Bob Dillon Invitational: Day Two Winners Bracket Recaps

It was this past Friday that this year's Bob Dillon Invitational commenced from Spartanburg HS. A total of eight teams were on the schedule – including Clinton, Catawba Ridge, Blacksburg, Union County, Nation Ford, Byrnes, Lancaster and the host Vikings.    The first day would see the Red Devils earn victory over the Copperheads, the Rebels prevail over the Bruins, the Falcons dispatch the Wildcats and the Vikings successfully defending its home court against the Yellow Jackets.    That set up winner's bracket matchups of Clinton vs. Byrnes and Spartanburg vs. Nation Ford. Also in the consolation bracket would be Catawba Ridge vs. Lancaster and Blacksburg vs. Union County. We at Prep Girls Hoops made the trip up to Spartanburg for the second day of the invitational. Here is our recap of the two winner's bracket contests.    Clinton vs. Byrnes   Red vs. Blue would be how the day started at Spartanburg.    Not only did both the Red Devils and Rebels (try saying those last four words five times really fast) come off victories on the first day of the Bob Dillon Invitational, they both were in dominant fashion.    Clinton began the first day with a 68-30 drubbing of Catawba Ridge while Byrnes may have one-upped that performance with a 40-point, 61-21 thrashing of Lancaster.    One would expect this contest between one of the 2A classification's best and one of the 5A classification's best would be a bit closer. It was – but not by much. It was still a Rebels 54-32 win over the Red Devils to send them to Tuesday's championship contest.    Last Season's Records   Clinton finished 2023-24 19-6 (8-0 in its region). Byrnes was 17-9 (6-2 in its region).    Quarter-By-Quarter   As the first quarter wore on, Byrnes began to open up a lead over its foes from Clinton. Helping the Rebels' cause was how two Red Devils starters found themselves in early foul trouble with two personals. Byrnes' edge was 19-12 with one in the books.    That seven-point lead would grow by double at the conclusion of the second quarter. As both the Red Devils and Rebels went into their respective locker rooms to discuss second half strategy, Byrnes had a 36-22 lead over Clinton.    The Rebels may not have lit up the scoreboard with a crooked number the way they did in the opening duo of stanzas, but its defense held the Red Devils to only one field goal in the third quarter. Another Byrnes win was in sight as its lead over Clinton was 18 points – 44-26 to be exact.   Similar to all four games that took place on Saturday, this one became a matter of how big the point margin would be between Byrnes and Clinton at the close. The result – a 22-point margin, a 54-32 decision and one more win for the Rebels.   Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0630-crop-2216x1455-1732599059.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1089731" style="width:401px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='299560' first='Te'Ericka' last='Dowling'] proved the coaches from Limestone and Claflin who recently offered her correct with her 16-point performance which led all scorers. Included in those 16 was a quartet of 3-pointers.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0622-crop-3033x1992-1732599170.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1089733" style="width:398px;height:auto" /></figure>   Byrnes has its present in Dowling – and it also saw a glimpse of its future in the form of eighth grader [player_tooltip player_id='925560' first='Ashlyn' last='Evans']. She concluded her evening with an eight-point performance. All eight occurred in the first half.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0637-crop-2216x1455-1732599255.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1089735" style="width:396px;height:auto" /></figure>   On what was a tough night at the office for Clinton, [player_tooltip player_id='589680' first='Bryanna' last='Belton'] managed to provide a spark off the Red Devils bench. She added nine points to Clinton's total. Seven of those nine occurred in the first half.    What's Next   We know that Byrnes will be in the championship game and Clinton will be in the third place contest. As for their respective opponents for that Tuesday….   Nation Ford vs. Spartanburg   In similar fashion to how Clinton and Byrnes advanced to the winner's bracket, the same applies to both Nation Ford and Spartanburg.    On the first day of the tournament, the Falcons proved that the Wildcats of Blacksburg were no match for the red and black. Nation Ford scored an emphatic 63-31 victory over Blacksburg while Spartanburg's contest with Union County was all Vikings all the time – a 62-21 result over the Yellow Jackets.    Byrnes would learn that its opponent on Tuesday for the Bob Dillon Invitational would be Nation Ford by virtue of its 58-51 win over host Spartanburg.    Remember What Happened Last Time?    Spartanburg was one of the participants at a tournament hosted by Nation Ford back in 2020. That contest resulted in a 53-33 victory for the Falcons over the Vikings back in November of that year.    Last Season's Records   Both teams qualified for last season's 5A tournament despite finishing under .500. Nation Ford concluded last season with a 10-16 record but did not win a region game. Spartanburg went 11-16 in 2023-24 and only went 2-6 in its region.    Quarter-By-Quarter   For much of the first quarter, it was Nation Ford who had the lead before late buckets from Spartanburg enabled the Vikings to exit the opening frame ahead of the Falcons. It was 14-11 with one complete.    That late momentum for the Vikings translated to more positive fortunes for Spartanburg early in the second quarter. The Vikings increased their lead to 18-13 in the opening moments of the second which prompted a Falcons timeout. An improved defensive effort allowed Nation Ford to trim the gap. At the half the scoreboard read Vikings 31 and Falcons 27.    Roles reversed themselves in the third quarter. That time, it was the Falcons defense who was successful keeping the Vikings mostly away from the scoreboard. Nation Ford outscored Spartanburg 13-3 and entered the final frame ahead 40-34.    Spartanburg showed many signs of life in the fourth quarter but more of the important plays were made down the stretch by Nation Ford. When the final buzzer sounded, the Falcons knew they had a date with Byrnes the following day.    Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0776.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1089736" style="width:422px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Falcons ensured their winning ways would continue in large part because of the heroics of star freshman [player_tooltip player_id='975972' first='Ariah' last='Heard']. She led all scorers with 21 points – including 11 made free throw attempts.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0781.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1089738" style="width:429px;height:auto" /></figure>   Heard could not have done it by herself. The 16 points that were put on the scoreboard courtesy of Taylor Luczywo also helped massively. Luczywo is a 2025 that primarily operates in the frontcourt.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0777.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1089739" style="width:440px;height:auto" /></figure>   Another of the starting five that lifted Nation Ford to the victory was sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='935769' first='Aubrey' last='Morrow']. She finished that night's game with nine points and – similarly to Heard – also made important baskets at the free throw line.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0779-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1089740" style="width:437px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Falcons won this game by seven points. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='299561' first='Kayla' last='Wilmore'] scored seven points for Monday evening's contest. As was the case with her Nation Ford teammates, she also had an efficient game from the free throw line.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0764-crop-3378x2218-1732599891.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1089749" style="width:442px;height:auto" /></figure>   For the Vikings, its efforts were keyed in large part by [player_tooltip player_id='373426' first='Kam' last='Sainvil']. She finished the game with 12 points – all 12 of which occurred in the first half of play. Those 12 points also included two of the six 3-pointers the Vikings drained.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0750-crop-3394x2228-1732599746.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1089745" style="width:440px;height:auto" /></figure>   The bulk of the production that Spartanburg was the beneficiary of came from the team's starting five. That starting five included sophomore De'Asia Bridges. She finished with 12 points – eight of which occurred in the first half.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0688-crop-1833x1204-1732600004.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1089752" style="width:439px;height:auto" /></figure>   Contributing 11 points to the Spartanburg cause was another sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1273413' first='Kaylee' last='Nelson']. She is listed at 5-foot-7 and primarily plays in the frontcourt as either a three or a four. After early struggles, she got going later in the game.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/11/IMG_0762-2-crop-3226x2118-1732600117.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1089755" style="width:438px;height:auto" /></figure>   Another nine points were placed on the scoreboard for the Vikings courtesy of Laura Nance Pickens. She was an integral part of the team's efforts from behind the 3-point line. Two of the six Spartanburg 3-pointers came from Pickens.   What's Next?   This result sets up a third place contest between Byrnes and Nation Ford as well as a championship contest between Clinton and Spartanburg with both games taking place on Tuesday.

It was this past Friday that this year's Bob Dillon Invitational commenced from Spartanburg HS. A total of eight teams were on the schedule – including Clinton, Catawba Ridge, Blacksburg, Union County, Nation Ford, Byrnes, Lancaster and the host Vikings.