BLYTHEWOOD – It took the better part of three quarters for Westwood to close the door on Lugoff-Elgin Tuesday night, but the Redhawks’ 30-point fourth quarter slammed the door hard on the Demons at The Castle.
Westwood’s 84-56 Region 4-4A victory over Lugoff-Elgin snapped a 4-game losing streak and has the Redhawks (6-10) at 1-1 in the region following a 79-51 loss at A.C. Flora Friday night.
“Any region win you get is important, and it’s good for us,” John Combs said. “Our region is one of the most difficult regions in the state and to win the first home region game is a good step forward for us.”
Westwood had little problems with Lugoff Elgin (3-13), but the Redhawks couldn’t deliver a knockout punch through three quarters.
The Demons were within five points at the end of the first quarter and trailed 36-23 at the half but outscored the Redhawks 14-6 to open the third quarter, pulling to within 42-37 with 2:40 to play in the period.
Westwood did rebuild its cushion in the final two minutes in a 12-4 run and opened the fourth quarter with a 54-41 lead.
Arden Conyers, who had just four points on free throws in the first half, found his stride late in the third quarter. Conyers scored once to open the second half, and two baskets late in the third.
He broke out in the fourth, along with teammate K.J. Rowan.
After a Rowan field goal made it 59-44 early in the fourth, Conyers scored on three straight drives to the basket to make it 65-44.
After Lugoff-Elgin’s Damen Howey hit a 3-pointer, Conyers dismissed it and made for a fourth basket of the quarter to make it 67-47. His last drive came with an assist from Sean Quick-Streeter, who threw the ball up to the net for Conyers to dunk it for a 72-50 lead with about four minutes left.
Conyers finished the night with 20 points, 10 of which came in the fourth.
While Conyers was in his groove, Rowan found his as well. He scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Bryson Felder, who got in foul trouble early in the second half and saw limited playing time, finished the night with 18 points, all in the first half.
Tuesday’s victory was the first win since Dec. 21, when the Redhawks outlasted Hartsville 62-57 to tip off the Cayce Roundball Classic. As the team moves into region play, Combs said he hopes to see the team come together and play better basketball each day.
“We want to focus on being the best that we can be,” he said. “We may not always be pretty at times, but we need to focus on the process of us getting to be the best we can be. Coaches talk about ‘the process’ all the time, but it’s the case. You’re just trying to figure out how to be the best you can be.”
The Westwood girls (9-6, 1-0) opened region play with a 57-39 victory over A.C. Flora. The Redhawks’ game against the Demons was cancelled because of Lugoff-Elgin on Covid protocol.
Westwood was scheduled to play at Dreher (6-4, 1-0 going into Tuesday’s game against Irmo) on Friday, but the game was rescheduled for Jan. 25 because of the impending weather forecast.
“Dreher’s a good basketball team. They’ve got some good wins and they’ve got a new coach in A.J. Caldwell,” Combs said. “It’s going to be a battle. If we can figure out how to get it, it would be a heck of a win for us.”
Lugoff-Elgin – 11-12-18-15 — 56
Westwood – 16-20-18-30 — 84
Lugoff-Elgin
Damon Howey 13, Braylen Mumford 10, Diggs 8, McCain 8, Quiros 7, Goings 6, Chivers 4.
Westwood
Arden Conyers 20, Bryson Felder 18, K.J. Rowan 15, Bell 6, Davis 5, Evans 5, Donald 4, Quick-Streeter 4, McDuffie 4, Drake 3.