BLYTHEWOOD – Having clinched the Region 3-5A championship Feb. 6 with a 51-45 win over Rock Hill, the Blythewood basketball team went into Friday’s game against Spring Valley pumped up for Senior Night.
The Bengals, with their first region title since 2018 in hand, showed a packed house what they were capable of, shutting down the Vikings under the nets and rolling to a 71-42 victory in the regular season finale.
“It was senior night so we all had to come show out and play good and put on a show for the crowd,” said senior Will Olden, who led the team with 22 points on the night.
T.J. Lewis and Austin Coker had 10 points apiece, and 10 players for Blythewood (20-6, 8-2) scored at least two points on the night.
In one of their strongest defensive performances on the season, the Bengals outrebounded the Vikings (12-12, 4-6) 34-14.
“I’ve always said that kids win games. Coaching sometimes is overrated,” Blythewood head coach Zeke Washington said. “Kids just decided that they wanted to play. They played unselfish, they played together, they played physical, they did a lot of smart things, and they played with a little bit of confidence. It makes my job a whole lot either.”
Blythewood pulled away from Spring Valley from the tip-off. The Bengals led 10-7 after the first quarter and held a 25-14 advantage at the half. They led 43-30 going into the fourth quarter, and opened that frame with a 14-2 scoring run that put Blythewood up 57-32 with five minutes to play.
Washington said the large and loud crowd that filed into the gym to watch the Bengals play paid off big time. Not only were the seniors on both the boys and girls basketball teams and the cheerleading squad energized, the underclassmen played to that energy. Washington noted especially several moments before and during the boys game when the lights switched off and the gym was illuminated with cellphone flashlights.
“One of the things that really helped us was the support of our community and the school,” Washington said. “That crowd powers you. And when we have a crowd like that, teachers and fans and stuff, it’s like an ultrafuge, and I haven’t seen that in a while.
“When the lights went off and the kids flashed the lights on their phones, I hadn’t seen that much. And the energy in the gym, it goes into the players. So we hope our fans come back Wednesday.”
Blythewood plays host to No.4 J.L. Mann Wednesday in the 5A boys playoffs. If the Bengals win, they play host to the winner of Wednesday’s Dorman at White Knoll matchup Saturday.
“Our goal is to get to the ‘ship you know, win out,” Olden said. “We’re good at home, we’ve only lost one game at home. Not to jinx anything, we’re just trying to get the dub.”
In the girls game, Blythewood fought hard against a taller and faster Spring Valley team, but couldn’t shake the Vikings. The Bengals brought the game to overtime with a 65-65 stalemate after regulation, but Spring Valley claimed the 4-minute overtime period and won 77-68.
Chase Thomas had a game-high 28 points and Hayley Hightower added 21 points to lead Blythewood.
Zie’l Ratchford led Spring Valley with 24 points. Kelsey Chisholm and Lauren Crosland had 12 points apiece.
The loss dropped Blythewood (13-8, 6-4) into third place behind region champion Rock Hill (23-3, 10-0) and Spring Valley (13-8, 6-4), which won the tiebreak for second place. The Bengals played host to at-large Spartanburg (10-15) Tuesday to open the 5A playoffs.
Boys
Spring Valley – 7-7-16-12 — 42
Blythewood– 10-15-18-28 — 71
Spring Valley: Joshua Nelson 20, Jordan Burgess 13, Skelton 5, Rainey 2, McGee 2
Blythewood: Will Olden 22, Taurus Lewis Jr. 10, Austin Coker 10, Stephens 6, Jones 6, Kennedy 6, Chung 5, Sims 2, Wyche 2, Washington 2
Girls
Spring Valley – 17-13-17-18-12 — 77
Blythewood – 18-14-15-18-3 — 68
Spring Valley: Zie’l Ratchford 24, Kelsey Chisholm 12, Lauren Crosland 12, Green 9, Stewart 5, Mundy 5, Williams 4, Smith 4, Buckner 2
Blythewood: Chase Thomas 28, Hayley Hightower 21, Fluker 9, Spain 6, Williams 4