Greg Hollis | ghollis@newberryobserver.com

Greg Hollis | ghollis@newberryobserver.com

<p>Greg Hollis | ghollis@newberryobserver.com</p>

Greg Hollis | ghollis@newberryobserver.com

<p>Greg Hollis | ghollis@newberryobserver.com</p>

Greg Hollis | ghollis@newberryobserver.com

NEWBERRY — Newberry High School varsity boys’ basketball team dropped a tough region game on Friday night at home. The Bulldogs(7-11, 1-1 region 4-AAA) fell 60-54 to Fox Creek(12-8, 1-0 region 4-AAA) on Friday, Jan. 17th.

Willie L. Scott Gymnasium was rocking as fans crowded the bleachers for a Friday night region showdown. An intense battle between the two schools from the opening tip-off until the closing seconds had the crowd on the edge of their seats. The Bulldogs were down two key players in the matchup. Senior point guard CJ Earl was out with ankle injury and junior forward La’Mathis Whitener was also out with an undisclosed injury.

The visiting Predators opened the game on a 7-2 run in the first quarter to quickly jump out front, 9-4. The Bulldogs responded well, but still faced a 10 point deficit at the end of the first quarter.

After falling behind 22-12, Newberry went on a 6-0 run in the opening minutes of the second quarter to cut the deficit to single digits. The run started with a huge dunk on a fast break by AJ Jeter that got the crowd out of their seats and the Bulldogs didn’t look back. They got off to a sluggish start in the first quarter, but picked up their intensity on both ends of the floor.

Starting point guard Kenton Caldwell had a hot hand as he knocked down two big three-point baskets in the second quarter to help bring the Bulldogs back into the game. They still trailed 27-33 at halftime, but had all of the momentum at the break.

Things cool down a bit at in the third quarter as both teams struggled to shoot the ball well. Newberry did get things going by getting to the free-throw line. Regardless, they still trailed 47-41 going into the final period.

The intensity level picked back up in the fourth quarter. Jeter and Jamel Howse locked down the paint for the Bulldogs to force the Predators to hit shots on the perimeter, which they did. Newberry went on mini-run to cut the deficit and forced Fox Creek to call a timeout.

After the timeout, Newberry scratched and clawed to cut into the four point deficit. Caldwell knocked down two free-throws and Jeter knocked down one of two free-throws. Bulldogs were still down 52-51. Fox Creek finally got a bucket after coming up empty on a few trips down the floor.

Then, Newberry had a critical turnover, but it didn’t hurt them after Fox Creek were only to make one of two free-throws. Caldwell then hit a huge three-pointer with under 30 seconds left to bring the home team within one point, 55-54.

The Bulldogs committed an unnecessary foul and gave Fox Creek an opportunity to increase their lead. After the visiting team made both of their free-throws, the Bulldogs had one more opportunity to force overtime. They got a good look with a wide open three-point attempt, but it fell short and the Predators were able to squeeze out a tough win.

“The last sequence, you can put that out me. Put that on me! I put us in a better spot in that situation. I have to make sure we get the ball in the hands of the right players, get us in the right play and get us in the right situation. So, it’s on me,” said Bulldogs’ head coach Adonis Hill about the last minute of the game.

Caldwell finished the game with 20 points and seven assists. Isaiah Glymph had 11 points off the bench. Jeter and Howse combined for 15 points, double-digit rebounds and six blocks.

“We had a big down, but those guys[Jeter/Howse] are warriors. AJ and Howse just battled, battled and battled. At the end though, they just made big shot after big shot after big shot,” stated Hill.

Fox Creek had three players to finish with double figure scoring. Senior forward Brelan Baskett had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Justin Vining had 12 points, four assists and three rebounds. Sophomore guard Kobe Sims also had a big night as well for the Predators. He finished with a team-high 18 points, three rebounds, four assists and four steals.

“Coming out, they had a little more energy than we did, but by the second quarter we started to turn the energy. It was grind of a game from start to finish. It was fast, it was furious and it was physical,” said Hill.

Newberry will now turn their attention to another huge game against region opponents Keenan. The two met last season in the second round of the playoffs and Raiders snapped Newberry’s 12-game win streak. The game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. in Willie L. Scott Gymnasium.

Reach Greg Hollis @ 803-768-3117 or on X @TheNBOnews