Photo by: Roger Lee/Journal Scene

Ashley Ridge senior Patrick Kwong passes to a teammate Tuesday.

The Swamp Foxes came out shooting and it’s a good thing.

The Ashley Ridge boys’ basketball team closed its season on a positive note Tuesday by earning a 38-35 win over Colleton County.

“I was happy our seniors came out with a win,” Ashley Ridge coach Brian Welch said. “Sending our seniors out the right way was a big thing for us tonight and those seniors came up big at big times.”

In a game where every point proved to be crucial, Patrick Kwong hit a three-point shot and took a big charge. Lorenzo Baker provided key defense on some of Colleton’s bigger athletes. Andrew Kolgaklis was unable to play because of an injury, but all the other Swamp Fox seniors made big contributions in the win.

Like Kwong, Frankie Heyward, A.Z. Walker, Clark Batts and Kenyon Morrison all put points on the board in their final Ashley Ridge game. However, two juniors did most of the scoring for the Foxes.

Romelo Doctor finished with a game-high 16 points and Fred Weeks finished with nine. Frankel Williams led Colleton with 10.

Ashley Ridge hit a trio of three-point shots en route to taking a 16-5 lead in the opening period. Doctor hit the first two and then Kwong added his with just more than a minute remaining in the period.

Both teams then struggled offensively in the second period. In fact, Colleton County forced a turnover nearly seven minutes in and scored on the ensuing break for the only bucket of the period.

The second half was much more exciting. Both teams struggled this season and it became clear during the final 16 minutes that neither wanted to end on sour note. Things became a little chippy as both teams played with urgency and determination and some hard fouls were delivered.

The Foxes pulled out to a 10-point lead midway through the third, but Colleton fought to cut it in half before the period ended.

In the fourth, Williams energized the Cougars with an early dunk and later hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 26. It was a back-and-forth affair from there.

Doctor hit a pair of 3s and some key free throws coming down the stretch and Weeks clinched the victory by hitting a pair of free throws with only 13 seconds remaining.

“Our kids are all so special and they are fighters,” Welch said. “They fight till the end and don’t back off until the buzzer sounds and I’m proud of that. We hit our free throws tonight, which was big. Colleton played tough and they have a lot of components. Frankel Williams is a great player and they have a lot of other size and great athleticism. We don’t have individuals to match that but we were able to gut it out and find a way to win.”

Many of the Ashley Ridge seniors have been with the varsity team since it was formed four years ago. Welch said the group has been a pleasure to coach.

“The groundwork this group of seniors laid is what you want because they are about doing things the right way. For the past three years, they have taken pride in teaching the kids under them about doing the right things all the time, on the court and off.”

The Ashley Ridge boys’ JV and B-team programs both had winning seasons, so Welch says overall he is optimistic about the future for Swamp Fox Basketball.

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

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