Region 3-AAAAA Game Recap: Indian Land vs. Catawba Ridge

Because of how the 5A state tournament will be structured with it being split into two divisions, almost the entire Division 2 field will qualify for postseason play with only two of the 14 teams being left on the outside looking in.    Indian Land was hoping not to be one of those teams. Entering play on Tuesday, the Warriors had a dubious distinction of being only one of three 5A Division 2 teams to not get in the win column in region play this season. The other two are Wade Hampton and Hillcrest, though Indian Land had the same number of victories (five) as the Rams and Generals had combined.    Catawba Ridge entered play with eight wins and 12 losses. The Copperheads encountered a tough stretch that had them play the likes of Nation Ford, Rock Hill, Clover and Fort Mill – a four-game losing streak that was recently snapped with a win over Northwestern.    Indian Land ensured its region woes came to an end as the Warriors picked up the 37-23 win over the Copperheads   Records   With the win, Indian Land's record improves to 6-17 (1-8 against Region 3-AAAAA adversaries). Catawba Ridge drops to 8-13 and 3-6 in the same region.    Remember What Happened Last Time?    When the scene was at Indian Land in early January, Catawba Ridge scored the 51-44 win over Indian Land. The Copperheads entering Tuesday's play were 9-2 all-time against the Warriors with the lone Catawba Ridge losses occurring in Feb. 2020 and January of last season.    Quarter-By-Quarter   On paper, a contest between these two teams would be low-scoring. That was the case between Indian Land and Catawba Ridge in the first quarter. It was also close following one frame with the Copperheads ahead of the Warriors by a margin of 6-4.    Thanks to a significant spark off the Indian Land bench, the second quarter was all Warriors, all the time. Indian Land outscored Catawba Ridge by a margin of 14-4 and took an 18-10 lead into halftime.    The pendulum swung in the Copperheads' favor in the beginning of the third quarter before a late run from the Warriors enabled them to exit the third quarter with the lead. Three were in the books at Catawba Ridge with Indian Land leading the homestanding Copperheads by a margin of 24-19.   Indian Land closed strong by placing 13 points on the scoreboard – the most it scored for any quarter in Tuesday's contest. The win enabled the Warriors to pick up its first region and get sweet revenge on the Copperheads for the earlier contest last month.   Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/IMG_5459.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1179072" style="width:562px;height:auto" /></figure>   A standout in the starting lineup and one off the bench were integral in the victory for the Warriors. The one who was part of the starting five was Jordyn Johnson, a freshman guard. She tallied 11 points.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/IMG_5461.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1179073" style="width:564px;height:auto" /></figure>   The standout off the bench who made a difference for Indian Land was [player_tooltip player_id='756277' first='Ava' last='Pensule'] who contributed 10 points to the Warriors' cause. She provided a spark off the bench in the second quarter that was a catalyst for Indian Land for the remainder of the game. Seven of her 10 occurred in the second quarter.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/IMG_5404-crop-2284x1500-1738779555.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1179075" style="width:572px;height:auto" /></figure>   A pair of eight-point scorers from the Copperheads' starting lineup paced their team's efforts on Tuesday. One of those was Brooke Berninzoni who is listed at 5-foot-10 on Catawba Ridge's roster.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/IMG_5390-crop-2465x1619-1738779687.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1179079" style="width:574px;height:auto" /></figure>   The other was Brooks Dority who stands at 5-foot-11 on the Copperheads' roster. Dority is a 2027 and is one of seven from that class on this season's Copperheads' rendition. She also plays soccer at Catawba Ridge.   Up Next   Both teams have only three games remaining this season. Indian Land's home finale will be this Friday against Clover while Catawba Ridge will travel to Nation Ford that same day.    Other Region 3-AAAAA Scores   Fort Mill def. Northwestern 51-28   Rock Hill def. Nation Ford 68-40 ([player_tooltip player_id='452369' first='Chloe' last='Hudson'] 21 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='253658' first='Aubrey' last='Stevenson'] 18 pts, Emine Hollis 12 pts)   Region 3-AAAAA Standings   Clover                   20-2        9-0   Fort Mill               13-10        7-3   Rock Hill                16-6        7-3   Nation Ford            11-12      5-4   Catawba Ridge        8-13      3-6   Indian Land              6-17      1-8   Northwestern          4-14       1-9

Because of how the 5A state tournament will be structured with it being split into two divisions, almost the entire Division 2 field will qualify for postseason play with only two of the 14 teams being left on the outside looking in.