Irmo taking party back to state semifinals with win over Carolina Forest
Irmo guard Tavonne Bond celebrated his 18th birthday in style.
The senior scored 23 points on 9-for-10 shooting to guide the Yellow Jackets to a 61-45 victory over Carolina Forest Tuesday and a spot in the Lower State championship on Saturday. Irmo’s in the state semifinals for the fourth time in the past six years and will face West Ashley Saturday night at the Florence Civic Center.
Bond was 5-for-6 on 3-pointers against the Panthers and is 11-for-14 from long range his past two games.
“I really felt it in warmups,” Bond said. “I was making a lot of shots and my confidence was really high so my teammates just got me the ball in good spots.”
It was hot-shooting that gave Irmo (23-4) the lead. When Carolina Forest (18-8) made a run in the third quarter, Irmo answered with a defensive stop and a 15-0 run that put things away.
The Yellow Jackets were 10-for-18 from the field in the first half with four 3-pointers, two by Bond and one each from Dre’Von Sweat and Noah Jenkins. That built a 24-16 halftime lead. All four of the Panthers first-half field goals were 3-pointers, but they couldn’t find any offense inside the arc.
“Our shooting in the first half is what got us the lead and got us going,” Irmo coach Tim Whipple said. “We were having trouble with any penetration but we made enough threes to get us the lead then we just played a really, really good third quarter.”
The Panthers had a chance to get within 36-30, but Jaylon Wilson drew a charge under the basket that sparked a 15-0 run by the Yellow Jackets.
“We have talked so much about taking charges this year and we don’t but when we do, we get pretty excited,” Whipple joked. “That might have had something to do with it.”
Carolina Forest coach Brian Brunson thought that sequence turned out to be huge. Jenkins started the run with a 3, Bond hit another, Tony Brice added a basket before Bond hit a 3 from just inside the half-court line to end the quarter. That gave Irmo a 44-28 lead.
“I thought when we made a run late in the third quarter we could get it to a manageable situation but then we had an offensive foul and they hit a three, we have back-to-back turnovers and you can’t do that at this level,” Brunson said. “It was bang-bang play.”
Irmo has won 20 of 21 games after starting the season 3-3. Jenkins supported Bond with 14 points and RJ Gunn added 9 with Sweat chipping in eight.
The Yellow Jackets shot 25-for-46 from the field and 9-for-20 from 3-point range. In the past two games, they’re 22-for-44 from beyond the arc.
“We struggled at times but I think the emergence of Noah Jenkins has helped a great deal,” Whipple said. “Jaylon (Wilson) has done a fantastic job subbing in at the point. Then the guys with the experience – Bond, Sweat and Gunn – have really played well at the end of the year. That’s what you have to have it you’re going to make a run.”
CF: Damon McDowell 14, Duane Moss 10, Weatherwax 9, Collier 6, Timmons 4, Lynch 2. I: Tavonne Bond 23, Noah Jenkins 14, RJ Gunn 9, Sweat 8, Suber 3, Brice 2, Hill 2.
This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 10:26 PM.