Battle at The Rock: Day One Results
In this article:
November has departed and transitioned to December – the final month of what was a very active 2023. And while temperatures outside are getting colder – frigid even – the play on our high school basketball courts is doing anything…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingNovember has departed and transitioned to December – the final month of what was a very active 2023. And while temperatures outside are getting colder – frigid even – the play on our high school basketball courts is doing anything but.
We went back to Rock Hill, South Carolina for this year’s Battle at the Rock. There was also another change of venue. While last year’s festivities emanated from a 4A school in South Pointe, this year’s also did the same but with Northwestern HS being the host site.
We at Prep Girls Hoops made it to the home court of the Trojans for the first day of this year’s event – and the two girls games that took place that day.
Nation Ford vs. Byrnes
A pair of 5A schools took to the court to begin this year’s version of the Battle at The Rock tournament.
It also featured a pair of schools coming off losses in their Tuesday matchups. The Falcons were recently defeated by a North Carolina school in Charlotte Latin while the Rebels are coming off a close defeat to defending 5A champion Mauldin.
Byrnes participated in last season’s tournament while the Falcons were absent from last season’s rendition.
The first victor at this year’s Battle at the Rock would be the Rebels by virtue of their 59-23 they achieved over Nation Ford.
Remember What Happened Last Time?
This was the first matchup between these two teams since the 2019 season when Byrnes earned a close 51-47 victory over Nation Ford.
Quarter-By-Quarter
At one point in the opening period, Nation Ford held a 4-3 advantage over Byrnes. Then the lion’s share of the frame happened which was dominated by the Rebels. Byrnes embarked on a 12-0 run and would eventually exit the first quarter leading by a margin of 18-5.
The good news for the Falcons was that they had a bit more offensive success in the second quarter. The bad news for Nation Ford was so did Byrnes. As halftime commenced, the Rebels had a 35-15 edge over the Falcons.
Those occasions of offensive success Nation Ford found in the second quarter did not occur in the third as the Falcons were held to only three points. The Rebels were cruising on their way to being the first team in the win column at this year’s Battle at the Rock.
Both teams would only place five points each on the board in the fourth quarter. That of course equaled out to advantage Rebels given the big lead they had already built up. Byrnes would be the first team to claim victory at this year’s Battle at the Rock.
Primetime Performers
With 20 points, senior Chassidy Rookard managed to get on the board early and often throughout the game. Rookard placed 10 points on the board in the first quarter alone and had 12 at the half.
Te’Ericka Dowling Te’Ericka Dowling 5'8" | PG Byrnes | 2025 State SC had herself another productive evening at the office. She aided the Byrnes scoring attack with a 19-point showing. A good portion of those 19 points came courtesy of the free throw line. Dowling also brought down six rebounds and collected three steals.
The Rebels also threw a secret weapon off their bench at Nation Ford in the form of Olivia Brockman who concluded the game with eight points. Unfortunately for Brockman and Byrnes, she exited the game late in the third quarter due to a nose injury.
Overall, the Falcons had themselves a tough night from the field. But there was a bright spot – eighth grader Ariah Heard. She led all Nation Ford point-getters with 13 points and those 13 included the only two 3-pointers the team had for the game.
What’s Next?
Nation Ford will become very familiar with seeing gold and purple as their next matchup will see them take on Northwestern at home this Monday. The following day, the Rebels will be back on the court for another tough contest against 4A Greer.
Hartsville vs. Northwestern
While 5A vs. 5A opened the opening day at Battle at The Rock, it was 4A vs. 4A to put a lid on the first day of matchups.
Losing two of the Trojans’ best players from last season appears to be taking a toll on the Trojans in the early going as they were on the receiving end of a blowout loss to 5A Rock Hill this past Tuesday. The Red Foxes were also on the less-than-planned end of a close defeat this past Tuesday to local rival 3A Darlington.
The second matchup of this year’s Battle at The Rock would see Hartsville get into the win column with authority as they defeated Northwestern by a final score of 52-11.
Quarter-By-Quarter
When a team’s defense holds its opponent to only being able to score from the free throw line, that opponent must be doing something right. That was the case for Hartsville as they held Northwestern to four points – all from the charity stripe. The score was 17-4 with the Red Foxes leading the host Trojans after one quarter.
The matchup continued to be all Hartsville all the time as Northwestern only managed a single field goal in the second quarter. As both teams went into their respective locker rooms for halftime, the Red Foxes’ advantage was 30-6.
As the game wore on, it was clear home court advantage would not help the Trojans on this evening. Hartsville continued to prove that they were the superior of the two 4A teams with one quarter remaining.
Both matchups on Thursday evening proved to be one-sided. The first contest was in favor of Byrnes and the second was in favor of the Red Foxes as they notched a commanding win over Northwestern to conclude the first night of this year’s Battle at the Rock.
Primetime Performers
Tatiana Fisher Tatiana Fisher 5'11" | PF Hartsville | 2024 State SC managed to put points on the board early and often. She led all scorers with 18 points. She also managed a double-double as she brought down 12 rebounds in over 21 minutes of play.
Fisher was not the only Red Fox to have herself a double-digit scoring output. Brooke Mitchell Brooke Mitchell 5'5" | PG Hartsville | 2025 State SC , a junior point guard, finished with 11 points. In addition to the four rebounds and three assists she also managed, she was a key element in Hartsville’s defensive efforts with four steals.
Jaz Reyes Jaz Reyes 5'4" | SG Hartsville | 2027 State SC , a freshman guard, finished with eight points in 14 minutes of play. She also collected three steals. Reyes already has experience playing at the varsity level prior to this season as she saw playing time in 24 games last season as an eighth grader.
What’s Next?
As mentioned earlier, the Trojans will be on the road this Monday as they travel to Nation Ford. What awaited the Red Foxes is a renewal of pleasantries with rival Darlington on Dec. 1 as the scene shifts from Hartsville to the Falcons’ home court.