The Hartsville Red Foxes outlasted South Florence Bruins in a tense, back-and-forth Region showdown Tuesday night, closing strong in the final minute to secure a 49–46 victory.

Hartsville carried a seven-point advantage into halftime, but South Florence chipped away in the third quarter and briefly grabbed its first lead of the night at the 2:20 mark, 32–31. The Red Foxes answered quickly, reclaiming the lead late in the period and heading into the fourth quarter up 36–34.

South Florence opened the final frame by tying the game and then moved ahead 38–36 with 6:10 remaining. Momentum swung back to Hartsville when Kayson Dawson drilled a go-ahead three-pointer with 5:29 left. That basket sparked a key run, as triples by Kelly Price and Dawson pushed the Red Foxes in front 45–38 midway through the quarter.

The Bruins battled back to knot the score at 46 with 54 seconds remaining, setting up a dramatic finish. Derion Gattison stepped to the line with 35 seconds left and calmly sank one of two free throws to give Hartsville a 47–46 edge. South Florence missed two free throws on the ensuing possession, and Dawson was fouled with 10 seconds left. He converted one of two, then came up with a steal on the inbounds pass and added another free throw to extend the lead to 49–46.

A final defensive stop sealed it, as Dorian Mason picked off the Bruins’ last-ditch inbounds attempt to secure the Red Foxes’ hard-fought win.

Hartsville’s late-game composure at the free-throw line and timely perimeter shooting proved to be the difference in a tightly contested battle that went down to the final seconds.