Spartanburg girls prevail as schools split doubleheader on Tuesday night.
Zach Baldinelli hit a 3 in the final minutes and Trayson Fowler grabbed two huge rebounds off missed free throws as Boiling Springs held off visiting Spartanburg 57-55 in Tuesday’s Region III 5A opener.
The Bulldogs struggled to establish their preferred fast-paced play in the first half and went into the break trailing the Vikings 29-24. But Boiling Springs (8-4, 1-0) outscored Spartanburg 16-7 in the third quarter to seize the lead and momentum.
“I don’t think we were being us the whole first half,” Boiling Springs coach Hal McManus said. “I questioned our toughness at the half. And I thought our kids were very resilient in the second half.”
Spartanburg (3-5, 0-1) fought back in the fourth quarter and tied the game at 49 with under three minutes remaining. But Baldinelli broke down the court and hit a 3 from the top of the arc in transition to put the Bulldogs back on top. Baldinelli led the team with 15 points.
“Zach [Baldinelli] is a kid that you never have to push him to go, you just have to pull him back every once in a while,” McManus said. “He wants the ball in his hands at the big moment.”
The Vikings stayed close and forced the Bulldogs to make free throws in the game’s final minute. Leading by just a basket, Boiling Springs twice missed critical free throws, but each time Fowler came up with the offensive rebound.
“We were like a pitcher who doesn’t have his best stuff but he grinds through the game and gets the win,” McManus said. “That was us tonight. We didn’t have our best stuff, but we grinded and stayed together and we came out with a win.”
Sean Jenkins led the Vikings with 24 points and Uzziah Dawkins scored 15.
Girls
Jayla Hopkins had 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals as the Spartanburg girls basketball team won 42-34 on the road against Boiling Springs on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs (5-8, 0-1) got out to an early lead, but the Vikings (8-6, 1-0) rallied to close out the first half down 16-15 with Hopkins and Bre Kenan combing for all of Spartanburg’s points.
Kenan opened the second half with her first 3-pointer of the season to give Spartanburg its first lead since 2-0.
“Bre kept them honest by hitting that shot,” Spartanburg coach Sharon Dillon said. “Last time we played them she scored most of her points off the baseline drive. She scored a couple of them off the baseline tonight, but that 3 I think helped open up the offense.”
Spartanburg previously beat Boiling Springs 48-43 at a tournament in Clover. Tuesday’s game marked the opening of Region III-5A play for both teams.
“That was our first region win since 2016,” said Dillon, whose Vikings were winless in region play last season. “We wanted to get that monkey off our back. We did that and I think it gives us some confidence going forward.”
As a senior, Hopkins was especially happy to get region play off on a positive start.
“It feels great,” Hopkins said. “Everybody talked down about us, but we’re just bringing it this year and playing hard and it’s way better.”
Kenan finished with 12 points for Spartanburg, while Dawayshia Crocker and Malajah Rodgers each had eight rebounds. Carolina Reese led Boiling Springs with 14 points, while Amaya Richardson added 13.