INMAN, S.C. – Friday night was a chance at redemption for Chapman as they faced Emerald for the second time in a three day span.
A strong effort in the second half paved the way as the host Lady Panthers picked up a 60-56 victory, dealing Emerald their first region loss. With time winding down in the third quarter, Chapman held a 53-48 lead despite a 9-0 run by Emerald. The Lady Panthers quickly moved the ball into the frontcourt and found sophomore Clara Gramling, who swished a triple as time expired, making it an eight point game. In the fourth quarter, Asia Anderson took command, not only from a scoring perspective, but found ways to get her teammates involved, like freshman Madison Elrod. “That was huge,” Lady Panthers head coach Leslie Boyd exclaimed. “The minutes that (Madison) is getting, she has taken advantage of every one. She’s contributing not just in points, but in rebounds, creating fouls against the opponent… I’m really proud of her intensity. Even though she hasn’t had a lot of minutes up to this point, she’s taken advantage of the opportunities these last two games.” On one play in particular, Anderson drove down the lane and found Elrod, who had snuck behind a defender. Anderson dished it at the last possible moment to Elrod, who capitalized with a strong finish at the basket. “This is my first year knowing Asia,” Elrod admitted. “She’s a very, very talented athlete. To be honest, we haven't really gone over those no-look passes. She just does it so much that I can get the hang of it. Whenever she drives the lane, I’m there, ready for the pass.” Emerald (6-2, 4-1 Region III-3A) cut it down to a six point game with 28 seconds left, but couldn’t get any closer. “We came out with more energy tonight,” Boyd added. “We knew the task that had to be done. Our girls took it quarter by quarter to get the job done. Our (home) fans packed the game out early. We feed off that energy. Once we got rolling, we just kept going.” Chapman (3-3 Region III-3A) was led by Asia Anderson with 24 points. Caroline Garner and Clara Gramling each had nine points, along with seven points apiece from Madison Elrod and Farrah Grohs. BOYS – Chapman 61, Emerald 48 Midway through the second stanza, Emerald rattled off a 14-2 run, which gave them a 29-17 lead with 2:30 to go in the opening half. Chapman answered with a 13-0 run that bridged into the early moments of the third quarter, taking a 30-29 lead. “I started to call timeout,” Chapman head coach Greg Wilson admitted. “When (Emerald) made that run to get up to 14-0, we came right back down the floor. Gavin made a couple of big three’s, Banks got a three point play, and next thing you know, you look up and you’re only down one (at halftime)… those two shots from Gavin got us back in the ball game.” Late in the frame, the Panthers uncorked a 17-2 run that spanned into the fourth, giving them a 52-41 advantage with less than five minutes to play in regulation. Banks Atkins scored a game-high 25 points for the Panthers. Miles Carter and Gavin Humphries also finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Chapman (12-7, 5-2 Region III-3A) will make a trip down Interstate 26 next Tuesday night to Clinton High School. The girls’ game begins at 6 PM, with the guys’ game to follow. -Justin Mathis Comments are closed.
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