Photos by Lexington High School
By Thomas Grant Jr.
The undefeated start in Region 4-5A has helped Dutch Fork reach the top of the state rankings.
Tuesday’s newly-released S.C. Basketball Coaches Association polls had the Silver Foxes number one in Class 5A Division I.
The same day, they rolled past River Bluff 64-24 to improve to 4-0 in the region. In the four region wins, the Silver Foxes have won by an average of 46 points.
For the first time since moving up to Class 5A, the fourth-ranked Irmo girls basketball team had sole possession of first place in Region 4-5A.
Heading into Tuesday, the Irmo girls had sole possession of first place in the region. Last Friday, it defeated White Knoll 70-31 as head coach Coretta Ferguson kept her former team winless in region play.
Youth continued to serve Irmo well this season. Freshman Tiana Randall had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Eighth-grader Lailah Singletary continued her strong play. She had 19 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and three assists for the Lady Yellow Jackets.
Senior guard Abby Livingston had the team’s third double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Irmo’s lone stay at the top ended Tuesday on the road. Chapin defeated the Lady Yellow Jackets 42-39. The loss created a 3-way tie in the standings with Lexington and Friday’s home opponent Dutch Fork.
Meanwhile, the Irmo boys picked up their first region win in dramatic fashion. Khiry White’s short hook with 1.2 seconds left lifted the Yellow Jackets to a 48-46 win over White Knoll.
The freshman finished with 14 points along with forward Oshon Browman.
Hours later, the Yellow Jackets traveled to C.A. Johnson High School for the MLK Bash. It faced Class A third-ranked C.A. Johnson whose schedule has included hard-fought games against Class 5A schools Ridge View and Dutch Fork.
The Hornets jumped on Irmo early with a 25-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the third quarter, Christian Brown led a comeback to within 48-35 with seven of his team-high 19 points.
C.A. Johnson scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to pull away for the 72-49 win.
DUTCH FORK
After one half of basketball, it appeared Dutch Fork was headed to a convincing defeat at the hands of visiting Lexington.
The Lady Silver Foxes trailed as many as 24 points in the first half. It managed to cut the deficit to 15 points heading to the fourth quarter.
Over the final seven minutes, Dutch Fork made a furious comeback. A 21-4 run tied the game capped by a driving layup by Avani Adams tied the game at 64-64 with 2:24 remaining.
The game was deadlocked two more times before senior guard Braidi Goodrich was fouled with 13.3 seconds left. She made both free throws to give Lexington a 70-68 lead.
The Lady Silver Foxes quickly pushed the basketball upcourt for the game-tying rim. Center and leading scorer Trinity Crumlin pulled up for a short jumper that bounced off the front rim.
Senior guard Jaleya Lytes grabbed the rebound and dribbled out the final seconds in the Lady Wildcats’ win. She finished with 18 points, followed by Cassidy Haney with 17 points and Sydni Anderson with 15 points.
Aaliyah Lee scored 10 of her game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter. Adams finished with 12 points and Crumlin added 10 for Dutch Fork, who are now tied with Lexington for second place in Region 4-5A behind Irmo.
Just hours after the Lexington loss, it headed to C.A. Johnson High School for the MLK Bash.
Its opponent was Class 2A second-ranked Camden. The game started out competitively with Dutch Fork trailing 12-10 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Lady Silver Foxes 14-2 to take control of the game. They stretched their lead to 24 points before winning 61-38.
Dutch Fork rebounded in region play Tuesday with a 67-49 win over River Bluff. The win, coupled with Lexington’s victory over White Knoll and Irmo’s loss, created a 3-way tie for first place in the region entering Friday’s showdown at “The Temple of Doom”.
S.C. BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION RANKINGS
BOYS
(Class 5A)
Division I
1. Dutch Fork, 2. Ridge View, 3. Cane Bay, 4. Byrnes, 5. Ashley Ridge, 6. West Ashley, 7. Dorman, 8. Spartanburg, 9. Sumter, 10. Carolina Forest
GIRLS
Class 5A
Division II
1. North Myrtle Beach, 2. Goose Creek, 3. Greenwood, 4. Irmo, 5. Berkeley, 6. Greenville, 7. Gaffney, 8. Eastside, 9. St. James, 10. Catawba Ridge
