Spring Valley stands tall to get past Fort Mill in state playoffs
Everything fell apart for Fort Mill Tuesday, as Spring Valley used its height to win 58-49 in the third round of the 4A state playoffs.
Not having much height was something Fort Mill was able to work with most of the season. Against Spring Valley, it was something they couldn’t contend with, as the Vikings consistently out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well,” said Fort Mill coach Dwayne Hartsoe. “Their size and length made the difference. We had a good season.”
Spring Valley’s Deangelo Ward got hot early and led the Vikings on a 9-0 run, scoring seven of his team’s first nine points. On the other end, Fort Mill had three turnovers and got off just a couple of shots to start.
Critical
Spring Valley opened the second quarter on another run to regain the lead and again used its speed and quickness to cause Fort Mill to turn the ball over. Fort Mill struggled to get to the basket battling the Vikings’ height advantage. Spring Valley outscored Fort Mill 17-8 in the quarter as the Jackets hit just three of 16 shots in the period.
Turning point
Spring Valley opened the second half on a 6-2 run to make a nine-point halftime lead into a 13 point lead. Fort Mill continued to struggle shooting the ball and trying to move around the Vikings’ height.
Fort Mill started chipping away at the Vikings lead in the fourth quarter using a more open offense to get baseline layups. However, on the defensive side of things, Fort Mill struggled to stop Spring Valley and additional turnovers by the Jackets only aided the Vikings.
Star contributions
Fort Mill was led by Mitchell, who scored 23 points. Spring Valley was led by four players who scored in double figures. Ward led the Vikings with 14 points, followed by 13 points from Javondii Myers and Noah Harper. Jordan Bruner rounded out the double digit scoring with 12 points.
Overheard
“I expected them to give us a run and they did. Our team really decided it wanted to win this game. I can’t take credit. It was the kids.” Spring Valley coach Perry Dozier
SV: Deangelo Ward 14, Javondii Myers 13, Noah Harper 13, Jordan Bruner 12, Devion Davis 2, Tommy Bruner 2, Kendall Wall 2. FM: Tanner Mitchell 23, Keaton Griffin 9, Brandon Joseph 8, Ryan Deluca 5, AJ Foti 2, Kawan Walker 2.
This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 11:08 PM.