Both Gaffney girls and boys basketball teams entered Dorman Arena on Friday night with a chance to win their respective region championships and most importantly receive home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Lady Indians opened the action against the Lady Cavaliers who rolled to a 68-56  victory behind freshman Alexis Rice who finished with a game-high 23 points. Gaffney was led by Mikenzi Walker who scored 18 points in the loss.

“It seemed like every shot the threw up went in, and they killed us on the glass. We also had too many turnovers,” said Gaffney Lady Indians head coach Susan Wade.

The Lady Indians will host their second home playoff game in as many years, hosting Nation Ford tomorrow night inside the Burial Ground. Tip off is slated for 7:00 p.m.

Much like the Lady Indians, the Gaffney boys basketball team also found the going tough on Friday night as they fell 73-57 to the Cavaliers who dominated the paint throughout the night. Mystikal Tate tallied a team-high of 17 points in the losing effort. The Tribe pulled within seven points of the Cavaliers on two occasions in the second half after trailing 34-22 at halftime. Tay Kershaw’s three-pointer to begin the fourth quarter gave Gaffney one final hope that was crushed on the other end of the floor as Gabe Bryant boarded a missed shot and scored on a two handed slam dunk which sparked a 10-2 Dorman run. The Cavaliers were led by Tae Cannon’s 17 points.

“They’re just bigger than we are,” said Gaffney head coach Mark Huff. “We tried to take away their three-point shot but it just opened up the paint and they had a guy that was 6-7 and another 6-8.”

The loss marked Gaffney’s first inside Region 3-5A this season. The Indians and Cavaliers were named Co-Region Champions as both finished at the 7-1 mark. Dorman won the points tiebreaker over Gaffney to claim the number one seed in the 5A State Playoffs. The Indians will host their first playoff game since 2012 on Wednesday, renewing an old rivalry with former region foe Nation Ford. Tip off from the Burial Ground on Wednesday is set for 7:00 p.m.