HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

FLORENCE – Kedral Timmons could see it throughout Monday’s game against Lugoff -Elgin.

“The energy was a little different tonight,” the West Florence girls basketball coach said. “They fed off each other. Played well. The defense that we’ve been trying to get them to play all year paid off .”

In a big way.

The momentum started to swing in the Knights’ favor in the second quarter and they really took control in the third behind a strong defensive effort.

The result was a 54-37 victory for WFHS and its first Region 5-5A win of the season.

The boys squad wasn’t as fortunate as miscues and a second-quarter surge by the Demons led to a 59-27 loss.

Here are three things that stood out from Monday’s games:

1. TURNING THE TIDE

The game almost got out of hand for Timmons’ squad in the second quarter as L-E built a nine-point advantage.

But the Knights got big 3s from Madison Rowe and Danielle Davis to help ignite the comeback, and the two teams were tied 24-24 at halftime.

“First half we had good intensity,” senior Gabrielle Gunter said. “We had the mindset of winning and we took that and went with it the whole game.

“Defense kept getting better.”

That was especially true in the third quarter which saw WF outscore the Demons 15-3 to take control for good.

Gunter finished with 15 points to lead the Knights followed by Kaylin Davis with 12.

2. UNDER PRESSURE

There was also an added wrinkle that Timmons and his staff added to West’s gameplan that L-E likely had not seen in the first meeting.

“Proud of them in the eff ort they put in on the full-court press,” Timmons said. “We put in a new defense that we hadn’t been running a lot of times, but

we tried it to reinforce (our play) at the end this year and it paid off .”

Both teams turned up the pressure at various times during the game, and it was a physical battle with a lot of up-for-grab loose balls and jump balls.

One play that carried over into the stands resulted in tempers flaring and a player from each squad being ejected in the fourth quarter.

“Unfortunately, that situation happened,” Timmons said. “It’s a learning process. Sometimes things get heated and you lose control, so just take this as a lesson in life and learn from it.”

3. KNIGHTS’ KRYPTONITE

The WFHS boys’ biggest issue was the same as its been all season, coach Dominique Muldrow said – turnovers.

“We’ve just got to take care of the basketball,” he said. “We’ve just got to find ways to take care of the basketball, find other people that are willing to take care of the basketball. That’s usually the diff erence in any game and that definitely hurt us mid second quarter.”

Lugoff started the second stanza on an 8-0 run and turned a three-point advantage after the opening period into a double-digit lead by halftime, thanks mainly to its transition game.

“The turnovers, the easy baskets…. we couldn’t stop them in transition,” Muldrow said.

Karon Brown was the only Knight in double figures. He finished with 12 points.

jdriggers@florencenews.com

January 30, 2025 | Morning News (Florence, SC)
Author/Byline: JUSTIN DRIGGERS Sports Writer | Section: Winning Formula