Blythewood holds off JL Mann to head to their first state championship game

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Florence – When you have two evenly matched teams a lot of times it is the little things that make the most impact in a game such was the case in the Class AA state championship game between Atlantic Collegiate Academy and High Point Academy . Second year Atlantic Collegiate Academy was able to make more plays and hit their free throws as they knocked off High Point Academy 58-52 Saturday at the Florence Civic Center to capture their first state championship. “This is the guys championship. They earned it. They put in a lot of time and effort at work end in a championship. That is what I’m most proud of with this team, ” said Atlantic Collegiate head coach Tanner Massey . The Armanda went 20-2 last year in their initial season beating some the best teams in the state so this run to a championship was not unexpected. This team was ranked number one in class AA all season and they proved they were the best. They finished the year at 24-3. “The rankings proved right as the two best teams battled for the title. I would put my team up against anyone,” Coach Massey said. The Grizzlies were looking for their second state championship and first at the AA level. They won the class A title in 2019. They finish the year 27-4. “We made two many mistakes and didn’t take advantage of our opportunities at the line but they forced us into some of the mistakes so give them a lot of credit,” said High Point head coach Lee Sator . The opening quarter was back and forth with High Point leading by one at 16-15. Senior Chonci Miller led High Point with five point while Atlantic Collegiate was led by Jaylen Bellamy, who also knocked down five points in the quarter. The second quarter was much like the first with neither team gaining control of the contest as they were tied at 21 when a TV time out stopped play. After the timeout, the Armada took control as they went on an 11-0 run to end the quarter and take a 32-21 lead into the half. Bellamy continued to lead the Armada as he had six points in the quarter with Jamie Brooks and Justin Bellamy combining for 8 points. High Point came out on fire in the third quarter as Trapp Morman nailed to three-pointers and Miller had a basket for an 8-0 run to start the quarter cutting the Atlantic lead to three at 32-29 with 5:54. Causing coach Massey to use a time out. “We knew they would come out strong in the third quarter. We called the timeout to settle us down and I put Justin back in the game because he is our defensive stopper and as soon as he went in he forced a turnover,” coach Massey. After Justin Bellamy forced the turnover the Armada went on a 5-0 run to regain control of the game. They would finish the quarter outscoring the Grizzlies 11-6 taking a 43-35 into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter High Point cut the lead to four at 46-42 with 2:01 to go but they would got 4 for 10 from the line in the quarter while Atlantic Collegiate would knock down 13 of 22 attempts from the line to maintain their cushion and ultimately close out the game 58-52. Free throw shooting proved to the biggest difference in the game as the Armada went 17 for 25 while the Grizzlies were 13 for 26. The Armada and the Grizzlies were about even in every other category but the free throws were the difference. The Armada was led by Jaylen Bellamy, who had a game high 20 points to go with six rebounds and a team high four steals. Brooks had 14 points and team three blocks while Clayton Hemingway chipped in 9 points. The Grizzlies were led by Morman with 16 points. Also, scoring in double figures were Jaden McNeil with 11 and Miller with 10.

Volunteers blow game open in 2nd quarter on way to 89-36 triumph over Eau Claire

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Florence – The Lancaster Bruins used a dominating second half performance to win their first AAAA boys state basketball title defeating the North Augusta Yellow Jackets 69-55 Friday afternoon at the Florence Center . “Words cannot describe the feeling that I have right now,” said Lancaster head coach Jerron Cauthen . “These kids have worked hard and earned everything they got, but I also love it for our community and our principal Ms. Rosalyn Mood . She’s going to retire sometime soon and now she’s got a championship under her belt.” Coach continued, “For my kids, for their parents, they’ve been around basketball since these kids were very young. Just to see their hard work and what they’ve done outside of what we do, everybody plays a role. The kids play a role. Parents play a role. School plays a role, and as long as everybody stays in their lane, we’ll be fine, and that’s what we have all done.” The Bruins (27-1) finished the year on a 23-game winning streak and did not lose to a team within the state borders. The state championship was their second as they won the class A title in 1950. They also finished runner up in 1946 and 2023. The ending to the year was bittersweet for the Yellow Jackets (26-2), however, the loss can not take away from their season. They captured the region AAAA title, won their first lower state championship and made their first state final. “It feels outstanding to have gotten this far. This team to be the first team in school history to get to the state championship game is a tremendous accomplishment. I have a lot of sophomores and juniors and I told them to remember this feeling that you want to be back here next year with the same opportunity,” said North Augusta head coach Tony Harrell. Friday’s contest started out as a game of runs with the Yellow Jackets getting off to an 8-0 start as seniors Daron Dunbar and Jamison Mckenzie scored both on the inside and the outside. The Bruins responded with an 8-0 run of their own to tie the game up. Senior Jacarey Ballard keyed the run scoring six points. Keyed by Dunbar, the Yellow Jackets finished the quarter on a 9-4 run to take a 17-12 lead after one. The second quarter went back and forth with the Yellow Jackets maintaining the lead throughout the quarter. Mckenzie led the Jackets with 8 points in the quarter. The Bruins saw their three-point shooting wake up as juniors Columbus Parker and Malik Tinsley combined to hit three from behind the arc. The teams went to the half with North Augusta still leading 32-29. The third quarter belonged to Lancaster senior Jordan Watford. Coach Cauthen moved the move at halftime to put Watford at the point running the offense and he showed why he is one of the top players in the state as he drove to the basket picking up fouls and going to the line or kicking the ball out to his teammates. After scoring only four points in the first half, he scored nine in the third quarter alone. “Jordan told me at halftime, to give him the ball and he would make it happen. He is the best player in the state and his teammates trusted him to get the job done,” Cauthen said. Parker was also big in the quarter scoring seven points on a three-pointer, two foul shots and a driving layup. The Bruins outscored the Jackets by 10 to take a 45-38 lead. They held the Jackets to six points in the pivotal third quarter. When asked what changed in the third quarter for his team, North Augusta coach Harrell said, “Number “O” (Watford) was a big reason that we had a hard time in the third.. He was able to get the free throw line and the basket while involving his teammates. We just did not have an answer for him in the third quarter.” The fourth quarter saw the Bruins steadily pull away with Watford, Parker and Tinsley scoring from inside and outside. They were also deadly from the line going 8 for 10 in the quarter. They were 19-26 for the game from the charity strip. Watford and Parker led the Bruins with 19 points each but it was their second half production that was the key to their win as Watford scored 15 and Parker scored 12 in the second half. Also, scoring in double figures for the Bruins were Ballard and Tinsley with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Mckenize led the Jackets with a game high 21 points with Dunbar adding 16 and junior Quh'mareon Webb scoring 10 points

Photos from March 7th, the SCHSL Class AAAA Girls Championship Game between Blythewood and Ridge View . Enjoy this sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery

Photos from March 7th, the SCHSL Class AAAA Girls Championship Game between Lancaster and North Augusta . Enjoy this sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery

Photos from March 7th, the SCHSL Class AAAA Girls Championship Game between Blythewood and Summerville . Enjoy this sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery

North Augusta makes history with sixth state championship By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Florence – As the saying goes it is not how you start but it is how you finish and in Friday afternoon’s AAAA girls state championship game the North Augusta Lady Yellow Jackets provided proof of the statement as they overcame a slow start to win their sixth state championship defeating the Westside Lady Rams 50-37 at the Florence Civic Center. The sixth championship moves North Augusta (30-1) into a tie with Bishop England and Keenan for third place All time in girls state championship history. The Lady Yellow Jackets have done all of this in the last nine years and Friday’s victory was a bit of revenge as Westside handed North Augusta their only defeat in state championship games at the end of the 2021/22 season. “First, I want to give all the glory to god,” said North Augusta Head Coach Al Young . “I am excited for the girls. They worked hard all year with a single goal in mind and this is the result of all their hard work.” Westside ended their year at 24-3. This was their third time reaching the state finals in the last five years, winning it all in 2021 and 2022. This was also the Lady Rams first loss in a state final as they had been 5-0 in their previous trips. “Credit North Augusta, their guards really pressured us, especially after halftime and we had trouble getting into our offense,” Westside Head Coach Nicole Hood said. “We knew they were a strong team inside the paint. We needed to rebound better and they had some shots go in that got their offense going and we missed some shots that we normally make.” The first quarter started slow for both teams as the quarter ended with Westside on top 6-5. However, what we did see was the leading scorers for both teams, junior wing Celena Grant for North Augusta and sophomore center Khalia Hartwell for Westside lead their teams in scoring. Grant hit a three for the Lady Yellow Jackets while Hartwell did her damage in the paint. In the second quarter each team’s offense started to find the range and get other player involved in the scoring. Junior Mariah Randolph started hitting from the outside knocking down a shirt jumper and then nailing a three. That opened up the inside for Hartwell as she scored nine points in the quarter including a three from the right side. North Augusta countered with senior forward Madison McCain and junior center Messiah Williams scoring five and four points, respectively. Grant also had a three the old fashion way and the teams went to the break with Westside on top 23-19. “We went into the half feeling good about where we were but we needed to pick up our intensity and believe in what we do. The girls came out determined and they continued to play hard,” said coach Young. The North Augusta ramped up their defense at the start of the second half and Westside had no answer. The Lady Yellow Jackets put a lot of pressure on the ball and on the perimeter causing several turnovers by the Lady Rams. The pressure also made it hard to get the ball inside to Hartwell. After scoring 13 points in the first half, she scored a single basket in the third quarter. Offensively, the Lady Jackets scored enough to grab a 31-28 lead heading into the fourth quarter. They finished the quarter on an 11-3 run keyed by sophomore forward Ashley Walker and Grant. McCain opened the fourth quarter by hitting a three and Grant had two driving lay ups and suddenly the Lady Yellow Jackets had some breathing room as they opened up a 10-point lead at 39-29 forcing Westside to call a time out with 4:39 left in the game. The Lady Rams would cut the lead six at 41-35 as Hartwell scored six consecutive points. Coach Young called a time out for North Augusta with 2:33 to settle his team down. After the time out North Augusta went into a version of the four-corners forcing Westside into a fouling situation. The Lady Jackets responded by hitting 10 of 12 from the charity strip to seal the win and capture their sixth state championship. Grant led the Lady Yellow Jackets with 17 points while Walker added 10 points. Walker scored all of her points in the second half on a three and by going 7-of-8 from the free throw line. McCain finished with 8 points for North Augusta hitting two of their made three’s and Williams, who battled Hartwell in the paint, had seven points, eight rebounds and three blocks. The Lady Rams were led by Hartwell, who posted a double-double before fouling out 49.6 seconds to go. She had a game high 21 points and 11 rebounds to go with three blocks.

Photos from March 7th, the SCHSL Class AAAA Girls Championship Game between Westside and North Augusta . Enjoy this sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery 

Day 3 - of the SCHSL Championships Games at The Florence Center: 4 games with 8 teams going for the gold! Saturday, March 8 Class AA 2:00pm - Eau Claire vs. Andrew Jackson - Girls Class AA State Championship 4:00pm - Atlanic Collegiate vs. High Point Academy - Boys Class AA State Championship Class AAAAA, Div 2 6:00pm - Berkley vs.Greenwood - Girls Class AAAAA, Div 2 State championship 8:00pm - Goose Creek vs. Greenville - Boys Class AAAAA, Div 2 State Championship Tickets are available at the gate at The Florence Center for $15. . Gates open 1 hour before the first game. If you want to watch at home, the SCHSL announced coverage from stations in these markets on March 6th, 7th, and 8th : Asheville, NC / Greenville, SC WMYA (My40 Asheville-Greenville ) Columbia, SC WACH.2 – (TBD Network) – the network is called TBD Charleston, SC WCIV (MyTV Charleston) Myrtle Beach, SC Thursday – Friday: EPDE(CW21 Myrtle Beach) Saturday: HPDE (WPDE-4)