Mcdowell, balanced performance help Rebels sink Spartanburg
Kayzzin McDowell was a key factor in Byrnes’ win over Spartanburg with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Last Monday, Byrnes head coach Layne Fowler decided to do something he hadn’t done in eight years.
His team looked lackluster at that evening’s practice. They weren’t focused. The team was sleepwalking through drills. They knew the weather had already postponed their game against Spartanburg from Tuesday to Wednesday.
“Honestly, I think they just wanted to get home and watch the [College Football] National Championship,” said Fowler.
So, with 15 minutes left until their session was scheduled to end — an hour and 30 minutes into practice — Fowler restarted it from the very beginning. An extra hour’s worth of training.
“Man, I haven’t done that since way back in 2016,” said Fowler. “I really don’t like to be that guy. But they seemed very distracted. We needed to make sure Spartanburg had our full attention.
“And I don’t care what anybody says: 90 percent of what you do in practice is going to transfer over to that next game.”
Fowler was met with groans from players, but the restarted practice ended up being one of the Runnin’ Rebels’ best of the season, Fowler said.
And when Wednesday’s region clash with the Vikings arrived, it proved valuable.
Byrnes (14-4, 1-0 region) never trailed against Spartanburg, dominating the Vikings (11-6, 0-1 region) from start to finish in an 84-62 victory.
Four Rebels put up double-figure points in the win. Guards Kayzzin McDowell and Will Fowler led the way with 18 a piece. Big man Evan Enos piled in 13, while Jamari Cullen came off the bench to add 11.
“That depth is huge for us,” said Fowler. “Going back to our state championship year, we had five guys that averaged between 10 or 13 points. Balanced scoring like we have is valuable.”
“Almost everyone on the roster can come in and contribute for us on any given night,” said Kayzzin McDowell. “That’s what we need.”
It was McDowell’s hot shooting from three-point range — his specialty — that kept growing the Runnin’ Rebels lead in the second and third quarters. McDowell went 5-7 from beyond the arc in Wednesday night’s contest.
“I definitely shot the ball well tonight, but I think I also had a good night rebounding,” said McDowell.
The senior guard finished with eight boards for the game. He led or tied for the team lead in both points scored and rebounds collected.
“We got out into transition a lot, too, and kept our momentum going. We weren’t going to let up on them.”
The win helped Byrnes start Region 2-5A play on the right foot.
“We needed that one tonight,” said Fowler. “I personally wanted that one a lot because I wanted our guys to know that to have a shot at winning a region this tough, you’ve got to be able to protect your home court.”
The Runnin’ Rebels continue region play by welcoming Boiling Springs to Schofield Gymnasium on Thursday, Jan. 18. The game is a make-up from last week’s game which was cancelled by weather.
THE SCORE BY QUARTERS
Spartanburg 11 13 18 20 - 62
Byrnes 20 17 27 20 - 84
BYRNES STAT LEADERS
Kayzzin McDowell - 18 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist
Will Fowler - 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Evan Enos - 13 points, 7 rebounds
Jamari Cullen - 11 points
Conner Page - 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Kanife Hill - 7 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists