CHESNEE, S.C. – Trailing by two points with time winding down in the fourth quarter, Union County needed a quick stop and basket against the Broome Centurions.
Enter Keishawn Gibson, who stole a Centurion pass at midcourt and sprinted downcourt for a fastbreak layup, tying the game at 49 with 1:04 left in regulation. It took an extra frame to decide the contest between two former region foes, but the Yellow Jackets escaped with a 63-60 victory. After the Centurions opened the game with a quick bucket, the Yellow Jackets used a 7-0 run to take a 10-8 lead after one quarter of play. The two teams played to a near-draw, as both teams scored 11 in the second frame, which added up to a 21-19 Union County advantage at the break. The Centurions used a 20 point third quarter to jump ahead 39-34 entering the fourth stanza, where both teams had a shot at the win in the waning moments but came up empty. Spanning the final minute of the extra period, the Yellow Jackets missed four of their last six shots from the charity stripe but managed to hang on for the win. Gibson and Brady Poole (Broome) each scored a game-high 25 points for their respective teams. Keyshon Harden and Jamal Judge also scored in double figures for the Yellow Jackets with 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Coyie Pool added 15 for the Centurions. Broome will face Blacksburg at 3 PM on Thursday, while Union County clashes with Chesnee at 4:30. Fort Mill 52, Hillcrest 47 In the first semifinal game of the evening, it was quite the back-and-forth battle. Trailing by three early in the second quarter, the Hillcrest Rams used a 16-point frame – keyed by two Brayden King triples – to take a 25-21 lead into the halftime break. The Rams utilized an 11-3 run out of the intermission to build a double-digit lead, but then Fort Mill’s rally began, as they closed the deficit to 39-35 entering the final quarter. In the frame, Gabe Tooper led the Yellow Jackets on a 13-4 run to reclaim a 48-45 advantage with 1:47 to play. In total, Fort Mill held the Rams to eight points over the final eight minutes of regulation. Tooper finished with a game-high 21 points for the Yellow Jackets, while AJ Washington and Braylen McCain also added nine points each. Jeremiah Camara led Hillcrest with a team-high 14 points. Fort Mill will face defending Roundball Classic champion Catawba Ridge at 7:30 PM on Thursday, while Hillcrest will square off against Boiling Springs in the third-place game at 6 PM. CATAWBA RIDGE 66 BOILING SPRINGS 37 Boiling Springs carried into their game against Catawba Ridge a seven-game winning streak and for the first quarter it looked like it may continue but the last three quarters proved differently as the Bulldogs fell 66-37 to the Copperheads, the defending tournament champions. Boiling Springs held an 18-16 lead but from the start of the second quarter until the final buzzer sounded the Bulldogs were outscored 50-19 over the final three quarters. Catawba Ridge had two players score in double figures as Lance Barnees led all scorers with 20 points and was joined by Grant Lovette who added 17 points and seven rebounds. WJ Fowler led Boiling Springs with 12 points and Tre Locklear joined him in double figures with 11 points of his own. Boiling Springs will play Hillcrest in the third-place game at 6:00 PM while Catawba Ridge will play Fort Mill in the championship game at 7:30 PM. Comments are closed.
|
Chesnee Roundball Classic
Keep us with the Boiling Springs Sports Journal for continuing coverage of the tournament. Archives
December 2022
Categories |