The boys basketball season is about to turn things up another level in Lexington County.

Region play is about halfway done for the majority of local teams, and these last few weeks will be a great opportunity for teams to improve their resumes ahead of the playoffs. 

There was a good bit of shake-up last week with upsets and close games creating an exciting slate of action. The biggest upset of the week was undoubtedly Irmo’s 48-42 win over Dutch Fork. 

The Silver Foxes entered their matchup as the No. 1-ranked team in the state for 5A Division I. Dutch Fork had yet to lose a region game and was coasting against the rest of their competition. 

On the flip side, Irmo was playing up-and-down with mixed results, sitting (2-2) in region. 

The cross-town rivals went head-to-head at Irmo in the first of their two meetings, and it was a doozy. 

The Yellow Jackets' defense made it very difficult for Dutch Fork to score, and the Silver Foxes were held to their lowest point total of the season. 

Irmo’s Oshon Browman led all scorers with 21 points. He hit some big shots, including a go-ahead three-point play midway through the fourth. 

Dutch Fork’s stars were mainly held in check. Samajae Govan led the team with 17 points. 

Irmo and Dutch Fork were not the only local rivals playing last week. Lexington and River Bluff played a close game that the Wildcats were able to win. Brookland-Cayce dominated Airport in a win, and American Leadership and Batesburg-Leesville's game was not decided until overtime. 

Batesburg-Leesville also played a close game against cross-county rival Pelion to close the week. The pair of Panthers met for the first time this season, and it was well worth the wait. 

The teams traded blows throughout the game as the lead flipped back and forth. Neither team gained significant separation, keeping things interesting until the very end. 

It was Pelion that delivered the final blow when Kolton Rogers slammed home a putback dunk with under a minute to go, giving Pelion a 47-46 advantage. 

Batesburg-Leesville came down on the other end and quickly got a layup attempt off, but it missed and wound up in the hands of Pelion. 

With no shot clock to stop them, Batesburg-Leesville needed to foul to extend the game. However, the ref called an intentional foul on the team for not making a play on the ball. This technical foul awarded Pelion two free throws and possession of the ball. 

Rogers knocked down both shots, extending the lead to three. He was fouled again on the following play, making one of two, but still putting the team up two possessions. 

From there, Batesburg-Leesville had little hope. The team tried to extend the game, but it failed to work, and the final score was 53-48 Pelion. 

Entering this week, many teams are still in contention for their region title. These next few games will go a long way in thinning the field as the standings begin to take their final shape. 

There are a lot of key games upcoming on the schedule, and it is still anyone’s race. 

Upcoming games to watch

Gray Collegiate vs. Brookland-Cayce - Jan. 30

American Leadership vs. Saluda - Jan. 30

Lexington vs. Irmo - Jan. 30

Pelion at Saluda - Feb. 3

Last week’s top performances 

Christian Brown scored 27 points for Irmo in a win against Chapin. 

Justus Bell had a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double as Dutch Fork beat River Bluff.

Cameron Martin stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in Batesburg-Leesville’s win over American Leadership.

Brice Newton recorded 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block as American Leadership beat Ninety Six.

Last week’s scores

Chapin - Irmo (63-53, L), White Knoll (63-59, L)

Dutch Fork - River Bluff (64-24, W), Irmo (48-42, L)

Irmo - Chapin (63-53, W), Dutch Fork (48-42, W)

Lexington - White Knoll (54-42, W), River Bluff (54-48, W)

River Bluff - Dutch Fork (64-24, L), Lexington (54-48, L)

White Knoll - Lexington (54-42, L), Chapin (63-59, W)

Airport - Brookland-Cayce (64-33, L), Aiken (65-47, L)

Brookland-Cayce - Airport (64-33, W), South Aiken (78-50, W)

Gilbert - Gray Collegiate (93-17, L), North Augusta (75-12, L)

Gray Collegiate - Gilbert (93-17, W), Midland Valley (78-48, W)

Swansea - Silver Bluff (90-83, L), Barnwell (65-60, L), Fox Creek (96-39, L)

American Leadership - Batesburg-Leesville (76-75, L OT), Ninety Six (73-56, W)

Batesburg-Leesville - American Leadership (76-75 W OT), Pelion (53-48, L)

Pelion - Strom Thurmond (51-41, L), Batesburg-Leesville (53-48, W)

Northside Christian - Hammond (64-29, L), Heathwood Hall (73-31, L)