Tuesday night, the Boiling Springs Bulldogs came up just short of starting their region 2-5A slate with an upset win over Dorman. That game saw BSHS stick to the identity that Coach Craig Martin has been looking to establish since he began his tenure three years ago – physicality and aggressiveness on the defensive side of the ball. They forced several turnovers, went after the ball, and blocked a few shots in what was a low-scoring affair.
The key differences were that for all the turnovers they were forcing, they committed just as many while also struggling to get their shots to fall. Even as Dorman struggled over the last two minutes, allowing the Bulldogs to cut the Cavaliers’ lead from 9 points down to two, Boiling Springs failed to get a shot to fall with 5 good chances, a few of which were right under the rim with just a few seconds left on the clock.
Needless to say, they came into Friday’s road matchup with Spartanburg looking to get off to a fast start on offense and continue to play stifling defense – and in the opening minutes of the contest, things could not have been more ideal.
The bulldogs were able to drive to the rim almost at will as Braylin Gilliam, Reese Walter, and Isaiah Atkins made huge contributions and really set the tone for the night. Gilliam led the way with 7 points in the opening 8 minutes while Walter and Atkins had 5 and 4, respectively as BSHS outscored Spartanburg 20-14. Boiling Springs’ defense limited the Vikings to just 8 shot attempts in the frame, and had it not been for sophomore guard Imri Logan making his presence known off the bench with back to back three pointers, this one might have been out of hand before the quarter break.
“I thought our starters did a good job of playing with good pace and energy early in the first quarter”, said Martin of his team’s hot start. “Their execution and the fact they were playing to their strengths was evident early on.”
The second quarter fared much better for Spartanburg, as the Vikings tightened up their defense and forced Boiling Springs to have to pass the ball around the perimeter and take more threes – 8 in all. Had it not been for Jeremiah Favorite hitting 2 of them, it would have only been a 4 point stanza for the Bulldogs. The Vikings got some production from junior guard Johnston Abrams, who went 3-4 at the free throw line and hit a triple to lead the team with 6 points in the quarter. All in all, Spartanburg outscored Boiling Springs 12-10 to go into the half trailing by just 4 points (30-26).
Things flipped back the Bulldogs’ way on offense in the third stanza, looking as if they would put the game away. They built up as big a lead as 13 points and the game was never any closer than nine until late. That was largely because Atkins and Walter climbed into their natural roles as veteran leaders, not just in the third 8 minutes, but in the 2nd half as a whole, combining for nine of the Bulldogs’ points in the quarter.
That is not to say that Spartanburg didn’t keep things competitive. Junior guard Dyllan Harris stepped up out of the break, taking nine of the Vikings’ 17 shots. He made three of his last five to lead the team with 6 points heading into the final 8 minutes, with SHS trailing 46-35.
The 4th quarter proved to be chaotic as Spartanburg came alive from beyond the arch. Harris carried over the momentum from the third quarter with another 6 points on 2-3 from three point range while junior guard Zeke Bell-Boyd split a pair of triples. Norton also added a three to go with a pair of free throws in the frame, putting him as one of three Vikings to score in double figures. Speaking of free throws, in the end, that is how this game was won.
Two of those big threes from Spartanburg managed to significantly cut into the deficit. At the 1:17 mark of the final frame, Dyllan Harris drained one that made it a 5 point game. About half a minute later, Logan Norton, feeling plenty of confidence and having nobody around him after coming up with a turnover left him on an island, heaved up and connected on a long triple that cut the deficit to just three points.
Feeling a bit of pressure in the wake, Boiling Springs went a bit cold on offense, but the Vikings were unable to capitalize. As the clock wound down, they fouled Reese Walter a few times, giving him the chance to rebuild the cushion and eventually seal it for the Dogs at the charity stripe. He went 5 for 6 to go with a pair of layups to put him at a team-high 20 points, helping push Boiling Springs to the 63-54 victory.
“Comparing this game to the Dorman game, I thought we executed better at both ends – especially on defense”, Martin said of his team’s first region win of the season. “Our defensive intensity was better.”
“No matter where I have coached, defensive intensity, aggression, and physical play have always been a must, and it will continue to be that way at Boiling Springs. You have to be able to defend to have success in this region. Our guys understand that and also know that in order to get on the court, you have to defend, because I won’t put you in the game if you don’t”, he later added.
As mentioned earlier, Walter wasn’t the only key for the Bulldogs. Junior power forward Isaiah Atkins was the lone other Boiling Springs player to log double figures, scoring 13 points. Both did exactly what the veteran leaders of their team should do.
“Reese and Isaiah have put in a ton of work individually in the gym and weight room. They would be the first to tell you that it is not just them, though. Without their teammates’ execution, they would not be having the success they have this early in the season. They both understand their roles on this team and are executing the best that they can to try and make the team better”, said Coach Martin.
Other key contributors for the Bulldogs were Gilliam with 7 points, as well as Favorite and Jymire Wright with 6 each. Ty’vion Hall and Luke Underwood each tallied 5 points. Spartanburg was led by Harris with 12 points while Logan logged 11 and Norton tallied 10. Abrams and Aiden Olley scored 8 each while Bell-Boyd had 5.
Boiling Springs, now 7-2 on the season and 1-1 in II-5A, will have a whole week off, with their next game coming on the road at Westside on the 20th. Tip is tentatively set for 7:30 PM. Spartanburg, who is now 2-6 (0-2 in region), will take on Catawba Ridge at Viking Arena on Tuesday night with an 8:00 tip and then host TL Hanna on Thursday with tip set for 7:30PM.
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