BATESBURG – SCISA 1-A region standings are all but solidified as Richard Winn Academy heads into their final two games of the regular season, and both the boys and girls teams currently sit in second place.
A long trip to Anderson last Friday ended in two losses for the varsity Eagles.
Looking for redemption from a final-minute loss in their first meeting with Anderson Christian, the Eagles jumped out to a 16-7 lead in the first quarter. In the second, the Lions shut out senior Darius Boyd, who put up nine in the first, and outscored Richard Winn 14-9.
The Eagles held a 25-21 advantage at the intermission, but the teams traded blows in the second half. Anderson Christian found their offensive footing in the third, putting up 26 points to Richard Winn’s 12.
The Eagles worked to stifle Lion scoring in the fourth quarter, holding them to only eight points, but only managed 16 of their own. Not able to overcome the deficit, the Eagles took their second two-point region loss at the hands of Anderson this season with a 55-53 final.
Despite defeating Anderson Christian by a 23-point margin earlier this season, the Lady Eagles also fell to the Lions on the road.
After a dominating first quarter, Richard Winn held a 12-3 advantage. Anderson Christian pulled within six after the third quarter.
Thanks in part to solid shooting from the charity stripe (10/12), the Lions took the lead when it mattered most, sending the Eagles home with a 39-34 loss, their second region loss of the season.
Both Eagle teams moved back into the win column on Tuesday night at King Academy in Batesburg.
Down 17-14 after a quarter of play, the Eagles found some light at the end of the tunnel in the form senior Hudson Wade. Wade put up 23 of the Eagles’ 39 points in the second and third quarters. The Eagles extended their 53-31 third-quarter lead into a 65-45 final score.
Wade’s big night in Batesburg wrapped up with 29 points. Boyd finished the two-game stretch with 36 points, 19 against Anderson and 17 against King. Dru Caldwell also finished in double-digits against King with 12.
A low-scoring first quarter seemed to drip into the second as the Lady Eagles took a 19-14 lead at halftime. Richard Winn put up a few more in the third for their highest-scoring quarter at 14. They closed out the game with a 43-29 margin.
Juniors Taylor Spires and Meredith Pope were the only Lady Eagles to put up double digits in both games. Spires led with 13 in Anderson and 12 against King, while Pope followed with 12 in Anderson and 11 at King.
The Eagles both look to better their region standings on Friday when they head to Laurens Academy. They’ll return to Winnsboro to host Newberry Academy next Tuesday in their final home game of the regular season when they’ll honor seniors Meredyth Melton, Riley Simpson, Darius Boyd, Hudson Wade and Jimmy McKeown.
