By Thomas Grant Jr.
Tuesday’s rescheduling of the Lexington/Richland School District Five matchup with Chapin to Jan. 29 resulted in a weeklong break for Irmo basketball.
Both teams return to action Friday for a Region 4-5A matchup with town rival Dutch Fork. The contest is a must-win for them as they find themselves near the bottom of the region standings following two straight losses.
It was especially frustrating for the boys’ team. After losing at home 51-45 to River Bluff, the Yellow Jackets looked to rebound on the road against White Knoll.
The game was the first for the Timberwolves without head coach Willie Thomas. He suffered a heart attack following Wednesday’s practice and underwent triple bypass surgery.
Thomas was expected to make a full recovery but will miss the rest of the season. Cal Pearson will serve as interim head coach and faced the Yellow Jackets in his first game.
Irmo trailed as many as 10 points in the second half. Its fullcourt pressure defense helped erase the deficit and a 11-3 run put the Yellow Jackets ahead 48-47.
White Knoll regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Peyton Jennings. Matthew Hopkins tied the game with 38 seconds left and after a defensive stand, Irmo looked to hold for the final shot.
Instead, Jennings stole the ball from Hopkins and tossed it to Cylan McLeod for the game-winning layup in the 52-50 victory.
The Lady Yellow Jackets also look to get back to .500 in the region. In their last outing, they were defeated 46-24 by White Knoll.
Abby Livingston and Lailah Singletary each had eight points in the loss.
S.C. BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION TOP 10 POLLS
BOYS
Class 5A
(Division I)
1. Ridge View
2. Byrnes
3. Dorman
4. Blythewood
5. Summerville
6. Dutch Fork
7. Cane Bay
8. Mauldin
9. River Bluff
10. West Ashley
(Division II)
1. Fort Mill
2. Indian Land
3. Goose Creek
4. Greenville
5. Westwood
6. Conway
7. Riverside
8. Berkeley
9. Greenwood
10. TL Hanna
Class 4A
1. North Augusta
2. Lancaster
3. Wren
4. Crestwood
5. Gray Collegiate
6. Westside
7. Brookland Cayce
8. Wilson
9. South Pointe
10. Lauren
GIRLS
Class 5A
(Division I)
1. Ashley Ridge
2. Blythewood
3. Summerville
4. Clover
5. Dutch Fork
6. Carolina Forest
7. Wando
8. Rock Hill
9. Lexington
10. Dorman
(Division II)
1. Gaffney
2. North Myrtle Beach
3. White Knoll
4. Berkeley
5. TL Hanna
6. Fort Mill
7. Riverside
8. St James
9. Greenwood
10. Irmo
Class 4A
1. South Pointe
2. North Augusta
2. Lower Richland
4. Westside
5. Wilson
6. Daniel
7. Camden
8. Bishop England
9. Gray Collegiate Academy
10. Fountain Inn
Photo by Thomas Grant Jr.
