Taylor Spires 
Connor Little
WINNSBORO – The Lady Eagles wrapped up regular season play on a 5-0 win streak, winning four of the five in their last week of play.
After starting the week with a 46-26 win over Laurens Academy, the Eagles defeated Wardlaw Academy on Wednesday and King Academy on Thursday before capping the week in Anderson with a 55-24 win over Anderson Christian.
Richard Winn took a 22-2 lead in the first quarter against Anderson last Friday and never looked back. Seniors Taylor Spires and Meredith Pope took charge of the Eagle offense in the first quarter, putting up 20 of the Eagles’ 22 points in the period. Spires and Pope finished the game with 21 and 20 points respectively. Spires added 11 rebounds, six steals and four blocks to her resume in her final regular season game as an Eagle.
A 27-8 lead at the half grew into a 49-20 lead in the third, thanks to two pairs of threes from Anderson’s Kristian Peppers and Leah Thomas. The Eagles shut Anderson’s offense back down in the fourth, holding them to only four points in the quarter for the 55-24 final.
Though Thursday night’s bout with King Academy was a tighter game, it was more of the same for the Lady Eagles. The Eagles stretched the 8-2 lead in the first to a 16-8 lead at the halfway mark and 26-18 in the third before finishing the game up 37-24. Pope led Eagle scorers with 18, followed by Spires with 9 and Mikaela Miller with 7.
Wednesday night’s matchup against Wardlaw told a similar story, ending in a 34-21 final. Pope led scorers with 16, adding nine rebounds, four steals and a block in the mix. Spires finished with 6 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Freshman Meagan Brigman tallied eight rebounds, and Miller added 7 rebounds, two steals and five blocks.
The week of wins clinched the Eagles’ second place region finish and their spot in the SCISA A state playoffs.
The Eagle boys fell in a one-point heartbreaker to Wardlaw on Wednesday. Up 30-27 at the half, the Patriots took a 44-43 lead in the third and managed to hold on to the lead for a 56-55 final.
Sophomore Rob Wilson lead Eagle scorers with 17, followed by senior Dru Caldwell with 13 and sophomore Lawson Wade with 12. Senior John Russell picked up 10 rebounds, five points and three blocks in the loss.
The Eagles bounced back into the win column on Thursday night as they hosted King Academy for game three of their four-game week. Up 21-8 at the half, Richard Winn stretched the lead to a 47-24 final.
Wade capped Eagle scorers with 13, followed by senior Derek Branham with 12 and Caldwell with 11.
In Anderson on Friday, the Eagles fell behind 30-13 in the first, but managed to slow the Lions’ offense in the second. The score stood 45-29 at the half. A slow third quarter offensive output put the Eagles down 63-35 after three, and the Lions took a 71-50 final score. Wade led the Eagles again with 12 points.
The Eagle boys wrapped up the regular season this week with games on Monday and Tuesday.
They fell in 41-35 Monday’s game against Newberry Academy, but rebounded for a 63-39 win over Cambridge on Tuesday. Wade and Branham each had 12 points in Monday’s loss.
The Eagle boys are slated to play Conway Christian in the first round of the SCISA A state playoffs. The game is set for Saturday at 4 p.m. at Wilson Hall in Sumter.
The Eagle girls received a #1 seed for the SCISA A state playoffs and were pitted against Andrew Jackson Academy in the first round. Andrew Jackson forfeited the game to advance Richard Winn to the quarter finals, to be played on Monday, Feb. 22 against the winner of Lowcountry Prep and Laurens Academy.
