Airport takes off after delay to defeat Orangeburg-Wilkinson

For two and half quarters, Airport might have felt fortunate when the ball went through the net. But in less than a two-minute span, the Eagles hit three 3-pointers to ignite a stagnant offense that led them to a 57-47 victory over visiting Orangeburg-Wilkinson Tuesday in the first round of the Class 3A boys’ basketball playoffs.

Airport, the No. 2 seed from Region 5-3A, will travel to top-seeded Marlboro County for Friday’s second-round playoff game. Marlboro County was a 64-48 winner over St. James.

“I told the guys before the game that it doesn’t have to be big, it doesn’t have to be pretty. You just have to survive and advance,” Airport coach Jimmy Kinard said. “I got in the locker room afterward and told them, ‘it wasn’t big and it wasn’t pretty, but we did survive.’ We’re just glad to have another game on Friday.”

CJ Wright and Daniel Gillins got the Eagles’ offense on track. Airport (18-8) was 8-for-35 from the field before Wright hit the first 3-pointer of the night from the corner. After a miss, Gillins hit another 3 from the opposite corner and then hit one from the wing to turn what was a 26-26 tie into a 36-29 lead.

The Eagles never trailed after that point. Gillins added three free throws with seven seconds remaining in the quarter for a 41-34 lead.

“CJ’s shot was a big one, but the one what really ignited us was the two 3’s Daniel Gillins hit in the third quarter,” Kinard said. “That kind of got everyone’s juices flowing. I don’t think we trailed after that.”

Gillins said it was a case of getting an open look at the basket. From the time Wright hit his 3, Airport went 9-for-15.

“The guards penetrated and everybody collapsed and I was wide open. It was two easy shots,” Gillins said. “We were down and needed to pick our heads up at halftime and make a comeback. We know we have to step it up more on Friday.”

Orangeburg-Wilkinson coach Tracey Gamble knew it was only a matter of time before the Eagles found the range.

“They’re in their gym, and I get they started feeling comfortable, and they settled down more,” he said. “They found their rhythm. You have to give them credit. I contribute it to them getting hot (more) than anything we didn’t do.”

Wright finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Gillins added 13 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. Jalon Cokley contributed seven points, eight rebounds and four steals.

Kinard said he was surprised the way his team played the first half. He thought they had some momentum, but felt like the team had a couple of uncharacteristic practices coming into the first round matchup.

“It was a combination of things. Number one, I think O-W (10-11) came out and played with a lot of heart and effort. Number two, we were lethargic and some of our primary players weren’t making plays for whatever reason,” Kinard said. “We had a couple of unfocused practices the last couple of days. Hopefully this is a wake-up call. I can guarantee you we have a tough one Friday night at Marlboro County.”

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 11:05 PM.