BLYTHEWOOD – Up 14-6 after the first quarter, the Blythewood girls jumped to a 35-19 lead by halftime. The Bengals only managed 18 points in the second half, but held on to beat Ridge View 53-35 Tuesday night.
The Bengals (15-4) win gave Ridge View (10-6) their first region loss of the season, putting Blythewood in the top spot on the leaderboard. They now sit at 6-0 in region play; Ridge View is 5-1.
In the boys game, Ridge View (17-3) picked up their fifth win in a row as they downed the Bengals 78-41. Ridge View moves to second in region play with a 5-1 record, just behind Westwood (6-0).
The loss is Blythewood’s second in a row following last week’s 62-56 loss to Sumter. Now 1-5 in region play, the Bengals (7-12, 1-5) face the back half of region play, starting with crosstown rival Westwood on Friday.
Both Bengal teams will host to Westwood for the second meeting in region play. In their first meeting in early January, the Bengal girls beat Westwood 72-39 and the boys fell 67-52. Girls tip off at 6 p.m., boys will follow.
Blythewood will play at home against Spring Valley on Tuesday, Jan. 27, then travel to Lugoff-Elgin on Jan. 30. They host West Florence on Feb. 3 before going back on the road at Sumter on Feb. 6. Both Bengal teams close out regular season play at home against Ridge View on Friday, Feb. 13.