A.C. Flora’s Kim Roach dribbles by Dreher’s Shakeina Smith. Roach led the Falcons with a game–high 22 points. Smith led Dreher with nine points. Photos by Mike Maddock A.C. Flora girls basketball coach Patti Moore uses the term “calming force.”

Those forces are players that can settle a team down simply by stepping on the court. They are the ones young players look to when time is running down or a defender is up in their faces. And they are especially important early in the season when young players are inexperienced and teammates are still trying to get used to each other.

In other words, they are veterans, usually seniors, such as A.C. Flora’s Kim Roach or Dreher’s Tequila McNeal and Shakeina Smith.

Roach delivered – and earned bragging rights for the next couple of weeks (the teams meet again at A.C. Flora on December 18) by scoring a game–high 22 points in the Falcons’ 44–39 victory.

Kyeshia Dawkins scored seven points for the Falcons. Roach had been sidelined for much of the past 10 days with an injury but returned for the rivalry game, although she limped noticeably on more than one occasion during the first half.

Also, noticeable was the fact Roach should get some help along the baseline this year from Lauren Jones, who played for Lower Richland and Keenan be-fore transferring to A.C. Flora earlier this year.

“She’s been a good addition to our team,” Moore said of the 5–10 senior. “She’s a big body who comes to the boards strong. There’s no replacement for court time, and she and Kim have only been together on the court for three weeks. But once they’re together a little while, I think they can do some really good things as the season goes on.”

Against Dreher, Moore saw glimpses of the good things to come and also a lot of the inconsistent play typical of early December basketball. The Falcons scored eight unanswered points in a 5–minute span of the second quarter to take a lead they never relinquished. A.C. Flora expanded the lead to 10 late in the second quarter but could pull away no further.

Smith (11 points) ignited an eight–point surge spanning the third and fourth quarters that brought Dreher within six, but Roach scored nine points in the final quarter to keep the Blue Devils at bay.