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Midlands Teams Enliven Postseason Football

Worthy Evans • January 9, 2025

By WORTHY EVANS

Contributing Writer

 

Columbia – With the 2024 football season drawn to a close, several Midlands teams had much to celebrate.

 

Region 4-5A rivals Dutch Fork and Irmo reached the two SCHSL 5A state championship games in December. The Silver Foxes celebrated their ninth state championship after beating Summerville 35-21 in the Division 1 game and Irmo fell 34-31 against Northwestern in the Division 2 game.

 

In November SCISA power Hammond won its eighth straight state championship with a 28-21 victory over Porter Gaud in the 4A final game. Richard Winn outplayed Laurens Academy 43-6 for the 8-man state championship, its first since 2014.

 

Other notable playoff performances include Fairfield Central, which reached the 2A upper state championship game at Clinton, and Batesburg-Leesville, which had a surprising 12-1 season following its 5-6 effort in 2023. It was the Panthers’ first winning season since 2019.

 

Dutch Fork claims ninth state championship

The Silver Foxes made the regular season and playoffs look easy. With a roster heavy with 31 seniors hardened from a difficult yet successful 2023 state title win, Dutch Fork blew through the competition, never falling behind racking up six shutouts and outscoring opponents 474-73 going into the championship game.

 

Summerville (13-1) gave the Silver Foxes a shock in the 5A Division 1 state championship game Dec. 13 when it went up 14-6 early in the second quarter.

 

“Just stay the course,” Tom Knotts told the team by that point. “We knew there were some things we could do and we were shooting ourselves in the foot, we were letting our emotions take over, and we did some things really I thought were uncharacteristic of the way we played this year. We played in the first half like it was our first game of the year.”

 

Dutch Fork did get things straight. Junior quarterback Ethan Offing connected with senior Boykin Bickley for a 19-yard touchdown pass, and then found Jalen Montgomery in the end zone for the game-tying 2-point conversion.

 

B.J. Platts later powered into the end zone from eight yards out to give the Silver Foxes a 21-14 lead at the half.

 

Offing found Bickley again for a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-14 in the third quarter.

 

After Summerville responded with a third-quarter touchdown, Platts’ 38-yard TD run with two minutes left in the game secured the win for the Silver Foxes.

 

“This is a very deserving senior group,” Knotts said. “I wasn’t pleased with the way we won, we played with a lot of effort and the game just got a little chippy for my liking but we did come out with a ‘W’ which is always a great thing.”

 

Two senior defenders, Georgia Tech commit and cornerback/strong safety Elgin Sessions and South Carolina commit Josh Smith made the South Carolina Football Coaches Association’s All-Classification All-State team. Four seniors, running back Maurice Anderson, offensive lineman Cayden McFadden, defensive back Derek Smith and wide receiver K.J. Smith were selected to the 5A All-State Team. 

 

Late FG lifts Northwestern over Irmo in 5A Division 2 final

Much like its crosstown rival, Irmo (12-2) breezed through the regular season under the leadership of passing and running quarterback A.J. Brand. The Virginia Tech commit passed for 2,600 yards and 21 touchdowns, and rushed for 2,029 yards and 27 touchdowns this season.

 

The Yellow Jackets’ only slip was a 24-14 loss at Dutch Fork Nov. 8 to close out the regular season. The Yellow Jackets beat Chapin and West Florence convincingly, then hung on to beat White Knoll 29-25 to reach the 5A Division 2 championship game against unbeaten Northwestern Dec. 14.

 

The Yellow Jackets led 17-10 after a Matthew Fish field goal early in the third quarter, but Brand ran for a touchdown to tie the game. After Irmo forced a turnover on downs, Brand rushed 20 yards for another score to put the Yellow Jackets up 24-17 early in the fourth quarter.

 

Irmo’s first and only lead of the game was short-lived. Quarterback Finley Polk connected with Kameron Vance for two touchdowns to take a 31-24 lead with about four minutes to go.

 

Brand, who finished the night 12-for-17 in passing for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and with 21 carries for 168 yards and two scores, connected with Donovan Murph for the game-tying touchdown pass in the final minute. Murph, who committed to South Carolina Jan. 2, had eight catches for 123 yards and two TDs.

 

Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, Polk led the team 70 yards to the Irmo 10-yard line in that time. Fish lined up for a 27-yard field goal and hit it as time expired.

 

“I know they hurt and I hurt also,” Coach Brand said. “We’ve got a bunch of winners. We’ve got a bunch of playmakers and our playmakers made plays. Unfortunately, we didn’t get enough stops and that early turnover.

 

“Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you, and tonight was not our night and they got us at the end,” he added. “There's something to be said about going perfect all year. It is what it is. I don’t want to take anything away from them, but I wish we could get a couple of those drives back.”

 

Murph, who had 1,328 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on the year, made the All-Classification All State team, along with offensive lineman Ryan Love and Brand. Brand was selected for the all-purpose spot because of his passing and running for 4,629 total yards and 57 total touchdowns.

 

Irmo reached the Division 2 championship by eliminating region rival White Knoll 29-25 Dec. 6. The Timberwolves finished the season 8-6. Defensive back Devin Geronomi made the All-Classification All-State team. Quarterback Landon Sharpe made the 5A All-State team.

 

Hammond’s game-winning drive clinches eighth straight state championship

The Hammond football team edged Porter Gaud 28-21 in the closing minute of the game Nov. 22 to claim yet another state championship, but the Skyhawks’ eighth straight state title and 22nd in school history did not come easily.

 

After Porter Gaud’s game-tying score and a Hammond fumble that nearly spelled disaster, the 13-0 Skyhawks made good on Andrew Turner’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Michael Tyler with 45 seconds left.

 

“Just so proud of this group, their resilience, their fight,” Hammond head coach Jon Wheeler said after the game. “We’ve been down at halftime in three of our last four state championship games. This team is battle-tested and they rise to the occasion.”

 

Porter Gaud tied the game at 21 on Tony Brown’s 1-yard touchdown run—the first play of the fourth quarter. The Cyclones drained the clock on that 51-yard drive, using 15 plays to tie the game with just under 12 minutes to go.

 

Hammond lost the football on the next possession, which set Porter Gaud on the Skyhawks’ 17-yard line. Poised to take their first lead of the game, the Cyclones actually had a touchdown play shortly after taking over, but the play was called back for a holding penalty.

After that flag, the Hammond defense forced Porter Gaud so far back that it had to punt from the Hammond 38.

 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of a defense because we were outmatched up front,” Wheeler said. “I’ve got to give credit to our defense for just fighting and fighting. I’m just so proud of them.”

 

That stand gave the break that the Skyhawks offense needed to close out the game. They went 80 yards and drained the rest of the fourth quarter on the drive. When it came time for points on the board, Wheeler said he knew what play to run.

 

“We haven’t tried a 40-yard field goal all year. Let’s put it in the hands of our senior quarterback, our senior offense, our skill players,” he said. “Let’s see if we can hit a pass and it’s déjà vu with Mike Tyler. And if we missed it, they’ve got 40 seconds and one time out, and they’re a running team, it’d go to overtime. Mike T and Andrew made a play, the offensive line protected, and that drive was unbelievable.”

 

It was the second straight year that a Turner-to-Tyler connection won the state championship. Hammond beat Laurence Manning 28-21 in 2023.

 

RWA claims first state football title since 2014

Richard Winn Academy’s surprise of a season ended on a happily unsurprising note Nov. 22

with a 43-6 victory over Laurens Academy at Wyman King Academy’s football field.

 

Senior quarterback Charlie Bonds closed out his high school career rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns, and passing for 155 yards and two scores.

 

As head coach Paul Brigman explained, as Charlie Bonds and his fellow seniors go, so goes the team.

 

“It’s the leadership that we got from those senior guys most of all. Charlie Bonds has been one of our best guys,” Brigman said. “Charlie has led the team from ninth grade on and this group’s been together for a long time. They’ve been a joy to coach and so receptive to coaching and just wanting to get better. In the end it turned out like we wanted it to. It was a great win.”

 

The Eagles (12-0) ran straight through the regular season with none of their games even close. Richard Winn’s dominance throughout the year was reminiscent of the school’s back-to-back 2A state championships in 1995-1996 under head coach David Porter.

 

“We got the ball and scored and went from there. It’s kind of our plan the whole time,” Bonds said. “We couldn’t have done much better, I’ll say that.”

 

Bonds led the offense throughout the year. Bonds went 52-for-69 in passing for 1,406 yards, 23 touchdowns and no interceptions, and rushing 107 times for 1,226 yards and 22 TDs.

 

FC falls to Clinton in 2A upper state championship

Fairfield Central’s drive to reach a state championship game for the first time in 27 years fell one game short.

 

The Griffins, who won 12 straight games after a season-opening loss to 5A Ridge View, fell 32-21 to Clinton Friday night at the Red Devils’ Wilder Stadium.

 

“If you would have told me back in May that we would have made it to the upper state championship, I would’ve looked at you like you was crazy,” 14-year head coach Demetrius Davis said about his team’s surprise year in which the Griffins caught fire early and outscored opponents 587-199 going into the Clinton game.

 

“This team played like heck. This defense played, and let me tell you, man, I’m super proud of these kids,” Davis added.

 

Senior running back and Shrine Bowl pick Ty’Darion Grier, who had 1,983 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns going into Friday, led Fairfield Central with 212 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Quarterback Kaden Diggs, who had 655 passing yards and 607 rushing yards before Friday, had a 19-yard touchdown run and 76 yards on 13 carries.

 

B-L falls to Red Devils in 3rd Round

Although falling 31-14 to Clinton in the third round of the playoffs Nov. 29, Batesburg-Leesville celebrated a reawakening of its football team that has won five state championships.

 

Since going 8-8 in 2019, The Panthers have won 15 out of 34 games going into the 2024 season.

 

Greg Lawson, in his third season as head coach of Batesburg-Leesville, saw his team blossom. The Panthers showed themselves to be prolific scorers, outscoring opponents 493-21 on the year. The defense threw six shutouts.

 

Batesburg-Leesville won the Region 2-2A championship easily, and blasted Columbia 42-6 and Andrew Jackson 49-14 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Only Clinton, which went on to rout Barnwell 35-6 in the 2A state championship game Dec. 12, got the best of the Panthers.

 

At 12-1, Batesburg-Leesville’s record is the best since 2013, when the Panthers went 12-2 and won the 2A state championship under Jerry Brown.

 

RNE’s Wilson claims Mr. Football title

Will Wilson, a wily and prolific quarterback who singlehandedly led Richland Northeast to an 8-4 record, was selected as the 30th recipient of the South Carolina Mr. Football award. He is the 11th quarterback to win the award.

 

Wilson received the recognition at halftime of the Touchstone energy Cooperatives Bowl at Myrtle Beach’s Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium Dec. 21.

 

Wilson, a North Carolina State signee, completed 66.7 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,482 yards and 22 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,144 yards and 20 touchdowns. He missed two games after having his knee scoped.

 

Other finalists for the award were Westside quarterback Cutter Woods, Rock Hill wide receiver Malik Clark, Belton-Honea Path running back Marquiese Henderson, and Gaffney offensive lineman Shed Sarratt.

 

 

Midlands Top 10

1.    Dutch Fork (13-0, 5-0 Region 4-5A)

2.    Irmo (13-2, 4-1 Region 4-5A)

3.    River Bluff (10-3, 3-2 Region 4-5A)

4.    Batesburg-Leesville (12-1, 5-0 Region 2-2A)

5.    Fairfield Central (12-2, 4-0 Region 3-2A)

6.    Hammond (13-0, 7-0 SCISA Region 4A)

7.    Camden (9-3, 4-2 Region 3-4A)

8.    Ridge View (8-5, 5-1 Region 5-5A)

9.    Newberry (7-4, 4-0 Region 4-3A)

10. AC Flora (8-4, 4-2 Region 3-4A)

 

 

SCHSL Championship Play Starts Thursday Mar 6th!

By Larry Gamble • March 6, 2025
Day 1 - of the SCHSL Championships Games: 4 games with 8 teams going for the gold! Thursday, March 6 2:00pm - Lee Central vs. Military Magnet - Girls Class A State Championship 4:00pm - Abbeville vs. Denmark Olar - Boys Class A State Championship  6:00pm - Dillon vs. Walhalla - Girls Class AAA State Championship 8:00pm - Powdersville vs. Keenan - Boyss Class AAA 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)

PHOTOS: Mar 4th SCHSL BB Semi Finals -Lake City vs Andrew Jackson

By Larry Gamble • March 5, 2025
Photo from March 4th, the SCHSL AA Girls semi-final game between Lake City and Andrew Jack son . This sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery.

PHOTOS: Mar 4th SCHSL BB Semi Finals - Atlantic Collegiate vs Andrew Jackson

By Larry Gamble • March 5, 2025
Photo from March 4th, the SCHSL AA Girls semi-final game between Atlantic Collegiate and Andrew Jackson . This sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery.

PHOTOS: Mar 4th SCHSL BB Semi Finals - Eau Claire vs Clinton

By Larry Gamble • March 5, 2025
Photo from March 4th, the SCHSL AA Girls semi-final game between Eau Claire and Clinton .  This sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery.

PHOTOS: Mar 1st SCHSL BB Semi Finals - Liberty vs High Point Academy

By Larry Gamble • March 5, 2025
Photo from March 4th, the SCHSL AA Boyss semi-final game between Liberty High School and High Point Academy . This sample of images, follow this link for the full gallery.

Andrew Jackson Focused On Repeat With 96-33 Dominating Win Over Lake City To Win AA Lower State Basketball Championship

By Billy Baker • March 5, 2025
By Billy G. Baker Publisher  Florence —On the way to “Repeat Status” in SCHSL AA girls’ basketball, the Andrew Jackson Lady Volunteers are the definition of “consistency and focus” and they showed that once again in a 96-33 win over Lake City in the Lower State championship game played at the Florence Civic Center on Tuesday (March,4). Andrew Jackson will now face Eau Claire , after their upset winner over Clinton on Tuesday at noon on Tuesday (March, 4th) at the Florence Civic Center. After the big win AJ head coach Steven Fair , a graduate of the school where he coaches, told reporters, “We try to make practice harder than a game,” said Coach Fair. “The girl’s show up every day and they put the work in and here we are the results of the fruits of our labor. These kids have bought in to what we are trying to do and what we are trying to accomplish as a program. It just gets better and better every time we step out on the court. “It’s like a family,” said Coach Fair. “Every day at practice everybody gets along with no issues. I am just happy to be a part of it. Those girls make it like a family type atmosphere. They go out and hang out together; go bowling. They do a lot of things together and that makes it easier for us as coaches to do our job.” In reference to senior star player Tamia Watkins, Coach Fair responded, “She has been what she is doing now since the 7 th grade,” he said. “She has been a part of the varsity program since the 7 th grade. She left and went to Legion Collegiate, and came back, and we are so blessed to have her back.” AJ was led against Lake City by 2024-25 HSSR Miss Basketball candidate Tamia Watkins (6-2) who came into the game averaging 30.1 points, 14.3 rebounds, 5.3 steals, 3.3 assists and two blocks a game. Talk about consistently, Watkins scored 33 points in the game and dominated the boards with over 12 rebounds and she had a team high 8 assists. The Elon College signee is likely one of the biggest misses by some ACC/SEC schools in recent memory, and the HSSR predicts she will be in the transfer portal shortly after her freshman season is over. Watkins can play all five positions. She dribbles like a point guard and her foot-work, around the basket, deserves a five-star rating. Watkins is shooting 57 per cent from the field. Against Lake City, Junior guard Ni’Yonna Asbelle scored 24 points with 9 rebounds and six assists, while 5-8 junior shooting guard Trinity Delly scored 15 points with five rebounds and four assists. Senior Emily McCall had 9 points and six assists. AJ also got point production from 8 th grader Alexa Fair with four points while senior Tiara Know contributed three points. Syraiah Blair, Leah Shropshire, Haven Jordan, and Dream Jones rounded out AJ’s scoring with two points each. The Panthers should not feel bad about scoring only 33 points against Andrew Jackson. During the 2024-25 season to date, 18 other teams scored 33 or fewer points against the AA power house. One team got beat 104 to 8! The Panthers were led in scoring by 8 th grade guard Hannah Riles with 14 points. She came into the game averaging 12.1 points. Junior Na’Shira Starks (Six-foot) added 8 points while Kailey Graham contributed four points. Junior Trayana Burgess scored three points while junior Jada Robinson and Brianna Shaw each had two points. Lake City is head coached by Shaquetta Cooper .

The Lancaster Boy’s Rally To Defeat Wren, 61-57, In The Upper State AAAA Basketball Finals

By Billy Baker • March 4, 2025
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Florence —After trailing Wren , 31-28, at the half, Lancaster (26-1) rallied to win a hard-fought game in the AAAA SCHSL upper state finals with a 61-57 lead at the final buzzer. Lancaster will now prepare to play North Augusta on Friday in the Florence Civic Center at 4 p.m. in the SCHSL AAAA gold medal round. North Augusta beat Wilson to advance. After the hard-fought win Lancaster head coach Jerrod Cathern said, “We have a very disciplined group of players, a very dedicated group, and a very smart group of basketball players,” said Coach Jerron Cauthen . “Over 90 per cent of our players on this team have a 4.0 or better GPA. We have a student first, player second attitude. “I was told by a coach once that you win with character, not characters,” said Coach Cauthen. “We could have folded several times tonight with some of the calls that didn’t go our way, and shots not falling, but our guys hung in there and found a way to win. I am very excited for our kids who found a way to win. “My halftime thoughts were that we had to play deeper with our starting five,” said Coach Cauthen. “We also worked better at cutting off their give and go lanes they had scored some baskets on in the first half.” Coach Cauthen also praised the play of Queens College bound senior Jordan Watford who led Lancaster 25 points in the game. “He showed why he is the number one player in the state in my opinion,” said Coach Cauthen. “He has a high basketball I-Q and a 4.9 GPA as an honor student in the class room. He knows how to play the game and as he goes the team goes.” Behind’s Watford’s 25 points the Bruins were also led by senior Jacarey Ballard’s 10 points while Columbus parker and Niquan White contributed 15 and 14 points respectively. RJ Brown had five points and Malik Tinsley scored four points for the victorious Bruins. Wren is head coached by 42-year coaching veteran Fran Campbell. The Hurricanes were led by senior leader Brock Cherry with 22 points. Leading scorer on the season Abijah Franklin was hurt by foul trouble all game and he finished with 14 points after coming into the game with a 32.4 points per game average. Rhett Warga contributed 13 points while Beau Brannon and Ethan Harkness scored six and two points respectively. Wren took a 20-9 lead after the first period as Cherry scored 8 points in the first period on a running jumper, a free throw, a lay-up and a three- point shot from way down-town with 3:34 left that gave Wren a 12-4 lead with 3:34 left in the opening period. Lancaster rallied in the second period as Watford scored 11 points including a monster dunk late in the quarter that cut the deficit to 27-26. With the score tied at 28 Warga hit a three-point shot at the half-time buzzer for Wren to give his team a 31-28 lead at the break. In the second half Franklin got into foul trouble for Wren and he spent some time on the bench. Both teams went into the final period tied at 47 each. The difference in the game was the fact Lancaster made 12-of16 free throws in the game, 8 coming in the final period.

North Augusta’s 2-3 Zone Helps Them Defeat Taller Wilson 55-44 In SCHSL AAAA Lower State Boys’ Basketball Finals

By Billy Baker • March 4, 2025
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Florence —The North Augusta (26-1) boys’ basketball team packed into a 2-3 zone defense against a taller Wilson High team in the SCHSL AAAA Lower State Finals at the Sumter Civic Center on Monday and the Jackets prevailed 55-44 to advance to the gold medal round. North Augusta will now face Lancaster who defeated Wren 61-57 on Monday in the Florence Civic Center on Friday March, 7 at 4 p.m. Wilson started the game on a crowd-pleasing slam dunk by Josh Leonard and the two teams went on to dead-lock at 13 each by the end of the first quarter. North Augusta out-scored Wilson 13-6 in the second period to take a 26-19 lead at the break. Quh Webb enjoyed a dunk of his own for NA with 3:25 left in the third period that put the Jackets up 34-25. One key play before the end of the third period was the foul of NA’s Cameron Humphrey with just .03 left in the quarter while he was attempting a three- point shot. He made all three free throws to put NA up 39-28 entering the final period. While Wilson won the final period 16-14 it was not enough to overcome the 11-point deficit entering the final period.  North Augusta head coach Tony Harrell shared his thoughts after the big win. “Dunbar (Daron) has been dominant player all year and he is a great player, our Region Player of the Year, and he is a three- time all-state player and he is also a North-Carolina-South Carolina Select all-star selection. “He knows how to move without the ball to get to his spots,” said Coach Harrell. “I am glad he is on my team.” Dunbar led NA with 15 points for the game. “We are excited to finally being joining our girl’s team in the state finals,” said Coach Harrell. “They have been doing it for years so it feels great to see the boy’s team finally join them in the finals. Wilson enjoyed a height advantage over NA. “We adjusted out defense to try and keep them out of the paint,” said Coach Harrell. They had a size advantage. We try to zoned in and we took our chances on them not making a lot of outside shots. For the first three quarters we rebounded the ball great, not so much in the fourth quarter, but we had a big lead and were able to hold own.” Behind Dunbar on the NA scoring index was junior Quh’mareon Webb with 14 points and senior Jamison McKenzie and Jordan Rouse each contributed 8 points. Junior guard Toian Nabriat had seven points followed by senior Cameron Humphrey with two points. After the game Wilson head coach Yusuf English said, “Their defense made it difficult for us to get the ball inside on our ball rotation,” said Coach English. “We had a couple young guys out there playing so when they packed in their zone defense it made it a little tougher for us. “They were giving us the outside shots and they were just not falling,” said Coach English. “If we make half of the shots, we missed it would have been a different outcome. We knew they would not be able to match up with us man-to-man so we worked against a 2-3 zone in practice all week. “Our long shots led to long rebounds and I would to see the stat on how many transition points they scored as a result,” said Coach English. “I am very proud of the team and the great effort they displayed on the court today.” Wilson was led in scoring by 6-6 sophomore Tristan Thompson with 11 points while 6-6 soph big man Josh Leonard had 10 points and led the team in rebounding. Junior Christian Bruce and 6-7 senior forward Elijah Smith had 9 points each.

Westside Rallies From 11-Point Half-Time Deficit For 59-58 Win Over South Pointe In AAAA Upper State Girl’s Finals

By Billy Baker • March 4, 2025
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Florence —The much-anticipated SCHSL AAAA Upper State girl’s championship contest between previously undefeated South Pointe (29-1) and highly regarded Westside (24-2) lived up to it’s pre-game billing, and when the dust settled in this knock-down drag-out, the Lady Rams pulled off an upset, 59-58, after trailing 37-26 at the half. Westside will now challenge North Augusta at 2 p.m. on March 7 in the Florence Civic Center. North Augusta defeated Lower Richland on Monday to advance to the gold medal round.  After this huge win, former Westside player, and Rams head coach Nicole Hood commented, “I commend South Pointe on a great season and all I can say is that my team found a way to get it done tonight,” said Hood a former player for Hall of Fame coach Jackie Roberts . “I told the team just to believe and that it was a long basketball game and that we had to play until it is 0-0. The girls didn’t wait and I just comment my team. “We just wanted to attack the basket,” said Coach Hood. “We wanted to get something going towards the basket and ply for high percentage shots. It has been a long season and I am so proud of them. To see out championship goals come to fruition is an awesome feeling right now.” Westside was led in the game 8 th grade 5-10 forward Tiana Marshall and sophomore 6-5 center prospect Khalia Hartwell with 13 points each. Hartwell also dominated the rebounding stats. Junior 5-11 forward Mariah Randolph contributed 9 points while junior guard Asia Clinkscales had six points. Junior Lamiyah Boggs had two points also. The South Pointe team spent over 30 minutes in the locker room after the game. Veteran head coach Stephanie Butler - Graham said afterwards, “I am really proud of our young ladies and some folks had some doubts about this team coming into the season but their hard work paid off for us,” said the coach. “They have given us everything we have asked of them and they all matured and got better as the season went on. “We just did not have much offense in the second half I felt like a couple of those five second calls were pretty quick they called against us,” said Coach Butler-Graham. “They tightened up their defense against us in the second half and we didn’t play with the same energy level in the second half. My team showed up today and they were not afraid,” said Coach Butler-Graham. “These were two very good teams that played against other today. I am very proud of the effort my team gave.” South Pointe was led by talented sophomore 6-0 forward JaNyia Cunningham who had 18 points followed by 9 th grader Kaleigh Lucas with 13 points and senior leader Serentiy Woods had 9 points. Talented 8 th grad guard Kemoni Hardy contributed 8 points for the Stallions and senior Laila Lewis and 9 th grader Ailema Land each had four points. South Pointe led 21-13 after the first period as Lucas and Lewis hit three-point shots early in the game to give the Stallions an 8-2 early game. By the half South Pointe had extended the lead to 37-26 and at this point they surely looked like the better team. However, in the third period Westside turned up their defense, attacked the basket more, and they cut the deficit to 50-45 entering the fourth period. Westside tied the game at 56 with 2:50 left on a lay-up by Paul. Following a steal, Hardy put South Pointe back-up 58-57 with 57 seconds in the game. After South Pointe missed two free throws with 50.9 seconds left Westside scored on an inbounds pass to Paul and she scored with 16 seconds left to give the Rams the win, 59-58.

North Augusta Girls Defeat Lower Richland 42-34 To Advance To Finals Against Westside In SCHSL AAAA Competition

By Billy Baker • March 4, 2025
By Billy G. Baker Publisher Florence —The North Augusta girls (29-1) built a 19-10 first quarter lead over Lower Richland in the SCHSL AAAA lower State championship game at the Florence Civic Center on Monday (March, 3) and the Jackets went on to win the hard-fought contest 42-34.  North Augusta will now prepare to play Westside (23-3) for the AAAA state title to be played on Friday March, 7 at 2 p.m. in the Florence Civic Center. Westside nipped previously undefeated South Pointe (29-1) 59-58 on Monday. NA led 19-10 at the half as both teams dominated on defense with poor shooting to begin the game. NA took a 27-23 lead into the final quarter. The Jackets made 11-of-15 free throws in the final period and this was the difference in the game. North Augusta head coach Al Young shared his thoughts after the big win. “The free throws in the fourth quarter were very important and we talk about that all the time,” said Coach Young. “Free throws can win it for you or lose it for you. “I am just so proud of our girls for making all the hard work pay off,” said Coach Young. “We knew our performance in the first half was not good enough and that we needed to come out in the second half and play much better. “This group all have those own special characteristics,” said Coach Young. “This is a young group that has persevered, worked hard, and they keep surprising me I can tell you that. “I am very emotional right now, and excited for the girls, who have worked hard after we lost last year we went back and they said they were going to work even harder this season to get back to the finals and they have accomplished what we set out to do,” said Coach Young. “I just hope we can finish the job.” NA was led in scoring by junior point guard Kenedi Wright who had 13 points followed by junior forward Celena Grant with 11 points, and junior 6-2 center Messiah Williams with 8 points and double-digit rebounds. The remaining point producers for the Jackets included sophomore Ashley Walker with seven points and junior Taylor Boney contributed three points. Lower Richland (25-2) is head coached by former Richland Northeast all-star guard Aaron Lucas . ”Proud to have finished 25-2 in 4-A basketball and that is an excellent season for this team,” said Coach Lucas after the game. “We were proud to be one of the top four teams left in the state playing against one of the toughest teams in the state. Hats off to North Augusta; they played a heck of a ball game and I think our girls did a fantastic job as well. “We are losing for seniors Taelor Hiller-Johnson who will be signing with Coker University and 5 th year player ChiNya Isaac will be going out to Texas A & M International which is a high-level D-2 school in Texas,” said Coach Lucas. “Hopefully Sydney Cunningham , who came back to us from Heathwood Hall this year, will be going on to Winston Salem State University , and she is hoping to become a dentist. We are also hoping that senior Zamiyah Jackson gets a next level opportunity also. “One of my proudest feelings about this team is that we had a 4.0 GPA as a team this season,” said Coach Lucas. “I am proud of them both on the court and in the class room.” The Diamonds were led in scoring against NA by junior Jhnai Sumter who had 9 points while Issac and sophomore guard Mikayla Foster contributed 8 points each. Hiller-Johnson had six points and freshman J’vyanna Dingle had three points to round out LR-s scoring.
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