WINNSBORO – Both Eagle teams closed out their regular seasons at home on Tuesday night with region foe Newberry Academy.
Looking to put the cherry on top of their second place region finish, the Eagle boys found their Newberry opponent to be a resilient one.
Richard Winn put up 19 points in the first quarter, 17 of which came from seniors Hudson Wade, Jimmy McKeown and Darius Boyd. The Eagles held a 19-12 lead at the end of the first, but Newberry forced its way back into the game in the second.
With an altered game plan, Newberry slowed the pace of the game in the second and held the Eagles to a mere five points while putting up 11 of their own. Richard Winn held a 24-23 lead at the half.
The Eagle offense found its footing in the second half, putting up 17 in the third and 13 in the fourth. Newberry leading scorer Peyton Gardner, who had 23 on the night, was held to only two points in the third. Richard Winn translated their 41-34 third quarter lead into a 54-47 win.
In true fashion on senior night, seniors Boyd (13), Wade (11) and McKeown (10) all scored in double digits, along with junior Dru Caldwell, who had 11.
The win came on the heels of a game at Laurens Academy last Friday. Richard Winn easily held the Crusaders at bay in the first half, and put up bigger offensive numbers in the second half to take down the Crusaders 59-42.
Boyd (17), Wade (10), McKeown (10) and Caldwell (9) again made up the crux of the Eagle offense. Wade shot 80% from downtown, hitting four of his five attempts. He added nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks in the win. Junior John Russell also had nine rebounds coupled with four assists. Boyd and Caldwell picked up two steals apiece.
Despite defeating both Newberry and Laurens earlier in the season, the Lady Eagles fell to both teams in their final week of regular season play.
Laurens all but shut out the Lady Eagle offense in the first quarter last Friday, allowing only a basket from junior Taylor Spires and one from senior Riley Simpson. The Crusaders took their 10-4 lead and turned it into a 26-15 lead at halftime.
Richard Winn worked to chip away at the lead in the second half, but nine points from free throws in the fourth quarter allowed Laurens to take the seven-point win, and the Eagles fell 44-37.
Richard Winn looked to close out their regular season on a positive note when they hosted Newberry Academy for senior night on Tuesday, but Newberry had different plans.
Looking to solidify their spot atop the region, Newberry held on pushed past Richard Winn in the second half to take the 37-30 win.
Juniors Meredith Pope and Taylor Spires put up ten and nine points each in the loss to Newberry. Spires also led Eagle scorers with 15 in the loss to Laurens.
Both Eagle teams now look to the SCISA Region 1-A tournament, which begins at Newberry Academy on Feb. 11 for the third-seeded Lady Eagles. A win will advance the girls to a Friday night game in Greenwood. A two-seed with losses only to Anderson Christian, the Eagle boys will have a bye in the first day of play and return to action on Feb. 14 at Greenwood Christian. The region tournament concludes on Saturday in Greenwood.
