Lady Rebels bounce back to complete season sweep against Newberry in huge rivalry game

PROSPERITY, S.C. — Mid-Carolina(15-3, 5-1 region 2-AA) complete the season sweep against Newberry High School(6-12, 1-5 region 2-AA)on Friday evening in front of packed crowd. The lady Rebels won 44-38 over the lady Bulldogs.

Newberry entered Friday’s matchup looking to return the favor by giving Mid-Carolina a home loss like they were given in the Jan.16th matchup. The Rebels were looking to avenge a home loss from the previous night against Ninety Six.

Both teams didn’t have much going offensively in the first quarter, but Mid-Carolina held a slim 9-8 lead after the opening period. The offense picked up for both squads in the second quarter. Bulldogs’ guard Daizee Williams scored five of her 13 total points in the quarter. Rebels’ guards Brea Boyd and Brayden Brooks matched her energy and got things going for their team as well. Brooks energized the crowd on a fastbreak after making a tough layup while drawing a foul.

The Rebels still held a 21-15 lead at halftime. The home team begin to put build up a bigger lead in the third quarter that started with their defense. Boyd scored 12 of her game-high 19 points in the second half and knocked three huge three-pointers in the second half.

Mid-Carolina led 35-25 heading into the fourth quarter but the lady Bulldogs didn’t go away quietly. They outscored the lady Rebels 13-9 in the fourth quarter. With under a minute left in the game, Newberry’s Faith Grey drained a three-point basket to cut Mid-Carolina’s deficit to just three points. They visitors trailed 41-38 with about 35 seconds left in the game.

The lady Rebels committed a costly turnover on their next offensive possession, but the visitors couldn’t capitalize on the mistake. Newberry got a good look but failed to knocked down the three-point attempt and was forced to foul.

The home team knocked down their free-throws and completed the regular season sweep. It was also their seventh straight win against Newberry.

“It’s a big and it’s always a big win when you beat them[Newberry]. This was a gutsy win for this team. This is the third game this week. We played at Ninety Six on Tuesday and got the win. Ninety Six came here on last night and upset us. We responded the next night. We are running on fumes, but that group right there, gutsy as crap, pulled together and found a way at the end. That’s what great basketball teams do,” said lady Rebels’ head coach Gary Wilbanks.

He also let the Newberry fans sitting behind their bench how many wins in a row his squad has over they prepared to shake hands at the end of the game. In addition to Boyd’s 19 points, Callie Wilbanks scored nine points and Brooks finished with eight points in the winning effort.

As for the Bulldogs, they gave a great effort but failed to execute in the closing seconds. Grey finished with 10 points and freshman Lexis Mayes pinched in with five points.

“We been on Daizee a lot about picking her game up since she is a returning all-region player. We expect her to play her best games in the region. I think the girls mentally, since it was a region game, is that they want to come out and beat somebody within the county lines that is in their region. It’s a big rivalry game and that’s what boosted their energy up a little bit,” said lady Bulldogs’ head coach Melissa Mendenhall.

Despite the loss, Newberry will make the playoffs regardless if they win or lose against Abbeville on the road on Feb.8th. Mendenhall is happy her young squad can get some playoff experience after the roller coaster ride of a season they’ve had and hoping that she can find five players with the right chemistry to possibly pull off a first round upset.

Mid-Carolina can control their own destiny. If they were to win against Abbeville at home on Feb.6 and on the road against Saluda on Feb.8, then they would bring home a region title and secure a first round home playoffs matchup.

“We preach that we have to share the ball and make the extra pass. They are starting to buy into that and they did it well again tonight. We are coming together at the right time and have two big games next week to clinch this region championship,” said Wilbanks.

The Rebels have now won nine of their last 10 games.