By Thomas Grant Jr.
Trailing at halftime Thursday in the second round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs conjured up bad memories for Dutch Fork girls’ basketball coach Candace Bush.
A year ago, the Lady Silver Foxes were riding high on a nine-game winning streak. They looked to advance to the third round, only to get upset 45-42 by Summerville at home.
This time, it was visiting Dorman which looked to end Dutch Fork’s season and eight-game winning streak.
Senior Michaela Fairwell and her Lady Silver Foxes had other ideas. Overcoming foul trouble, the two-time Region 4-5A Player of the Year scored 32 points and Dutch Fork got key defensive plays from center Trinity Crumlin to rally for the 67-63 win over the Lady Cavaliers.
“We started out slow,” Bush said. “One thing I can say about this team this year and I saw it in previous games they have heart. They’ve got fight. We didn’t fight well last year when we got down, but this team knows how to fight and fight back.”
“We worked on over the summer and in practice what we needed to work on and to get better from last year,” Crumlin said.
Along with the playoff win, Fairwell achieved a milestone. The same day she was named to the S.C. Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 5A All-State team, she reached 1,500 career points.
It was Fairwell’s offense which brought Dutch Fork back from an early hole. the Lady Cavaliers jumped out to a 20-6 lead. Ri Wallace scored 10 of her 15 points in the first quarter.
Fairwell responded for Dutch Fork with nine points in the second quarter to bring the Lady Silver Foxes to within 35-29 at the break.
The Lady Silver Foxes opened the second half with a fury. It went on an 18-4 run to take a 47-39 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Fairwell scored seven points and Claire Howard had six of her nine points as part of the run.
“We talked about picking up our intensity and communicating more in order to get the win,” Fairwell said.
Dutch Fork got a scare, however, as Crumlin left the court favoring her left shoulder. Morgan White, who led Dorman with 20 points, capitalized in her absence to help close the gap.
As time expired in the third quarter, Fairwell hit an off-balanced 3-pointer to put Dutch Fork up 52-44.
The Lady Cavaliers got within 60-59 in the fourth quarter. They had a potential go-ahead layup with 1:16 left that was blocked by a returning Crumlin.
Down the stretch, Fairwell made 7-8 free throws to complete the comeback win.
“Michaela really has a high basketball IQ,” Bush said. “So, once she picked up her fourth foul, she looked at me and told me she was good. She was going to be okay. So I had confidence in her when it comes to fouls.”
Dutch Fork now plays host Monday to J.L. Mann, who defeated Lexington 62-46, for a spot in the Upper State final at the Florence Civic Center.
Season ends for Dutch Fork boys
Just 24 hours earlier, the Dutch Fork boys saw their Region 4-5A championship season end at home. The Silver Foxes rallied from as many as 12 points down, only to lose in overtime to Clover 73-67.
Cold shooting put Dutch Fork in a first-half hole. Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles benefited from 3-point production from guard J’son Watson forward Owen Galeota to take a 27-18 halftime lead.
The Silver Foxes’ offensive woes continued in the third quarter. They missed their first six shots before a layup by Bryson Taylor brought them within 29-20.
Clover pushed its lead back to double digits before Dutch Fork began its comeback. A 10-3 run created the first of six ties in the fourth quarter before two free throws by Taylor gave the Silver Foxes a 53-52 lead with two minutes left.
With both teams in the penalty, they each took turns hitting free throws to either tie or take the lead. After a free throw by Watson put Clover up 58-56 with 25.7 seconds left, Taylor found Jaiden Coleman in the post for a game-tying layup with 18.5 seconds left.
Taylor got a steal on the Blue Eagles’ next possession. His desperation shot as time expired fell short.
Dutch Fork took a 59-58 lead in overtime, only for Watson hit a 3-pointer to put Clover ahead 61-59. After a Taylor basket, the Blue Eagles scored four straight points off a Geleota layup and steal and layup by Devin Agard to go up 65-61.
Following a Dutch Fork free throw, Agard scored and George Stewart’s free throws put Clover up 69-62 with 44.1 seconds left. The Blue Eagles extended their lead to eight points to earn their second straight playoff victory.
Agard finished with 26 points, Watson had 19 points and Galeota added 11 for Clover. Taylor led Dutch Fork (20-7) with 21 points and Justus Bell had 17.
Both Taylor and Bell were named to the Class 5A All-State team.
Feature photo by Thomas Grant, Jr. – Dutch Fork center Claire Howard battles Dorman’s Autumn Dawkins for the loose ball.
