By Thomas Grant Jr.
Both Lexington and White Knoll girls involved in a 3-way tie for first place in Region 4-5A.
Heading into Tuesday, both teams battled each other for second place. A win by either team would allow them an opportunity to clinch second behind Dutch Fork.
The Lady Timberwolves had their first shot at the Lady Silver Foxes on March 4. Led by Michaela Fairwell’s 20 points and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Trinity Crumlin, Dutch Fork rolled to a 69-37 win.
The Lady Wildcats were next in what was a revenge game for the Lady Silver Foxes. In the first meeting, Lexington got a 3-pointer from Jaleya Lytes as time expired for the 68-66 win.
This time around, Dutch Fork took control from the opening tip. Dutch Fork (19-2, 7-1) jumped on Lexington early, scoring the first 12 points of the game. The defense held Lexington without a field goal until the 3:24 mark of the second quarter.
“I always tell them we’ve got to make our defense turn into our offense,” Dutch Fork head coach Candace Bush said. “So, I think they’re finally getting it. That’s what I’ve been trying to get them to do all season. But, as the season progressed, we started to pick up on things that we’ve trying to work on the entire season.
“So defense, pressure has always been a thing we’ve harped on since Day One. So, they’re finally getting it and it’s finally clicking.”
The Lady Silver Foxes took a 28-6 halftime lead Lexington managed to only get within 16 points after outscoring Dutch Fork 25-17 in the second half.
Sydni Anderson had a game-high 14 points for the Lady Wildcats.
BOYS
The White Knoll boys looked to move into a third-place tie with Irmo last week.
Instead, the Timberwolves fell 64-41 behind 17 points from Christian Brown, 15 points from Jaden Rivers and 14 points from Antwoine Pierce. The loss dropped White Knoll (11-13, 3-5) a game behind the Yellow Jackets.
The Timberwolves can either clinch fourth or improve its standing by winning their last two games. It faced on Tuesday a Lexington team still seeking its first region victory.
A year after winning the Class 5A title, the Wildcats (4-16, 0-8) have dropped nine straight games.
Feature photo – Izzy Saville – Lexington forward Izzy Saville drives to the basket against Dutch Fork.
Photos by Thomas Grant Jr.
