Even as an eighth-grader, Tacoya Heyward knew the day would come soon when she would have to be the featured player for the Bluffton girls basketball team. But she didn’t expect it to be Friday.
With senior teammate Tatyana Aiken on the bench for most of the game with foul trouble, Heyward put the Bobcats on her back and collected 16 points, five assists, and five steals to lead Bluffton to a 46-40 win over River Ridge (Fla.) in the semifinals of the inaugural B-Town Classic. Samari Mitchell added seven points, and Aiken and Kayleigh Washington each scored six for the host Bobcats (10-1), who will face Carver (Ala.) in the championship game at 3 p.m. Saturday.
“We were a little off tonight, but we played decent in spurts,” Bluffton coach Lonnie Roberts said. “When some of our players foul out of the game and we can’t use them the way we want to, we have to get what we can out of it.”
Aiken scored five points in the first quarter but spent most of the second quarter on the bench with three fouls. She picked up a quick fourth early in the third quarter and was on the floor for only a short time in the fourth period before fouling out.
In her absence, Heyward took charge. She scored 10 first-half points to keep the Bobcats in it — they trailed 23-20 at halftime — and her defensive pressure helped spark the third-quarter spurt that put Bluffton in control.
“She got it going, and she understands the process,” Roberts said of his talented young point guard.
The Bobcats had a hard time stopping River Ridge’s I’ces Utegg coming out of the break, as she sliced to the rim for layups multiple times early in the third quarter to help the Knights maintain their advantage. But Heyward and the Bobcats’ defense were able to rattle the Knights with several steals leading to easy buckets, including Heyward’s three-point play that gave Bluffton the lead for good.
The Bobcats extended the margin to 38-32 and then pulled the ball out and ran off the final 90 seconds of the third quarter while the Knights were content to let the time tick away. Bluffton ran the clock for nearly a minute early in the fourth, as well, controlling the ball and spoiling any chance of a comeback.
“It was a big surprise,” Roberts said. “One of our best players is on the bench with four fouls, so if you want to let the clock go down, that’s in our favor.”
