Gaffney’s Blake Foster drives past a Rock Hill player during first-half action Tuesday. Foster, who started on Senior Night, had 16 points in the Indians’ win.

Ledger Sports Editor

Phillip Buckson wore down Rock Hill with his size and strength and the 2-time defending state champion Gaffney Indians shook off a sloppy first half for an 86-59 victory Tuesday on Senior Night.

Buckson had 15 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots to help the Indians clinch at least a share of the region championship with Lancaster, which beat York on Tuesday to improve to 8-1 in the region. The Indians (21-1 overall, 8-1 in the region) also secured homecourt advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs.

Gaffney meets Lancaster Friday with the region championship on the line.

“We came out sluggish and we gave up too many offensive rebounds,” Gaffney coach Mark Huff said. “We were shooting too many threes in the first half. In the second half, we stopped so many threes and got the ball inside.”

Gaffney made just four of its 21 shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

The victory marked a milestone for Huff, who won his 150th game as coach of the Indians.

Up by just four points at the break, Buckson had six points during a run that built the Indians’ lead to 49-37 with six minutes left in the third quarter. Until then, the Bearcats stayed close to the Indians, thanks mainly to their work on the offensive board.

Blake Foster, who finished with 16 points, had a basket to stretch the lead to 15 before Sims capped the third-quarter flurry with a jumper that made it 64-48.

Rodney Love’s tip-in extended the Indians’ advantage to 82-52 with two minutes left in the game.

The Indians started a lineup that featured the team’s four seniors, including Blake Foster, Phillip Hambright, Sims and Buckson.

The unusual lineup could have contributed to the team’s cold start. The Bearcats led 18-17 at the end of the first quarter and went up by three early in the second.

The Indians went on a spurt to take a 28-20, but the Bearcats answered with a run that cut the deficit to 37-35 on Tori Childers’ basket.

Foster then hit a layup to give the Indians a 39-35 lead at the break.