BOILING SPRINGS, SC - A year after not winning a game, the Boiling Springs girls basketball team rebounded in 2022 and are now playoff bound after defeating Nation Ford 43-40 on Wednesday night. "I'm speechless because we just needed this tonight," said Bulldogs head coach Dwayne Lytle. "I'm just go glad and honored the girls were able to push through and all I can say is 'wow'. We always aim high when you start a season but you never know how things are going to work themselves out, so to be here it's a great feeling." In the first half it looked like the Bulldogs were going to struggle to secure their playoff spot as they were down 9-4 at the end of the first quarter but were able to narrow the Falcons lead to 18-17 at halftime. Nation Ford started out the third quarter with a 7-0 run to push their lead to 25-17 before the Bulldogs cut back into their lead. Boiling Springs grabbed their first lead with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter when the Bulldogs Kylie McMillan stole the ball from Nation Ford before making a layup while being fouled and followed that up with a free throw to give the Bulldogs a 28-27 lead. "I told Kylie she needed games like she was having early to humble you," said Lytle. "I told her games like that will only make you work harder because as soon as you think you've arrived, you'll find a player that wants the ball more than you, so it's just good for her to have these moments." Boiling Springs also got a big third quarter from Olivia Shirley and senior Ansley King as they combined to score 11 of the team's points in the quarter. "We've worked with Olivia the last few weeks to make sure she puts every shot off the glass," said Lytle. "She done a good job tonight using the glass and really came through tonight." In the fourth quarter the Falcons narrowed the lead to 40-37 but couldn't get any closer as the Bulldogs outscored Nation Ford 9-7 over the final quarter for the victory. On the Bulldogs senior night, senior Ansley King finished her final home game with nine points, five rebounds, and a steal. She wasn't the only member of the Boiling Springs girls team to be honored as they also recognized seniors D'Marria Glenn and Khy Petty. Junior Amiah Ellis led the Bulldog scorers with 10 points and three rebounds while Olivia Shirley added nine points with eight rebounds. Sarah Ezell also added six points with 10 rebounds and a block. Coach Lytle said that the Bulldogs won't lose their focus going into the final regular season game of the year at Gaffney as they've turned the Indians into their rival over the last few years. "We deemed Gaffney as our rivalry game," said Lytle. "We got to get up for that game regardless because of the years of competition and it's a rivalry game." Boys GameThe Boiling Springs boys' team kept their playoff hopes alive after defeating Nation Ford 51-44 on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs are now tied for fourth place in the region with the Falcons with one game left to play for the Bulldogs Friday night at Gaffney. "It feels good to pick up this win and we told our guys before the game that this was a playoff game for us," said Bulldogs head coach Curtis Nash. "It was win or not get a chance at the playoffs but now we've put ourselves in the running with a few different scenarios that still gives us a shot at the playoffs." From the tipoff it was obvious to the large and loud senior night crowd that the Bulldogs knew what was on the line as they jumped out to an 11-0 start over the first six minutes of the game, on their way to a 14-2 first quarter lead. Seniors Julius Camp Jr and Austin Faile accounted for seven of the Bulldogs first quarter points. Nation Ford narrowed the Bulldogs lead to 25-15 at halftime behind a big three pointers from junior guard Vinh Luu who scored six of the Falcons 13 points in the quarter. The Falcons narrowed the Bulldogs lead to 36-31 at the end of the third quarter as they started the second half on a 12-2 run. Nation Ford freshman Nas Berry scored nine of their 16 points in the quarter and played a key role in their run to start the quarter. He led all Nation Ford scorers with 19 points on Wednesday night. Nation Ford was able to tie the game in the fourth quarter but strong play from the Bulldogs seniors helped secure the victory as Camp and Charkei Singleton scored eight of the Bulldogs 15 points in the quarter to help secure the victory. Two Bulldogs seniors finished the night in double figures as Julius Camp Jr had 11 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and a steal while Austin Faile added 11 points, four rebounds, and two steals. The Bulldogs also honored seniors Charkei Singleton, Ke'Trone Adams, Jordan Means, Payton Browning, Damaree Fuller, Quanye Nails, and Keeondre Keenon. They also honored two-time All-Region player and senior Khalil Brown, who missed this season due to injury. "We told our seniors this is the last time you're ever going to play on this court," said Nash. "Coach Sinkfield asked those guys how they wanted to be remembered in their final game and even asked the younger guys how they wanted their guys to be remembered on senior night. They responded like we wanted them to and left a lasting memory with the home fans." Junior Tre Locklear led all Bulldogs scorers with 14 points, three steals, and a rebound. The Bulldogs will now turn their attention to Friday night when they travel to Gaffney where they look to keep their playoff chances alive. "We're approaching Friday night like it's another playoff game," said Nash. "We're going to keep our guys fresh and get our legs back under us before heading to Gaffney and hopefully ending the regular season with a win." Winter Sports Senior NightIn between the basketball games the Boiling Springs community honored all their winter sports athletes and while all the basketball players were listed above, we felt obliged to list all the athletes honored on Wednesday night along with their sport. Jocie Ewing - Cheer
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