By Thomas Grant Jr.
As of Monday, only Dutch Fork boys basketball remained in the S.C. High School League playoffs.
The Silver Foxes played host to J.F. Byrnes Tuesday in the third round of Class 5A Division I Upper State. The winner would face either 2-time defending champion Ridge View or Dorman Saturday at a site to be determined.
Dutch Fork boys opened the playoffs by edging Mauldin 50-48 last Saturday at home. Samajee Govan had 15 points and six rebounds and fellow All-State forward Justus Bell had 11 points and five rebounds.
On Monday, the Lady Silver Foxes saw their season end at Mauldin by a 54-51 score.
Trailing by six in the fourth quarter, Dutch Fork used an 8-0 run capped by All-State center Trinity Crumlin’s layup to go up 49-47 with 3:50 remaining. The Lady Mavericks answered with five straight points, the last three by Zara Leamon to retake the lead.
A putback by Avani Adams made it 52-51 with 1:35 left. Mauldin answered on its next possession with a jumper from the free-throw line by Maia Hall.
After a Dutch Fork miss, Mauldin looked to run out the remaining 13 seconds. A steal by Jamia Gerald gave the Lady Silver Foxes a final opportunity to tie with 7.5 seconds left.
Aaliyah Lee took the inbound pass and raced upcourt for a 3-point attempt. It missed off the backboard as time expired and advanced the Lady Mavericks to an Upper State final matchup with defending champion Blythewood.
Dutch Fork ended the season with an 18-6 record.
