photo provided

Ashley Ridge students storm the court after the Swamp Foxes earned a win over region opponent Garrett Tech last week.

Last week was monumental for the Ashley Ridge boys’ basketball team.

The Swamp Foxes didn’t win all their games, but the victories they did earn were big. Ashley Ridge opened the week Jan. 26 by earning the first victory in the program’s history over Garrett Tech. On Jan. 29, the Foxes dropped a close game with Woodland, but they rebounded the next night to earn the program’s first win over a 4-A opponent when they downed Stratford 74-52.

“Coming off a huge region win against a very disciplined and well-coached Bishop England team, we guarded heavily against our kids falling into complacency,” Ashley Ridge coach Brian Welch said. “We got right back to work the next day for a very tough and competitive Saturday-morning practice to begin preparing for Garrett and it paid off. That Friday was a special night for our program. Our Ridge Rowdies showed up in droves decked out in their t-shirts and we set an Ashley Ridge record for attendance. After we won, the kids stormed the floor.”

With the win over Stratford, the Foxes improved to 9-10 with a 3-3 mark in Region 6-AA, which shows how far the team has come since last year, when the Foxes finished at 2-16 with both victories over fellow first-year school Cane Bay.

This season, the Foxes remain alive in the hunt for a playoff berth, though with its second loss to Woodland on Jan. 29 a home playoff game seems unlikely.

“Our young program continues to grow and improve,” Welch said. “Our kids have a resilient, never-satisfied mentality and a real blue-collar approach to practice.”

Romelo Doctor led the charge against the Knights, scoring 21 points. Khalil Davis finished with 12 points while Andrew Kolgaklis added 12 and Tre Deloach 10.

Brant Sally led Stratford with 21 points and Brandon Hester added 14 for the Knights.

The Ashley Ridge girls didn’t have such a good week. The Lady Swamp Foxes dropped all three of their games, capping the week with a 37-47 loss to Stratford.

Tiffany Addison posted a game-high 29 points for Stratford. Ashley Ridge was led by Brianna Boyd and Ericka Millen, who both had 11 points.

The Lady Swamp Foxes fell to 6-10 with a 0-6 mark in the region with the loss.

Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com.

Journalscene.com ® is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Journalscene.com ® does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Journalscene.com ®. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.

Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!

• Santee Cooper announces 2012 refunding bond sale
• Santee Cooper announces organizational changes in operation and finance departments
• Santee Cooper employees pitch in on Day of Caring
• Aerial herbicide treatment on lakes under way
• Santee Cooper Board Authorizes Rate Study
• Santee Cooper announces refunding bond sale
• Santee Cooper, Florida Municipal Power Agency enter into letter of intent for share of planned V.C. Summer Station units
• Santee Cooper, Duke Energy Carolinas enter into letter of intent for share of planned V.C. Summer Station units 2 and 3