IL hoops teams split with Buford

The Warriors held on to keep pace in Region IV-AA play Jan. 24 with a tough 64-58 win over the Buford High School Jackets.
The win gave Indian Land a split after the Lady Jackets took a 47-38 victory in the openers.
Indian Land took an early edge, holding a 14-12 lead after one quarter and held a 37-28 spread at the break.
Hayden Sawyer, who led IL with 22 points, scored 11 in each half for the winners.
Buford battled and made it 60-58 with 1:24 to play, but Rashid McGriff, who scored 17, connected on two free throws and Sawyer added a late hoop to seal the Warriors' win.
“Buford came to play as we expected and it was a battle for the wire, but we made some key plays to get the win,” IL coach Nate Smith said. “We have to pick up the intensity with Cheraw coming here Friday.”
Cameron Davis scored seven for Indian Land. Lee McCall and Connor Butler each tallied four. Chris Barnes and Drew Richardson scored three apiece. Quran McMillan and Marty Cauthen had two each.
Buford was paced by senior standout Marcus Brown, who netted 21 points, 12 in the first half. Kholby Pate scored 17, 11 in the second half.  Evan Joplin scored nine and Corey Bracey netted seven. Silas Moore and Orantez Coleman added two points each.

Lady Jackets swarm Lady Warriors, 47-38
The Buford Lady Jackets used a swarming defense to deliver a long-sought basketball win over the IL Lady Warriors.
The Buford girls held the IL girls scoreless in the final quarter to notch a 47-38 Region IV-AA win.
The Lady Jackets, down 38-34 after three quarters, went on a pivotal 13-0 run to take the comeback win.
Erica Blackmon, who led BHS with 18 points – 12 in the second half, scored five in the pivotal final quarter. Blackmon had a stellar game with six rebounds and seven steals.
Senior Brittany Faulkner, who had a team-high 11 rebounds, tallied four of her six points in the closing quarter.
“We put pressure on their guards and that forced them into some key mistakes,” BHS coach T.J. Armbrust said. “We kept pressure on them early, but got away from that and picked it up late in the game to decide the win.
“I thought we also did a good job of hitting our shots under the basket,” Armbrust said.
Indian Land led 9-8 after one quarter, but BHS, with a 15-9 surge in the second quarter, gained a 23-18 edge.
The IL girls got back on track in the third quarter to gain a 38-34 lead, but Buford went on its decisive 13-0 run in the final quarter to seal the win.
“We have to play four quarters, a complete game,” IL coach John Phillips said.
Buford’s Carley Bailey scored nine, while Daphne Honeycutt, Hannah Knight and Faulkner had six points each. Mikayla Hannah added two.
Knight produced a solid floor game with 10 steals, six rebounds and five assists.
Khadijah Sistare led Indian Land with 13 points, seven in the first half. Toi Lathan netted 10. Jessica Floyd scored eight. Kendra Nesmith scored five and Selena Stobel added two for IL, 2-15, 0-5.