Ashlyn Evans couldn’t have tweaked her calf at a worse time.
In the fourth quarter, with No. 1 Byrnes and No. 3 Gaffney going back and forth in a tie game, Evans landed awkwardly after going for a loose ball. She limped to her feet, but the pain was clearly getting to her.
The freshman point guard, who had 16 points then, had to sub out of the game.
“I’m okay now, thankfully,” Evans said with a smile after the game. “Just hurt my calf a little bit.”
Evans’ teammates held it down while she was gone. A big three from junior guard Ellison Silver gave Byrnes a 51-48 lead, and after a couple of minutes had passed, Evans was able to check back in.
Upon her return, she hit a big three-pointer and midrange jumper that sealed a huge 59-55 win for the Lady Rebels. The victory kept the Lady Rebels undefeated on the year at 14-0.
“Our team knows exactly what Ashlyn’s mindset is in games like these,” said Byrnes head coach Missy Fowler. “They trust her because of that. They know what she can do. And that trust allows her to play at such a high level."
A raucous Rebel crowd was loud throughout the game, and even louder when the final buzzer sounded.
That’s exactly the kind of atmosphere Evans says she likes to play in.
“The adrenaline from the crowd, it pumps me up,” said Evans. “And once I get up there, I don’t come back down. I like playing tough competition. When it comes to big games and I know my team needs me, that’s when I do my best.”
Byrnes got a big boost in Tuesday’s win against Gaffney from Kesiah Salmon, a sophomore post player who has stepped up in a major way for the Lady Rebels this season.
Salmon poured in 10 points and had several massive boards in the win.
“Coming into this season, I wasn’t really sure how much I was going to play,” said Salmon. “Obviously, I wanted to maybe get some minutes, but I’m thankful for how much Coach Fowler has trusted me and how much I’ve been able to be involved.”
Part one of the Lady Rebels' three-game “gauntlet” is complete. The next step? A trip to face No. 2 Spartanburg on Jan. 9.
That game is set for a 6 p.m. tipoff on Friday at Viking Arena.
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