Photo by Ridge View High School – Ridge View guard Talon Staley
By Thomas Grant Jr.
For the second straight year, the Northeast is sending three basketball teams to the S.C. High School League finals.
A year ago, Ridge View defeated Blythewood for the Class 5A Division I title. The Lady Bengals would then defeat Summerville to claim its first-ever championship.
This time, the potential exists for Richland District Two to have three state champions. Joining Ridge View boys and Blythewood girls at Colonial Life Arena is first-time finalist Westwood.
5 a.m. practices pay off
The RedHawks will face Greenville in the Class 5A Division II final at 6 p.m. Saturday to cap the “Weekend of Champions”.
Westwood
Westwood advanced to the Class 5A Division II final with a 56-53 victory over Goose Creek in the Lower State final at the Florence Civic Center. It was a game in which Westwood overcame foul trouble to All-State point guard D’Marcus Thomas and a 10-point deficit.
Down the stretch, Thomas converted a key 3-point play with 1:05 left to put the RedHawks up 53-50.
Westwood would get three free throws and a defensive stop to hold on for the win. For head coach Trent Robinson, the commitment to the early morning practices yielded its reward.
“I told the guys at the beginning of the year ‘Y’all hated the 5 a.m. practices’,” he said. “Now, y’all wishing you can have another practice each day. So that’s a testimony to, number one, God for allowing my kids to get through this season injury-free and second, just the hard work my coaches and my players put in.
“(Pointing to the Westwood fans in the bleachers) Look at what’s going on out here. This is the first time this has been done and we’ve got more left in us. But, I’m happy for then. I serve them.”
Providing major contributions in the victory were Cylan McLeod, who finished with 18 points, nine in each half, and Daytron Cockfield, who provided rebounding on both ends of the court and timely shot-blocking.
“Daytron’s been huge since Sumter (the team that handed Westwood an overtime loss in the regular-season finale),” Westwood head coach Trent Robinson said. “Since Sumter, he’s been a vital part of our success. A lot of people don’t really key in on him and we use that as our success.
“Cylon, this is his game. He’s our silent assassin. Cylon McLeod…he kept us going. We were down 10 early and figuring it out.”
Westwood (24-3) is now stranger to the Red Raiders (23-6), whose coach Yerrick Stoneman previously led Ridge View to four state titles. Greenville defeated the RedHawks 50-45 on Dec. 20 in Florence and have won three straight meetings.
“We went 10-25 from the free-throw line,” Robinson said. “They beat us by five. The guys, that was the first loss of the season, they were hurt. We were in Florence and we had a long drive back. So, I’m sure the guys will be ready for this matchup.”
Repeat and 3-peat bids for Blythewood/Ridge View
The Class 5A Division I finals take centerstage Friday on Night Two.
At 6 p.m., Blythewood (23-5) will look to claim a second straight championship against Wando (22-6). This is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Lady Bengals earned a return trip with a 60-54 win over Mauldin in the Upper State final played at Newberry High School.
With the score tied at 47-47, Class 5A Player of the Year Chase Thomas converted a 3-point play with 4:03 left. After Maudlin took a one-point lead, All-State guard India Williams and eighth-grader Kristen Fulton hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Lady Bengals up the rest of the way.
It was the 22nd win in the last 24 games after a 1-3 start.
“We’ve been preparing for this for the longest time and we’re finally seeing the result of it” said Thomas, who finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds. “I’m really excited for us playing as a team. We passed the ball; we executed as a team and that’s how we got the win tonight.”
“It was an all-around team win,” Blythewood head coach Emily Schaeffer said. “It wasn’t just one player. It’s enough, but that’s what I like about our team is that we stick together and everybody does their role and their part to do what we’ve got to do to get a win.”
The Lady Bengals face a Wando team that trailed as many as 15 points to Lexington in the Lower State final. For most of the game, it looked like a potential All-Midlands matchup for a Blythewood team which was 0-8 all-time against the Lady Wildcats.
The Lady Warriors rallied back, outscoring Lexington 18-7 in the fourth quarter. A putback with 14 seconds left by Makena Reynolds put Wando ahead and then withstood two missed layups in the final five seconds by the Lady Wildcats.
Following the girls’ game, Ridge View (26-3) will take the court to face Ashley Ridge (23-7) at 8 p.m. It’s also a first-time matchup between the finalists.
In making a third straight trip to the championship, Ridge View defeated formidable Region 2-5A foes Dorman and J.F. Byrnes. Both games saw team rally from deficits and pull away in the fourth quarter.
Against Dorman, Ridge View answered a 7-0 run with 12 unanswered points to take a 50-47 lead into the fourth quarter.
Providing a spark off the bench was 3-point specialist Christopher Horton. The reserve guard connected on five 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 20 points.
“When you come to Ridge View, you always are going to be ready,” Ridge View head coach Joshua Staley said. “A lot of guys don’t come to Ridge View because they say it is too many guys and too stacked. But if you come to Ridge View, bust your tail, wait your turn, you are going to be ready. That is how it is because you have to compete every day.”
Junior guard D.J. Wylie took over in the fourth quarter for the Blazers. He scored 11 of his 14 points in the final period, second only to Talen Staley’s team-high 17 points.
Ridge View’s defense also slowed down Dorman’s Jaden Johnson. He finished with 21 points, but was held to just two points in the second half.
The Blazers ran into a similar challenge with the Rebels and Class 5A Player of the Year guard Colt Fowler. He helped stake J.F. Byrnes out to a 50-44 halftime lead, finishing with 24 points and several assists.
With Fowler leading the pace with his team-high 24 points and several assists, the Rebels led 50-44 after three quarters.
Down 11 points in the second half, Ridge View responded with an 11-2 run. Leading the comeback charge was Talon Staley, who finished with 24 points, and Davis, who added 23 points, six rebounds, five blocks and four assists.
C.J. Moore also bounced back from first-half foul trouble to finish with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Staley’s 3-pointer with 55 seconds left and the score tied at 76-76 sparked a game-ending 8-0 run.
This will mark Staley’s ninth state title appearance. He has now taken three teams (Orangeburg-Wilkinson girls, A.C. Flora boys, Ridge View) each to three state title games and has won three championships.
The Swamp Foxes also advanced in dramatic fashion. It defeated Region 8-5A rival Cane Bay 58-56 in Florence on a driving layup by Javion Gathers with 1.4 seconds left.
All of the state championship games will be aired on Spectrum Channel 1250 and www.nfhstv.com for a fee.
