Kameron Riley (4) draws contact under the basket. (Photo/Kristy Kimball Massey)
BLYTHEWOOD (Jan. 18, 2017) – Spring Valley and Blythewood bring out the speed in one another. In Tuesday night’s matchup at the Blythewood gym, the Bengals brought the baskets.
Both teams ran the floor on one another, but Blythewood clearly had better shooting opportunities while speeding to a 96-66 victory over their Region 5-5A rivals. It was their third straight region victory and second straight with a 30-point margin.
“We played hard the way we did, but we played smart in some spots,” Blythewood head coach Zeke Washington said. “We shared the ball and we really attacked the basket, so we had a chance to take some free throws.”
Six Blythewood players ended up with double figures in scoring. Keith Matthews led the way with 15 points, Josh bowers had 14, Tre Jackson had 13 and Khalil Shakir-Harris had 11. Jonathan Breeland and Robert Braswell had 10 points apiece.
“They’re a tough team,” Washington said of Spring Valley. “They played everybody tough in the region. We were just happy to have the chance to do whatever. They make us fast, and we’ve got some fast kids too. We run them in and out and they stayed fresh.”
The Bengals (12-5, 4-2) and the Vikings (4-6, 2-4) wasted no time in going shot for shot in the first quarter. Spring Valley opened up with 3-pointers from Jamal Williams and NayQuan Addison, but Blythewood finished the quarter with a 19-16 lead.
The Bengals put up 32 points in the second quarter. They opened the period on a 12-3 run to take a 31-19 lead, and used the remaining five minutes to push Spring Valley further and further away.
The Vikings could not stop Blythewood running the court in the second half any more than they could stop the Bengals in the first.
After taking a 51-32 lead into the half, Blythewood closed out the third quarter leading 70-46 and used the fourth quarter making ample substitutions. All but one player finished the night with points on the board.
“We were very unselfish today,” Washington said. “We moved the ball today. When those things happen, it makes my job easier.”
Blythewood hosts Irmo (13-4, 4-1 going into Tuesday’s game at Dutch Fork) Friday.
“We’ve got a big game Friday,” Washington said. “We just gotta keep winning. We’ve got to get ready.”
BHS 96, Spring Valley 66
SV: 16-16-14-20 – 66
BHS: 19-32-19-26 – 96
Spring Valley
Jamal Williams 11, NaQuan Addison 10, Davis 9, Earle 9, Williams 8, Gantt 7, Smith 2, Jones 2, Hill 2, Alicia 2, Cohens 2.
Blythewood
Keith Matthews 15, Josh Bowers 14, Tre Jackson 13, Khalil Shakir-Harris 11, Robert Braswell 10, Johnathan Breeland 10, Riley 8, Jenkins 6, Dawkins 3, Williams 2, Manuel 2, Thompson 2.
