By Thomas Grant Jr.
Opening Monday’s home game down 12-0 to second-ranked Class 5A Division I defending champion Ridge View, Westwood head coach Trent Robinson addressed his team a simple, direct message.
“I told them they better come on or we’re going to get beat out the gym,” he said.
Senior point guard D’Marcus Thomas responded to the challenge. He scored 27 points in the second half to rally the second-ranked Division II Redhawks to a 64-61 win over the Blazers.
The win improved Westwood to 13-1 on the season. More important, it claimed first place in Region 5-5A with a 2-0 record having defeated defending Class 5A Division I Upper State champion Blythewood 67-52 three days earlier.
“We’ve got a good group,” Thomas said. “It feels good to be 2-0. We work hard every day. We wake up 7:30 every morning. We’ve got practice. We take practice very seriously. We’ve got a good group.”
Cylan McLeod had 14 points and three assists and Jayden Crews finished with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists for Westwood.
Fresh off winning the Arby’s Classic in Virginia, Ridge View (11-3, 0-1) appeared to carry over the momentum into its region opener. The Blazers came out aggressively, forcing turnovers and getting Westwood into the penalty early in getting 12 attempts from the free-throw line.
Robertson turned to his backcourt to lead the comeback. Thomas responded with nine points as part of a 14-4 run to bring the Redhawks to within 16-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Westwood took an 18-16 lead with six minutes left in the second quarter, only to score just two field goals in the second half. Senior guard Talon Staley, who finished with 24 points, answered with five straight points and an assist as Ridge View took a 30-24 halftime lead.
R.J. Davis carried the Blazer offense in the third quarter. He scored eight of his 20 points in putting Ridge View back up double digits at 38-27.
Thomas countered for the Redhawks, scoring 13 points in the third quarter. This included 3, 3-pointers during a 17-8 run to get within 46-44 going into the fourth quarter.
“It was big,” he said. “We were down at the half and we just hit 3s. We stayed solid, played D and hit shots.”
A 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter by Thomas gave Westwood the lead for good at 47-46. The Redhawks stretched their lead to 52-46 as they capitalized off getting into the penalty with 16 free-throw attempts.
Davis kept Ridge View close with consecutive 3-pointers. Down the stretch, Westwood’s defense intensified to force turnovers and close out the victory.
“It came down to a game of grit,” Ridge View head coach Joshua Staley said. “I thought they (Westwood) wanted it more. They made a few more plays down the stretch. We got real stagnant in that third quarter. We didn’t score a ton in that third quarter. We tried to finish strong, but they were a better team tonight.”
The two teams meet again Jan. 27 at Ridge View.
“This win is great, but it doesn’t define us,” Robinson said. “We can enjoy today. When we wake up tomorrow and getting weightlift and anybody is not prepared, then we’re going to lose the next game. So, we have to be ready to go to sleep, enjoy it, start the semester off and bounce back tomorrow with a good lift.”
“How do we prep because Spring Valley is going to see this win. We play them Friday. They’re going to come in ready to play. So, we just have to keep stacking good days and good days and worry about the games when they come.”
Lady Blazers win
The Ridge View girls fared better in “The Castle” for its Region 5-5A opener in the 59-52 win.
The Lady Blazers took a 6-0 lead to open the game. They stretched their lead to 18-7 at the end of the first quarter led by Reagan Ferguson and Kallie Robertson with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Ridge View led as many as 13 points despite a game-high 17 points from Lyric Rogers. SiNiya Curry also scored in double figures with 12 points.
S.C. BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION RANKINGS
BOYS Class 5A
(Division I)
1. Dorman, 2. Ridge View, 3. Cane Bay, 4. Ashley Ridge, 5. Dutch Fork, 6. J.F. Byrnes, 7. Sumter, 8. West Ashley, 9. Spartanburg, 10. Boiling Springs
(Division II)
1. Greenville, 2. Westwood, 3. Riverside, 4. Fort Mill, 5. Goose Creek, 6. T.L. Hanna, 7. Irmo, 8. St. James, 9. Greenwood, 10. Eastside
GIRLS Class 5A
(Division I)
1. Byrnes, 2. Spartanburg, 3. Lexington,4. Mauldin, 5. Wando, 6. Blythewood, 7. Dorman, 8. Dutch Fork, 9. West Ashley, 10. JL Mann
Lady Blazers win
The Ridge View girls fared better in “The Castle” for its Region 5-5A opener in the 59-52 win.
The Lady Blazers took a 6-0 lead to open the game. They stretched their lead to 18-7 at the end of the first quarter led by Reagan Ferguson and Kallie Robertson with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Ridge View led as many as 13 points despite a game-high 17 points from Lyric Rogers. SiNiya Curry also scored in double figures with 12 points.
Photos by Thomas Grant Jr.
