When Greer senior point guard Jyssiah Foster came to the huddle after the third quarter, he made his message brief and clear.
“We are not losing this game,” Foster told his teammates. “I’m not letting it happen.”
Greer was down by eight points heading into the fourth quarter vs. Seneca on Friday night. And despite the Bobcats opening up a 10-point lead in the final frame, Foster made sure his promise rang true.
The senior ball-handler took matters into his own hands with just three minutes to play. With Greer trailing, Foster went on a personal 6-0 run — a run which included two and-one opportunities — to propel the Yellow Jackets to a come-from-behind 62-59 victory.
“He came into that huddle after the third and said he wasn’t going to lose,” said Greer head coach Ricky Hood, Jr. “He wasn’t going to let us lose. He even had a leg cramp those last three minutes of the game, but he still fought through.”
“I truly believed that when I said it,” said Foster. “I was not going to let us lose. I was going to do anything in my power just to get us over that hump and win that game. Whether it was taking a charge, getting my teammates involved, or getting a bucket, I had to take over.”
Foster led all scorers in the game with 18 points. His fourth-quarter solo run ignited a Greer crowd that showed up in bunches and was loud in support of the Jackets.
After an entire week where Greer was unable to practice due to missing school for last weekend’s winter storm, the Jackets started the game sluggishly. Missed open looks. Poor rebounding. But as the contest went on, Greer battled through it and found a way to win.
“We definitely had to shake off some of the cobwebs early in the game,” said Hood. “We knew coming out and playing tonight was going to be difficult. But what I tell this group is that we’ve been dealing with adversity all year long. So this was no different.”
Greer standout forward Chase Littlefield had a big second half for Greer, as well. The senior finished with 15 in the contest as Greer won its sixth-straight game and moved to 7-1 in 4-A Region 2 play.
“I’ve played here since I was a sophomore, so I’ve seen just how important every game is,” said Littlefield. “Every game means a lot, especially for what we’re fighting for in this region.”
After starting the season slowly — winning just two of its first 10 games — Greer is now 7-2 in its last nine.
Hood says Greer’s trust in one another has helped the Jackets find their footing and success.
“We’re finally getting to the point where we’re trusting one another and rolling as a team,” said Hood. “You’re starting to hear the word ‘family’ now… We’re starting to get going at the right time. Guys are believing in each other and playing together."
“We’re playing together and really becoming more of a family,” said sophomore Zahier Rox, who finished with eight points and several big hustle plays. “We made a lot of mistakes at the beginning of the season, but you can see us fixing them now and getting better.”
It’s very plausible that winter weather will force some games to be rescheduled this week, but tentatively, Greer is slated to face Travelers Rest next at home on Tuesday, Feb. 3. That game is set for a 7:30 tip-off.
The Jackets will likely have to win out to have a shot at the 4-A Region 2 title. Greer, at 7-1 in region play, sits one game behind Daniel at 8-0 in the standings.
Daniel took down Greer earlier in the season, 59-52. But when the two teams meet again on Feb. 7, Hood believes his guys have what it takes to tame the Lions.
“Daniel’s a really great team,” said Hood. “We went down there, and it’s a tough place to play. It took us a minute to get adjusted to the type of zone they run. We didn’t guard particularly well, either. But from that day, we made a conscious effort to get better on the defensive end and at attacking their zone.
“But there are a lot of good teams in this region. It will be interesting to see what it looks like at the end of the year.”
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