There are just two weeks left in the boys basketball regular season. 

Last week was a big one with many key matches that affected the region standings heading into this final string of games. 

River Bluff and Dutch Fork have been the two favorites to come out on top of Lexington County’s 5A region. The two teams met for the first time this season last week in what became an instant classic. 

River Bluff started the game with a lead thanks to some solid three-point shooting. But Dutch Fork went on a run and went ahead in the third quarter. 

The Gators were playing behind for almost the entire fourth quarter. The team stormed back in the final few minutes and evened up the score after a three from Yasir Cromer. 

But the points came with a cost as Cromer limped to the bench right after with severe cramps. He had to be taken off the floor and immediately got looked at by the trainers. 

Down their best player, the Gators did their best to continue their momentum, but Dutch Fork retook the lead. 

Cromer checked back in with 1:30 left in the game. He was still visibly hurt, struggling to jog up and down the floor. However, he fought through the pain. 

“He's not going to let you not put him in,” River Bluff head coach Ben Lee said. “He's going to make sure he's giving everything he's got, and I think his teammates see that, and that's part of why we found ways to have some success.” 

Dutch Fork led 44-39 at the one-minute mark. Dax Avery nailed a three to cut the game to two. The Gators fouled the Silver Foxes on their next possession, and Justus Bell made one of two. 

Blake Wilson hit the game-tying three for River Bluff on the Gators’ next possession. After an offensive foul on Dutch Fork, Wilson got fouled on the following possession and hit one of two free throws to put his team up one. 

Dutch Fork’s Bryson Taylor nailed an and-one floater to flip the lead back with 13 seconds left. 

Down two, River Bluff scrambled for a clean look on its next possession. As time ticked down, the ball hit the hands of Cooper Jones, who is the nephew of Dutch Fork head coach Bret Jones. He shoots the ball towards the basket, it banks off the glass and falls into the hoop, putting River Bluff up one with five seconds left. 

“ I knew when they passed that ball I'm going to shoot it, so I let it fly,” Jones said. 

Dutch Fork’s final shot was no good, and the River Bluff fans rushed the court, knowing their team took sole possession of first place in the region and would control their destiny the rest of the season. 

“[We were]  forced to use a lot of timeouts early, so it was kind of, we just got to play basketball at the end of the game. You got to lean on each other, you got to communicate,” Lee said. “Hopefully that's something they've been learning. You lean on each other. They can move the ball and they can find a way to get something done. It's a confident group. It's a fun group. I'm glad really good things are happening for them.”

A rematch between the two schools will come in the second-to-last game of the season. Should River Bluff win out between now and then, the Gators would clinch the region title with a win. 

 ”Game in Irmo was close, game in White Knoll was close. Chapin had a lot going on when they came over here. We know that they're going to put up a fight in the gym. Lexington, it's a cross-town rivalry, so we're going to go and play.”  

In 4A, Gray Collegiate earned two massive wins over the two teams above them in the region standings. The War Eagles beat North Augusta and Brookland-Cayce last week to stay alive in the race for the region championship. 

Levi Bell came up big for the War Eagles in both games, scoring 28 against Brookland-Cayce. 

Gray still needs North Augusta to lose at least one more game to have a shot at the championships. 

Pelion and Batesburg-Leesville are also in contention for a region championship ahead of the final two weeks. The pair of Panthers began the week as part of a four-way tie for first place with Saluda and Strom Thurmond.

Batesburg-Leesville split its games last week, losing to Saluda before beating Strom Thurmond.

Pelion won three games last week, beating American Leadership, Strom Thurmond and Ninety Six.

Big Performances 

Levi Bell scored 28 points and added seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks in Gray Collegiate’s win over Brookland-Cayce.

Dax Avery finished with 20 points in River Bluffs’ win against White Knoll.

Hilton Dessausure had 16 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks for Northside Christian in a win against Ben Lippen. 

Jeremy Anderson recorded 18 points,  nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in Irmo’s win over Chapin. 

Upcoming Games to Watch 

Brookland-Cayce vs. North Augusta - Feb. 10

Northside Christian at Hammond - Feb. 11

Dutch Fork vs, River Bluff - Feb. 11

Pelion vs. Batesburg-Leesville - Feb. 11

Last Week’s Scores

Chapin- Irmo (71-41, L), Dutch fork (68-40, L)

Dutch Fork- River Bluff (49-48, L), Chapin (68-40, W)

Irmo- Chapin (71-41, W), Lexington (66-37, W)

Lexington- Irmo (66-37, L)

River Bluff- Dutch Fork (49-48, W), White Knoll (48-44, W)

White Knoll- River Bluff (48-44, L)

Airport- South Aiken (61-44, L), Midland Valley (74-42, L)

Brookland-Cayce- Midland Valley (61-30, W), Gray Collegiate (74-63, L)

Gilbert- Aiken (84-59, L), South Aiken (65-45, L)

Gray Collegiate- North Augusta (55-51, W), Brookland-Cayce (74-63, W)

Swansea - Newberry (76-39, L), Keenan (111-21, L)

American Leadership- Pelion (35-34, L), Saluda (50-34, L)

Batesburg-Leesville- Saluda (56-55, L), Strom Thurmond (46-34, W)

Pelion- American Leadership (35-34, W), Strom Thurmond (53-42, W) Ninety Six (45-39, W)

Northside Christian- Cardinal Newman (79-47, W), Ben Lippen (73-71, W)