BLYTHEWOOD – Nation Ford pestered the Blythewood boys basketball team in the lane throughout their game Saturday at The Jungle.
That inside action left the Bengals clear to strike from long distance.
Blythewood sank 11 3-point shots and managed to get in the paint just enough to outpace the Falcons 70-61 and claim their first Region 3-5A game of the season.
Head coach Zeke Washington himself was surprised at the number of threes his team made, and was glad to see that the number made up for a lack of effectiveness up close.
“Some of my former players were here and they told me they couldn’t believe that we shot so many 3-pointers,” Washington said. “That’s just where our talent is. That’s what we do well, so I let them do it.”
Will Olden led the way from behind the 3-point arc with five treys for 15 points, while Taurus Lewis Jr. hit two 3s and finished the afternoon with a team-high 18 points for the Bengals (13-5, 1-1). Kishan Chung hit three treys and finished the night with 11 points.
Nation Ford (7-10, 0-2) Got off to an early 6-2 lead as Blythewood struggled to both score and defend under the nets. The Bengals sank three 3-pointers, two from Chung and one from Lewis, in the first quarter to keep the game close.
“We want to attack the basket as much as we can, but we had some mental lapses and sometimes we’re not as focused as we should be,” Washington said about the Bengals struggles inside Saturday. “If we’re more focused, I think some of the things that went wrong today we can just automatically handle without even emphasizing it so much.”
Blythewood trailed 17-16 after the first quarter and fell behind 22-16 a minute into the second quarter. The Bengals cut Nation Ford’s lead near instantly.
Olden sank back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 22. Then Lewis hit a go-ahead 3, stole a ball and made a second 3 to put Blythewood up 28-22 by the 5:28 mark of the second quarter.
It was a lead that Nation Ford challenged, but the Bengals never relinquished. Blythewood led 39-30 at the half, and kept its 9-point lead through the third quarter, starting the final quarter leading 54-45.
Both teams scored 31 points over the final two quarters.
Lewis and his teammates found some success going inside in the second half, but the Falcons kept frustrating the Bengals inside the 3-point arc. Nation Ford senior center Caden Giles, standing 6-11, got just three rebounds, but batted away shots and moved Blythewood players out of position under the nets throughout the game. Senior wingman Jackson Burnham led all scorers with 22 points, including three 3-pointers of his own. Giles had 11 points.
Blythewood visits Nation Ford Jan. 30.
“We’ve got to be focused because they were ranked earlier in the year and I think they’re a pretty good team,” Washington said. “We’ve got to play them on the road and we’ve got to figure out how we can get it done.”
In the girls game, the Bengals (9-4, 2-0) dominated Nation Ford (10-7, 0-2) 66-32. Blythewood got off to a 16-5 start in the first quarter, led 28-13 at the half, and outscored the Falcons 38-19 in the second half.
Chase Thomas scored 25 points, made 11 rebounds and three assists to lead the Bengals. India Williams had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Hayley Hightower had 10 points and six assists. Kaila Spain had 10 rebounds to go with six points.
Blythewood played at Clover Tuesday night. The Bengals host Rock Hill Friday and are at Spring Valley Tuesday.
Nation Ford – 17-13-15-16 — 70
Blythewood – 16-23-15-16 — 61
Nation Ford
Jackson Burnham 22, Ben Chutty 14, Caden Giles 11, Walters 7, Pryer 5, Robertson 2.
Bythewood
Taurus Lewis Jr. 18, Will Olden 15, Kishan Chung 11, Coker 7, Jones 5, Mazyck 4, Sims 4, Washington 2, Major 2, Stephens 2.
Girls
Nation Ford – 5-8-10-9 — 32
Blythewood – 16-12-20-18 — 66
Nation Ford
Ariah Heard 13, Kurowski 8, Bennett 4, Washington 2, Morrow 3, Luczywo 2.
Bythewood
Chase Thomas 25, India Williams 13, Hayley Hightower 10, Spain 6, Fluker 5, Cross 3, Brown 2, Guerrero 2.
