BOILING SPRINGS, SC - After so many close losses this season and on the nine year anniversary of one of the program's toughest losses, the Boiling Springs basketball team came up with a huge 62-59 win over the #7 ranked Yellow Jackets.
After being within one point of #1 Dorman late in the game earlier this season and losing defeated on a buzzer beater by #5 Byrnes, at the time, it was a huge relief for the Bulldogs to finally get that big win but they know they still have a lot ahead of them this season. "I was telling the kids in the locker room that if I lived anywhere around Boiling Springs and wasn't coaching, I'd come to all of our games because it seems every game comes down to a last possession," said Bulldogs head coach Craig Martin. "It's big games with a great environment. TL Hanna is a well-coached team, and I knew going into it we'd be challenged, and they came ready to play. We're happy to be finally leaving one of these games with a win." After going shot for shot early in the first quarter to a 5-5 tie, TL Hanna went on a 12-2 run to take a a 17-7 lead over the Bulldogs. With an early pivotal moment in the game though, the Bulldogs fought back to close the TL Hanna lead to 19-12 when the buzzer sounded. Boiling Springs used their momentum from the end of the first quarter to start the quarter on an 11-3 run that was capitalized with a three-pointer from Jeremiah Favorite to give the Bulldogs a 23-22 lead, their first lead since leading 5-3 in the first quarter. Both teams exchanged baskets back-and-forth through the rest of the quarter as the Yellow Jackets held onto a 31-30 lead when the halftime buzzer echoed through the gym. Each team started the team shooting the ball well as Tre Locklear gave the Bulldogs a lead at 34-33 before falling behind only to have Landon Sprouse hit another shot to retake the lead at 36-35 off an assist from Locklear. The Bulldogs held a one-point lead with time running down in the quarter when Favorite hit a two-handed shot from half-court that fell through the net as the lights behind the backboard went off to give Boiling Springs a 46-42 lead. Coach Martin said Favorite, who was coming off the bench and had some key baskets for the Bulldogs down the stretch, had been working hard on his shot so he wasn't surprised in his effort on Tuesday night. "Jeremiah is a tough, hard-nosed kid that really gets after it every game," said Martin. "He has been working hard in the gym on his shot and it's good to see it pay off for him tonight. He works in the gym before school and after school along with weekends and you can see his work paying off. It was big for him as a freshman to come off the bench and do what he did tonight." TL Hanna started the fourth quarter on a 12-5 run to take a 54-51 lead over the Bulldogs and it seemed that the Bulldogs may be having bad luck happen to them again but they weren't done yet. Favorite started the Bulldogs rebound as he drove to the basket for a hard-fought layup that also gave him a foul shot that he made to tie the game at 54-54. Dominique Johnson gave the Bulldogs the lead back at 56-54, hitting both sides of a one-and-one. Landon Sprouse made the Bulldogs lead 58-56 on a shot down the middle before Favorite hit two free-throws to put the lead at 60-56. TL Hanna's Jovelyn Martin hit a big three-pointer to close the Bulldogs lead to 60-59 with less than a minute to play. With time running down, TL Hanna had a chance to take the lead but Bulldogs senior London Hogan stepped up to take a charge, his fifth of the game to give Boiling Springs the ball back. "London is a kid that is always there and in the right position," said Martin. "He took the big charge at the end of the game and grabbed some big rebounds for us. He is essential for our success as a team." Favorite hit two more free throws to give the Bulldogs a 62-59 lead with twenty-nine seconds left. With six seconds left TL Hanna had one last chance to tie the game but the Boiling Springs defense held strong knocking a missed shot out of bounds as time expired to seal the victory. Boiling Springs was led in scoring by Landon Sprouse who had 22 points while being joined in double figures by Tre Locklear with 17 points and Jeremiah Favorite with 15 points. "The better Tre and Landon play, the better we play as a team," said Martin. "Tre has been doing his thing all year and Sprouse has really picked up his game recently. Sprouse playing well takes the defense's focus off of Tre and allows him more opportunities. Tre didn't leave the court and really led us but there were also times in the game that Sprouse carried our offense, especially in the first half." Anthony Edwards led TL Hanna with 24 points while Jaquarias Patterson had 16 points and Adarius Armstrong with 15 points. Boiling Springs will return to action on Friday night when they host another ranked opponent as #1 Dorman will travel to face the Bulldogs. GIRLS GAME - TL HANNA 70 BOILING SPRINGS 25 TL Hanna used a big second half performance from their defense to outscore the Bulldogs on their way to a 70-25 victory on Tuesday night. The Yellow Jackets outscored the Bulldogs 48-11 in the second half after leading 22-14 at the half. Boiling Springs was led in scoring by Kylie McMillian who had 11 points and six rebounds while Sarah Ezell led the Bulldogs on the boards with 11 rebounds to go along with her eight points. Comments are closed.
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