it loss us the game," said Nash. "We just got to make sure when we're practicing free throws the rest of the season that we focus and take it seriously so that we'll be ready next time." Boiling Springs took the lead early in the game on a three pointer by senior Cam Earls as he and fellow senior Corey Johnson scored all ten of the Bulldogs first quarter points. After Earls basket to start the game the Wolverines came back to take a 4-3 lead on their way to a 13-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Woodruff was led in the quarter by senior Zy Scott who scored seven of the team's thirteen points. Woodruff held onto their first quarter lead throughout most of the game until Boiling Springs was finally able to retake the lead with just over a minute left in the game. The Bulldogs were trailing 58-57 when Earls stole a Woodruff pass and drove to the basket as he was fouled making both the shot and the free throw to give the Bulldogs a 60-58 lead. With the Bulldogs still leading by only two after a set of missed free throws Woodruff tied the game at 61-61 on a tip in by D"Yon Bartley with sixteen seconds left in the game. The Bulldogs had another chance to win the game with seconds left but were unable to take advantage sending the game to overtime. Earls started overtime the same way he did the first quarter hitting a three pointer but that was about all the Bulldogs were able to get as Woodruff outscored Boiling Springs 8-5 in overtime including going four of four from the free throw line. Cam Earls led the Bulldogs with sixteen points just ahead of Corey Johnson with fourteen points and Charkei Singleton with twelve points. Khalil Brown and Jacob Webber led the Bulldogs with six rebounds a piece to go along with ten combined points. D'Yon Bartley led the Wolverines with twenty-five points and six rebounds on Tuesday night. Boiling Springs will look to bounce back when they travel to Chesnee on Friday night. Lady Bulldogs Have Tough OpenerThe Boiling Springs girls basketball team also started their season on Tuesday night but couldn't overcome an early deficit as they fell 50-19 to Woodruff.
Boiling Springs trailed 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and wouldn't score their first basket until just over two minutes to go in the half when Natalie Trudell hit a jump shot from the top of the key. The Bulldogs trailed 20-3 at the halftime break as the Wolverines got a big first half from Brooke Bailey who scored ten of the Wolverines twenty first half points. In the third quarter the Bulldogs were able to outscore the Wolverines 12-11 but the early deficit still had them trailing 31-15 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter Woodruff outscored the Bulldogs 19-4 to seal the victory for the Wolverines. MG Runyans led the Wolverines in scoring with fifteen points followed closely by Brooke Bailey who finished the night with fourteen points, three rebounds, and two steals. Boiling Springs was led offensively by D'Marria Glenn and Chantel Lyles who both finished the game with six points a piece. The Bulldogs will look to rebound in a game on the road against Chesnee on Friday night. |
Our Sponsors
If you would like to join us as a sponsor please contact us at: [email protected]
Archives
October 2023
Categories |