Let It Rip

Weekend Of Champions: The Final Tally

Myrtle Beach 83, Greenville 59 ...

Many kudos to the Greenville students. They stuck it out to the end and remained enthusiastic with every basket despite the outcome no longer being in doubt.

Jamere Valentine is going to be a matchup nightmare next season. Meanwhile Greenville has a strong core of talent returning next season, so the Raiders might be the team to beat in the Upper State once again.

This was the biggest rout of the weekend, but not necessarily the biggest mismatch. When shots don't fall for a team, the die can be cast. The hole can be too deep, leaving a team no other option but to dig deeper.

Great weekend and congratulations to all our champions. Lasting memories for yours truly as the weekend comes to a close:

Class 4A Girls: Deb Stroman looking on as her team celebrates its third consecutive state title

Class 4A Boys: A.J. Green, praying at mid-court for Zycorrian Robinson's desperation 3-pointer to be called off, then seeing Louis Mulkey's widow walking around with the championship trophy on one arm and her husband's fire helmet under the other.

Class 3A Girls: Ashley Clarke, toiling away for her 31 points, almost single-handedly keeping her Seahawks in the game against J.L. Mann

Class 3A Boys: Best first quarter of the weekend. Both teams really got after it and the fans were outstanding.

Class 2A Girls: Keenan's Lauren Jones, in tears during the third quarter after fouling out with two points; Lee Central's Smurf-like Whitley Smith, commandeering her troops.

Class 2A Boys: Southside's Robbie Dreher doing virtually anything he wanted at both ends of the court.

Class A Girls: Darren Mazyck, the Maestro, leading his C.E. Murray War Eagles to yet another state title; Schwanna Dunmore's dominance, Kimberly Rious' potential.

Class A Boys: What can I say? Ultimately the best game of the weekend  and almost a historic upset by Hemingway. Zam Fredrick shrugging his shoulders and smirking when the final buzzer sounded on a one-point victory.

That's all from here, folks. I thank all of you who checked in during the course of the weekend. I had a blast. Hopefully I can do this for you again next year.

To steal a line from Anchorman, stay classy, South Carolina

Class 3A Boys: Myrtle Beach 68, Greenville 49 (3:35, 4th)

One night in January, I watched as CNN declared a winner in a primary where the doors had closed just two minutes earlier.

At the risk of doing the same thing ... this game is over. Greenville has nothing left. The tell-tale sign is having good looks but not drawing iron. Meanwhile, Myrtle Beach is doing whatever it wants on offense.

I think Myrtle Beach will get this one over 20 points before letting Greenville whittle it back to, say 11 or 13 or so.

Class 3A Boys: Myrtle Beach 62, Greenville 47 (4:55, 4th)

Jamere Valentine is just having his way with Greenville at this point. The Red Raiders' defense has completely broken down.

I think Myrtle Beach needs to keep the pedal to the metal, though, because Greenville is still getting looks at the offensive end. If the Raiders start hitting some shots, things could tighten up in a hurry.

Another easy run at the bucket for Myrtle Beach. And another. And another with a bad foul by Greenville. ... I'm not saying it's over, but the fat lady is in the building.

Class 3A Boys: Myrtle Beach 53, Greenville 41 (End, 3rd)

Well, one quarter left in the Weekend of Champions. What's in store?

Myrtle Beach has worn Greenville down. The Seahawks final points of the quarter came on easy runs to the basket. Greenville's passing is getting very sloppy. It's not inconceivable that Greenville could rally ... it's just becoming somewhat unlikely.

But, a lot can happen in eight minutes, as we saw last night.

Class 3A Boys: Myrtle Beach 47, Greenville 39 (1:55, 3rd)

McGowan did indeed see something. He has the Raiders working much harder along the baseline. When the baseline isn't open, it clears the Raiders for a mid-range jumper.

Unfortunately the shots still aren't falling for Greenville. The Raiders have blunted the Seahawks on the offensive end (somewhat) but have coughed up consecutive goaltending violations.

Wow, the baseline really is there for the taking. Oops ... another goaltending.

Class 3A Boys: Myrtle Beach 41, Greenville 33 (4:51, 3rd)

Greenville is making a much better effort to get the ball inside, but it really isn't helping the Red Raiders close the gap. I think it's because Myrtle Beach is making them expend a lot of energy on defense.

Dondi McGowan just called another TO. He clearly wants the Red Raiders to do something on the offensive end. He sees something. We'll see what happens.

Class 3A Boys: Myrtle Beach 39, Greenville 29 (6:38, 3rd)

At last, a drive to the goal by Greenville. We'll see if Marquis Sloan has started something for the Red Raiders.

Class 3A Boys: Myrtle Beach 37, Greenville 27 (Halftime)

Now that's how you take momentum into halftime.

Jamere Valentine just one-upped Zycorrian Robinson with an 75-foot heave as time expired. Nothin' but net for a double-digit lead.

We're at the half and Myrtle Beach has given itself a little breathing room. I think it's vital for the Seahawks that they put the foot on the gas to open the second half.

Same for Greenville. They need a run to open the third quarter. They have the players to do it. They just need to stick to the game plan and crack that little soft zone Myrtle Beach is deploying.

Class 3A Boys: Myrtle Beach 31, Greenville 27 (1:28, 2nd)

The Red Raiders got a little too crazy from the perimeter and got away from what was working for them, which was moving in and out of the paint. Myrtle Beach's little match zone might have had something to do with that, along with Greenville's early successes from the arc.

Dondi McGowan wisely called a timeout after his Raiders were gashed for an easy layup by Darius Hemingway.

Class 3A Boys: Myrtle Beach 25, Greenville 24 (4:23, 2nd)

Some very good passing going on. The shooting's been streaky on both ends, though. Right now, the groove is at the Seahawks' end.

As soon as I typed that, the teams traded treys. Anyhoo ...

There's than infernal carry call again. I thought we had rid ourselves of that.

Cute sight ... in the Greenville student section, almost everyone is wearing a red Greenville t-shirt ... except for one girl in the front row wearing Elmo. Red is red, I suppose.

Shannon Foster's trey pulls Greenville within 1.

Class 3A Boys: Myrtle Beach 18, Greenville 16 (End, 1st)

These are not particularly tall teams. Both know how to play the game, though. They're working the refs, sort of feeling them out to see what's allowed and not allowed.

I've got a feeling we're going to have a barn-burner here. We've already had dunks at both ends, the Myrtle Beach dunk igniting their crowd. It's loud in here. Not the biggest crowd, but certainly the most vocal.

This really has a college feel. Kudos to both communities.

Great no-look pass resulting in a bucket and a foul just now. After trading possessions, Jamere Valentine hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left to give the Seahawks the lead at quarter's end.

I think this is going to be a great nightcap.

Class 3A Boys: Greenville 12, Myrtle Beach 6 (3:33, 1st)

Hey, this is a shout-out to the Greenville student section. You guys got it going on. You sound and look like a college base. Something straight off the Duke campus. Best student section of the weekend by a mile.

Class 3A Boys: Greenville 10, Myrtle Beach 2 (5:43, 1st)

Gotta love it when both teams come out in straight man defense. Myrtle Beach helps to a fault and that has led to a few open perimeter shots when the defense collapsed in the lane.

Yeah, the Red Raiders are on fire to start this one.

Class 3A Boys: The last (but not least?)

At last, we've reached the end of the road. Greenville vs. Myrtle Beach for the Class 3A Boys title. Greenville took the opening tip and scored. Scott Dameron converted an old-fashioned 3 and we're off.

Class 3A Girls: The Final Tally

Here's your final scoring:

J.L. Mann: Tylia Henley 10, Kiki Rutledge 9, Renee Welfare 10, Lauren Sorrells 4, Ashley Holliday 12, Camille Glymph 9, Kesha Drummond 4, Britney Holliday 2.
Myrtle Beach: Stephanie Wilson 2, Kenyaurna Wilson 3, Brianna Webb 4, Ashley Clarke 31, Khadijah Sessions 7, Jasmine Jones 2, Shanique Hudson 6.

Clarke was the lone, truly steady player all night. Her quarter breakdown: 7-12-6-6. As a result, she had the highest-scoring game of any player this weekend (though someone from Greenville and/or Myrtle Beach boys teams might have something to say about that in a few hours).

Of the four girls games this weekend, which one was best? That's a tough call. I think I'll have to go with the first one. Lower Richland and Dorman put on pretty good shows and I have to be careful not to tarnish their performances just because of they way the refs bungled the end.

Class 3A boys coming up.

Class 3A Girls: How the final minute transpired

Last minute:

MB: Ashley Clark drains a baseline jumper after stripping the ball from Camille Glymph, JLM 56, MB 55 (44 seconds)
JLM: Glymph nearly loses the ball again, but JLM holds on and Glymph is fouled. Unfortunately for MB, they had a foul to give and they blew nearly 20 seconds not realizing that. They'll have to foul again to get JLM to the free throw line. (25 seconds)
JLM: Renee Welfare heads to the line. Good to have a senior at the stripe. She hits both. JLM 58, MB 55 (21.9 seconds)
MB: Rolls the ball up the court then hits a while open Ashley Clark for a trey and the ball does everything except go in. Story of MB's night. (12.5 seconds)
JLM: Welfare hits another free throw. JLM 59, MB 55 (11.6 seconds)
MB: Ill-advised drive to the hoop by Jasmine Jones ends with ball going off back of the backboard and her going down with an ankle injury. Glymph rebounds and is fouled with 1.8 seconds remaining. Glymph seals the deal. Good night and good luck. J.L. MANN 60, MYRTLE BEACH 55

Class 3A Girls: J.L. Mann 54, Myrtle Beach 49 (3:07, 4th)

The old Myrtle Beach is back, missing shots left and right underneath the goal.

Yet there's J.L. Mann, refusing to put the game away, constantly taking ill-advised shots. Fortunately for the Lady Pats, Tylia Henley seems to have found her range from the arc. She has a pair of treys here in the fourth. Haven't seen much from Glymph except a whole mess of fancy dribbling.

The Seahawks really are going to kick themselves if they lose this game. They have owned the paint all night. There might as well not be a hoop on the backboard, though. Miss after miss after miss.

Class 3A Girls: J.L. Mann 46, Myrtle Beach 43 (End, 3rd)

This game's close, but is it good? Hmm ... from a suspense standpoint, I guess

Class 3A Girls: Myrtle Beach 39, J.L. Mann 38 (5:23, 3rd)

Maybe it's that one end of the court. Myrtle Beach came out and made their first layup of the third quarter while J.L. Mann seeming can't take the lid off at their end (which is MB's former end).

I just really wonder if these two teams understand what's in store for them next year. With 3-time Class 4A champ Lower Richland dropping down in class with most of its team intact, I don't see how either of these two teams can hang with Deb Stroman's crew.

Those old Ivory Latta York teams? Those Dreher Blue Devils? Definitely. These two? I'm not convinced.

Anyway, the switch in directions appears complete. MB's hitting everything now while J.L. Mann looks utterly lost. MB's got the lead.

Class 3A Girls: Halftime

Oh, my ... I wanted a better performance after halftime, not DURING halftime.

J.L. Mann's dance team came out and tore it up! Pretty sweet. Any routine that ends with all the girls on their heads is pretty slick.

Class 3A Girls: J.L. Mann 35, Myrtle Beach 33

If the stat was kept, this might be the worst shooting performance in state championship history by the Seahawks.

Fortunately for posterity, there are no such comprehensive stats kept. On the flip side, thanks to J.L. Mann's utter ineptness at blocking out, the Seahawks might also have owned the record for most offensive rebounds.

I hate to be so crude, but this was a bad half of basketball. I hope both teams can get it together in the second half. It's a close game, but it's close only because neither team appears capable of playing well for any appreciable stretch.

Come on, now, give us a little somthin'-somethin' in the second half!

Class 3A Girls: J.L. Mann 30, Myrtle Beach 24 (3:15, 2nd)

The second quarter has been much slower than the first. Both teams are a little uglied up right now. Not seeing a whole lot out of either one.

A lot of shots falling short. That's usually a sign of fatigue. I hope that's not the case. There's a whole lotta game left.

Myrtle Beach continues to have a clear path in the lane. Really not impressed with either team's defense. Most turnovers are self-inflicted so far.

Wow. A lot of missed shots.

Class 3A Girls: J.L. Mann 19, Myrtle Beach 16 (End, 1st)

Not to harp on her, but Glymph is an intriguing blend of speed, ballhandling skills and range. She's 5-10, but can run the perimeter and dribble like a guard. She has solid passing skills as well. She's a matchup problem for the Seahawks. I'll be curious to see how they resolve this.

The Seahawks' continued shooting woes are putting them in a serious hole. They need to snap out of it or else J.L. Mann is going to run and hide.

Of course, as soon as I typed that, Myrtle Beach rattled off four straight points and 9 of the game's next 12.

As the quarter comes to a close, we have a game with a lot of potential ... it's on Myrtle Beach to hit their shots and J.L. Mann to stay focused.

Class 3A Girls: J.L. Mann 12, Myrtle Beach 5 (4:06, 1st)

Myrtle Beach definitely gets the ball inside. They can't do anything with it once they get it in there, but nonetheless, that's gotta payoff at some point.

J.L. Mann's Camille Glymph has a lot of hair. Perhaps more hair than body. She could do a Herbal Essences commercial. There's a breeze in the building and I think it's coming from her ponytail. She just sunk a trey, though.

The Seahawks don't seem to understand the premise of making sure you have numbers in transition. I really don't know how long J.L. Mann can let them have the lane, though.

Look at that ... another trey by Glymph. Gotta get a TO, baybee!

Class 3A Girls: Myrtle Beach 4, J.L. Mann 2 (6:45, 1st)

Hey, we're only 1 1/2 hours behind schedule! Yippee!

Interesting looking at these two teams as the game begins. There's not a whole lot of height on either team. Myrtle Beach didn't get off to a good start, missing three consecutive shots under the rim. After missing two free throws, the Seahawks missed another two under the rim before scoring. Padding those offensive rebound stats!

As soon as I got a read on these two, I'll chime in. For now, I'm in watch mode. I know J.L. Mann is the defending champ. I'll reserve judgment on whether they'll do it again.

Class 2A Boys: The Final Tally

Your final stats:

Southside: Chris Rodes 7, K.C. Chambers 9, Antonio Freeman 15, Robbie Dreher 15, Marlin Butler 4, Quinton Thomas 22.
Burke: Lavardio Hall 4, Deljavon Simmons 2, Melvin Brown 2, Tyheem Scott 2, Rashaan Simmons 3, Travis Holmes 3, Antonio Tolbert 8, Sidney Sanders 15, Hakim Wilder 4, Michael Heyward 10

MVP? I'd give it to Dreher, even though Thomas had more points. Dreher altered/blocked a lot of shots and picked a few pockets as well. He's got game.

I think Southside is the best boys team of the Weekend so far. I have to see what the 3A boys have. I would love to see Southside match up with Summerville or Spartanburg. I don't necessarily know if the Tigers would win, but the game would be a whole wad of fun.

Class 2A Boys: Southside 73, Burke 53 (Final)

Tempers did eventually boil over. Southside, for some silly reason, initiated it. K.C. Chambers started jawing with someone half his size over something or other. The officials originally indicated a double tech but I guess they just threw up their hands.

This is the 8,363rd state title for Louie Golden, or something like that. Burke didn't play poorly ... they just were outplayed. The final score was the largest lead of the night.

Lots of talent on this Southside team. A lot of it will be returning. Will Louie Golden return, too?

Burke will be losing a ton of seniors, but their young players appeared to have quite a bit of talent when they played.

Southside's Keith Williams just executed the highest backflip I've ever seen. He's a sophomore. Great hops.

Class 2A Boys Southside 68, Burke 50 (1:31, 4th)

Seriously folks, Sidney Sanders' shot was from Sunday. The Space Station saw it pass by.

Southside's got this one in hand. I'm going to post this now just so the jinx takes affect and Burke rattles off 20 straight points.

Class 2A Boys: Southside 58, Burke 43 (6:22, 4th)

Sidney Sanders hit a shot from Assembly Street. I honestly don't think he knew where he was when he tossed it up.

Despite his bomb, Burke just can't close the gap. Southside simply playing tit-for-tat, matching everything Burke does. If the Tigers remain patient and Burke doesn't try switching up defenses, I don't see how the gap's going to close.

Class 2A Boys: Southside 51, Burke 40 (1:21, 3rd)

Dude's gotta eat. Sorry for missing part of the third quarter.

Anyway, you haven't missed much. More spectacular plays ending in missed layups. More hard fouls ... and a gradual escape by the Tigers.

Southside pushed its lead to 11 points in gradual fashion. There have been no real runs. Just a lot of good ol' fashioned, get-after-'em hoops.

Tempers are really flaring, though. I wonder if something's going to happen late.

Class 2A Boys: Southside 37, Burke 36

Highly entertaining first half. On par with the Class A boys game. That's all I got. I'm a little spent from trying to keep up with these two.

I will say this ... I think this is the best crowd of the night.

Class 2A Boys: Southside 35, Burke 29 (1:09, 3rd)

No shortage of highlights in this one. Southside's Chris Rhodes fed a bounce pass behind his back to Antonio Freeman (I think) for another bucket. Rhodes then tacked on a jumper

Class 2A Boys: Southside 30, Burke 29 (2:04, 2nd)

Oops. Thomas overheated. He scored his seventh consecutive point and got T'd up for jawing.

Burke's Sidney Sanders hit the charities to keep it close.

Class 2A Boys: Southside 28, Burke 25 (3:08, 2nd)

If we were doing a Top 10 plays, SportsCenter style, Southside's Robbie Dreher just earned a spot on the chart.

His behind the back lay-in was one of those rare instances in which hot-dogging wasn't the primary reason for doing it. He was avoiding a pickpocket on the way to the hoop.

This game's tight. Pretty well-played. Quinton Thomas is really coming on for Southside. A three-pointer, a layup and a missed dunk that resulted in a foul got Thomas into some hot water with Burke's Tyheem Scott. Looked like there were going to be some hands thrown there, for a minute.

Anyway, Thomas hit one of the free throws and Southside's got the lead

Class 2A Boys: Burke 23, Southside 21

Southside scored the first five points of the second quarter and kept Burke off the scoreboard with a pair of nasty blocks at Burke's end.

The Bulldogs appear a little ragged and unfocused in the early part of the quarter. The level of effort hasn't changed ... just its efficiency.

Lavardio Hall drained a pair of free throws to get the Bulldogs going.

The fouls are beginning to add up. We'll see what issues that causes in the second half.

Class 2A Boys: Burke 21, Southside 16 (End 1st)

Not much to add. Both teams are really getting after it. Burke has appeared a little more consistent which explains the lead.

That said, I don't think the Bulldogs will be able to pull away from the Tigers. At least, not right now. It's a real-life battle between Cats and Dogs.

Class 2A Boys: Burke 14, Southside 9 (2:27, 1st)

The award for most-enthusiastic fan base so far goes to Burke. They're living and dying on every shot. That has riled up the Southside folks, who are making a good showing as well.

Burke freshman Tyheem Scott's got game. He came in at the halfway mark of the first quarter, took a pass on the baseline and laid in a nifty reverse for a 13-7 Burke lead.

It's interesting to compare the relative size of teams in the various classes. These two Class 2A teams are exactly in between the Class A (Hemingway, Calhoun County) and Class 4A (Summerville, Spartanburg) teams when it comes to size and quickness. Not as tall as the 4As, not as quick as the Class As. But perhaps a better blend of both.

I'd be interested to see Calhoun County or Hemingway plays these two.

Class 2A Girls: The Final Tally

Here's how the numbers shook out for Keenan and Lee Central:

Keenan: Olivia Irick 25, Brittani Goodwin 9, Myosha Henicks 2, Santera Grooms 11, Lauren Jones 2, Kierra Tillery 5.
Lee Central: Whitley Smith 14, Jalisa Williams 2, Shamara Hammett 2, Lavetra Peterson 2, Staci Holmes 6, Lechell Rush 22, Shatericka Campbell 2.

Class 2A boys up next. The Burke fans are in force!

Class 2A Girls: Keenan 54, Lee Central 50

Every time Lee Central made it a one possesion game, Keenan answered. Olivia Irick did a really good job drawing Lee Central guard Jalisa Williams into committing her fifth foul.

These two teams were evenly matched throughout but the Raiders just had more answers. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, which makes you wonder what would have happened if one of them went on a tear.

There's a lot of heart on the Keenan bench, but I suppose you could probably say that about all the teams here this weekend. That said, it seemed to me as if the Raiders understood what kind of history they were making here and let's be clear ... Keenan did make history.

It's the first girls state championship in school history. It was the first time Lee Central lost in a title game.

This one was close, but never really felt that way, thanks to Keenan's knack for staying out in front and hitting the shots when needed.

Too bad we won't see Olivia Irick, Lauren Jones and Lecell Rush again. At least we'll see Whitley Smith and Brittani Goodwin in 2008-09.

It didn't really factor into the game, but the referees completely imploded during the final 20 seconds of the game. Pure comedy. I'm fairly certain they have no idea where they are. That's a shame. They did so well for most of the game. I can't even explain what happened with the cock.

That little child is still parentless. I think we're moving into abandonment territory. The PA guy has spent the entire game calling for the parents.

Class 2A Girls: Keenan 44, Lee Central 42 (3:43, 4th)

Bless her heart, Lauren Jones fouled out with 5:30 remaining and burst into tears. I feel bad for her but I'm gratified to see such emotion, such desire to make a difference.

The fourth quarter has not been kind to the Keenan girls. Lee Central's decision to go to the full press flummoxed the Raiders and got the Stallion fans into the game. The Keenan fans actually picked up the pace, too, but they were generally drowned out by the much-larger Lee County contingent.

Actually, the Stallions varied their defenses, keeping the Keenan confusion factor high.

Lots of fouls down the stretch here.

Class 2A Girls: Keenan 39, Lee Central 33 (End 3rd)

The third quarter progressed pretty much in the same manner as the rest of the game. Give credit to Keenan. They came out with a game plan and have adhered to it ... to varying degrees of success.

Lee Central continues to be a two-girl show. Whitley Smith and Lechell Rush continue to shoulder the bulk of the burden.

I really don't know if this one will go down to the wire or not. Keenan has led all the way but hasn't been able to stick that dagger in the Stallions.

Idle thought ...

Over the years, I've seen a lot of jump-rope exhibitions at halftimes of basketball games.

Why is it every single team just happens to be the "World Champions"?

Apparently, in the universe of jump-roping, there are many different worlds and there's a champion for every one of them. They all just happen to live here on Earth and tour basketball arenas during their downtime.

That said, I did see one pretty impressive stunt this time around. A dude went down into the splits while jumping and stayed in the splits, lifting off the floor just enough to let the rope go under him. It hurt to watch.

Oh well. Second half is about to get under way. Is Lee Central going to lose in the state championship for the first time EVER?

The child is still lost, looking for its parents. Are they going to have to take the little girl to the pound?

We'll see.

Class 2A Girls: Keenan 23, Lee Central 17 (Halftime)

Kudos to Lechell Rush for not letting that atrocious free throw attempt gnaw at her. She swished both freebies in her next visit to the line. Don't really get the massively high arc on her shot, but whatever works, right?

Olivia Irick got herself a few minutes of rest after a pretty solid first half.

I sort of wonder if the Raiders are going to be kicking themselves after letting Lee Central back into the game. Some of it was the work of the Stallions. Whitley Smith and Lechell Rush had superb second quarters.

I nice old-fashioned 3-point play by Santera Grooms gave the Raiders a little breathing room at the break.

Class 2A Girls: Keenan 18, Lee Central 13 (1:09, 2nd)

They're baaack ...

Whitley Smith is leading a charge for the Stallions right now, getting her crew back into the game.

Meanwhile, the PA announcer has had to repeat an announcement about a lost child three times ... do we have a Home Alone situation here?

Class 2A Girls: Keenan 16, Lee Central 5 (5:20, 2nd)

Lee Central's Whitley Smith literally is knee-high to a grasshopper. I can stuff her in my pocket and still have room for my wallet. She runs the show though. Size really doesn't matter in the case of the Stallions.

Keenan fans ... Zzzzzzzzzz.

By the way, the collected referees this weekend must be setting records for tic-tac calls. I've never seen so many lane violations and carries.

Speaking of record breakers, Lee Central's Lechell Rush missed a free throw by the widest margin I've ever seen. It was wide right and short. Way short.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Class 2A Girls: Keenan 14, Lee Central 3 (End 1st)

Wow, this ain't your Demetress Adams-LaTangela Atkinson Stallions. Keenan is absolutely having its way with Lee Central.

The Raiders are getting the ball inside at will. Everyone appears to be getting in on the scoring. Lee Central is going to have to (pardon the pun) get on its horse to make this competitive. Hitting one of 13 shots ain't getting it done, kids.

So far, so great for Keenan.

But again ... where are the fans? The Raiders are rolling and this place is as dead as I've ever seen it. You'd think we're at a USC Lady Gamecocks gam.e

Class 2A Girls: Keenan 8, Lee Central 3 (3:38, 1st)

The 2A girls game is under way ... have to say I'm unimpressed with the Keenan fan base. There appears to be a decent, if smallish, contingent here, but come on, this is the closest school to the building, where is everyone? Also, Raiders fans don't appear to make all that much noise.

Olivia Irick is off to a good start. I don't really have a feel for this game yet. Lee Central appears tentative and Keenan isn't really running much of an offense.

We'll see as time goes on.

Class A Boys: The Final Tally

Is it time we discuss where Zam Fredrick ranks among the constellation of great South Carolina prep coaches?

This is the eighth consecutive trip to the state championship for the Saints and the sixth state title. They've won 78 consecutive games. I can't remember the last close game they lost following that loss to Silver Bluff in the 2003 title game.

What an amazing run. It's getting to be on par with the epic run of John Smith at Great Falls. A run, by the way, that was ended when Calhoun County dropped into Great Falls' classification.

And how unflappable is Zam Fredrick? That ending was spectacular. His response? A shoulder shrug. Later, after the trophy presentation, Fredrick went over and consoled a despondent Tashon Fredrick. Classy.

Here's the totals:

Calhoun: Deandrea Guinyard 6, Alshon Jeffery 15, Dondrea Houser 5, David Glover 17, Shamier Jeffery 7, De-John Haynes 4, Jacobee Wolfe 4, Jeramen Bonnette 8.
Hemingway: Tashon Fredrick 26, Shaquille Wells 4, Nathan Ray 8, Quinton Brown 22, Antoine Johnson 6.

A couple of notes. Brown didn't score in the fourth quarter. That had to hurt. Meanwhile, Ray scored six of his eight points in the final minute. Well done. Meanwhile, Glover was shut down in the fourth as well, making just one free throw.

Awesome game. Best of the weekend so far.

Class A Boys: Another dramatic finish

Building the drama. The final minute:

-- A great inbounds play while up by five points appeared to seal this championship for Calhoun County. Shamier Jeffery inbounded the ball at half-court and took a give-and-go straight to the hoop for a 65-58 lead with 1 minute remaining.
-- But the Tigers didn't go away. Jeffery fouled out on the ensuing possession (the second Saint to foul out) and Nathan Ray hit a pair of free throws to make it 65-60 with 52 seconds remaining.
-- David Glover missed a free throw and Raay went the length of the court for a bucket to cut it to 65-62.
-- Alshon Jeffery hit a pair of free throws: CC 67-62
-- Nathan Ray went coast-to-coast again for a bucket and a foul. He missed but Tashan Fredrick rebounded and stuck it back! CC 67, Hemingway 66, 21 seconds ...
-- David Glover at the free throw line ... HE MISSED! However, the Saints got the rebound. 13 seconds left
-- Alshon Jeffery back at the line for a double-bonus ... MISSES BOTH!
-- Hemingway goes down court, gets three cracks at it but misses.
CALHOUN COUNTY 67, HEMINGWAY 66

How do Hemingway fans deal with this? Every year they play in the state championship, their games go down to the wire. What is the rate of heart attacks in Hemingway? What a remarkable final minute and, unlike our other two nailbiters, this one definitely was decided by the teams on the floor.

Fantastic. I'll give you the totals as soon as I get them.

Class A Boys: Calhoun County 59, Hemingway 49 (4:36, 4th)

Why don't he write, right?

I had a few issues here. All resolved now.

Anyway, the game continues at breakneck speed. Calhoun County, though, has been pulling away at a snail's pace. A basket here, a steal there ... you know how it works. Hemingway is looked a little winded right now. Calhoun's definitely getting a workout, too.

Lots of turnovers. Lots of high-risk, high-reward passing by both teams. When it works, it's spectacular. When it doesn't it's fairly ugly.

Class A Boys: Hemingway 33, Calhoun County 32 (halftime)

I mentioned basketball IQ earlier. One thing both these teams do that you don't see much of these days is count the players in front of them. You don't see any 1-on-3 breaks from these two teams. They always play for the numbers.

Alshon Jeffery for Calhoun has had two SportsCenter plays in this half. One was a dunk with ridiculous hang time. The other happened with just under a minute left: A picture-perfect finger roll down the middle of the lane.

Proving they're worthiness, Hemingway answered both of those plays immediately. That's why the Tigers have the lead at halftime.

Class A Boys: Calhoun County 27, Hemingway 27 (2:26, 2nd)

This game is wicked. It's living up to all the hype. These two are banging away under the goal, they're trapping at midcourt, they're contesting every pass and they are going straight to the hoop almost without exception.

The foul total is going to be brutal. Oh, wait, the refs aren't calling any. I think the game is too fast for them, too.

Great, great basketball. The fans are incredible as well. Best fans of the weekend so far.

Interlude: Last night's debacles

Revisiting last nights Class 4A games.

Let's cut to the chase. Now that some time has passed and all the video has been viewed, it's pretty clear Zycorrian Robinson got his shot off before the goals lit up.

Showing class, from most of the feedback I've received from Summerville folks, even they mostly believe Robinson's shot was good.

Here's the rub. The referees did exactly what they were supposed to do. They huddled immediately to talk it over. Think about this ... if one of the three refs was absolutely, positively, beyond a doubt certain Robinson did not get his shot off. How could the other two refs possibly overrule him? I'm not quite certain that's what happened, but I think the safest route always is to err in favor of the scoreboard.

Now, they blew the call. That goes almost without saying. Nonetheless, they called a very good game last night. A couple of other notes about that last play:

-- The clock clearly started late. There's no way Spartanburg could rebound the missed free throw, pass it to Robinson, having him take three steps and a dribble, and get the shot off in 1.7 seconds. No way, no how.

-- Those three steps Robinson took ... were all in a row. That's traveling, folks. Another no call.

-- Even if Robinson's shot missed, if the refs ruled the shot got off in time, Spartanburg would have won. A Summerville player touched the ball just as it reached the rim. Goaltending.

The girls' game. Just bad officiating. Consistently inconsistent. Calls seemingly random. It's a shame the game came down to those final three free throws.

Again, how can there be a foul with no time on the clock? This isn't football, for crying out loud. If the Dorman girl was fouled, then time needed to be put back on the clock. Those refs shouldn't be invited back for next year's big weekend.

I say all of this not to take away from the state titles won last night by Lower Richland and Summerville. Lower Richland should have won outright, anyway because that foul call was bogus. Summerville hit a big shot of its own to take the lead. That shouldn't be overlooked.

It's just ... man, these are the state championships. The guys in stripes shouldn't be deciding the outcome.

EDIT: Because a few of you have asked, the High School League's bylaws do not allow for instant replay or monitor reviews. That's why the refs huddled instead of tracking down video. Think that rule might change?

Class A Girls: C.E. Murray 77, HKT 61 (Final)

For the record, that was a 15-4 run by the War Eagles to end the game. Dunmore factored into virtually every single point, be it via assist, basket or steal to start the transition.

Three games into the Weekend of Champions, she's the undisputed Most Valuable Player. I don't know what her college situation is, but there has got to be some team out there she could play for. True Grit.

Same goes for Shalika Smalls at HKT.

I'll fetch the offical scoring and post it here shortly.

Class A Girls: C.E. Murray 62, HKT 57 (4:07, 4th)

Two words: Shalika Smalls. She's singlehandedly turned this back into a ball game. Don't know how long she'll avoid that fifth foul, but here we go ...

Class A Girls: C.E. Murray 38, HKT 31 (5:26, 3rd)

Sure enough, HKT came out firing, scoring the first six points of the quarter. Dunmore hit a layup to get C.E. Murray on the board, but Smalls responded with a trey.

We've got a ballgame here!

Class A Girls: C.E. Murray 30, HKT 19

Just as soon as I say I like Markeshia Lockhart's game, she hauls off and makes a wicked shot under the basket, drawing a foul. She drained the free-throw, too, perhaps turning off a mini Trojans rally.

Shalika Smalls came back in the game at the first stoppage and she's banging away against Dunmore despite giving up three inches to her.

Dunmore just drained a 3 and a pair of free throws and the War Eagles have re-established a decent lead after seeing the margin whittled down to a one-possession game.

Class A Girls: C.E. Murray 20, HKT 14 (6:15, 2nd)

Am I off-base, War Eagle fans? I could swear I remember seeing Dunmore on this floor either as an eighth-grader or freshman. Mazyck's teams have been so good for so long, I think all the names and conquests are running together in my mind.

HKT's primary problem: They're not getting off a lot of shots. The Trojans are at their best actually when they're being pressed ... that is, if they make their passes without telegraphing them. When it works, they're getting shots under the basket. When it's not working, the War Eagles are raining jumpers off steals.

Just another off-the-cuff observation ... I think Markeshia Lockhart is going to be good. She's a sophomore for C.E. Murray.

Uh-oh. There was a nasty injury just now. Shalika Smalls was bring the ball up court for HKT, tripped and fell squarely on the ball. Looks like she'll have some bruised ribs in the morning. She did manage to walk off the court. Thank goodness. That could have been far worse.

Class A Girls: C.E. Murray 16, HKT 8 (End of 1st)

Wicked end to the first quarter. Lots of loose balls, lots of hands in the passing lanes. Some very slick blocked shots. The end result is pretty ragged but entertaining.

The cheerleaders are pretty good, too. Loud, feet always moving.

C.E. Murray pulled away a bit in that final minute. C.E. Murray senior Schwanna Dunmore (wow, I remember her as an eighth-grader ... I think), buried a 3 from the top of the key and the War Eagles are enjoying their biggest lead so far.

Class A Girls: C.E. Murray 11, HKT 8 (1:57, 1st)

Good, rugged game so far. These two teams are evenly matched. Not a lot of scoring early on, but everyone's moving and no one's afraid of banging away in the paint. The referees appear to be somewhat amenable to letting the teams play.

Both teams really get after the loose ball. Even better, the crowd is locked in. Both fan bases are deep and enthusiastic. I think there's almost as many fans here for this Class A game as there were for the Lower Richland girls game last night. That's pretty cool.

Speaking of cool, Kimberly Rious has some wicked hair. She's got these wine-red highlights that wrap around her temples into an all-red ponytail. Very cool. She's a baller, too, banging away down low despite being 5-8.

It's over, but you had to be there ... read on ...

Forgive me for building the suspense ... Here's how the final 1:19 unfolded:

-- SPART: Robinson misses shot but AJ Green fouls Burton Jones on the rebound. Green FOULS OUT
-- SPART: Jones hits 1-of-2 free throws. SU 47, SP 45
-- SPART: Robinson rebounds a miss, feeds Deonte Russian, who buries a trey. SP 48, SU 47
-- SUMM: With 22.6 seconds remaining, Bruce Haynes hits a shot in traffic and is fouled. He misses the free throw. SU 49, SP 48
-- SPART: Russian misses a jumper at the free throw line, Summerville Brandon Millhouse, the smallest player on the court, rebounds and is fouled with 7.2 seconds remaining. Millhouse hits 1-of-2 but in the resulting scrum, Summerville's Marcus Morris comes up with the loose ball. SU 50, SP 48.
-- SUMM: Green Wave successfully inbounds to Bruce Haynes who is fouled with 1.7 seconds remaining. He needs both to render a Spartanburg desperation heave inert. He misses and Zycorrian's 60-foot heave ... wait for it ...

RATTLES THROUGH THE RIM!!!!!

The referees huddle and CALL THE SHOT OFF!

SUMMERVILLE 50, SPARTANBURG 48.

Robinson threw the shot up right in front of me. I'm pretty certain he got it off in time. I definitely could be wrong about that, but he was right in front of me. I guess it's possible his feet were off the ground but the ball wasn't yet out of his hands when the buzzer sounded.

The scene turned ugly. Spartanburg fans threw a bunch of crap on the court. Frustration is understandable but there were all kinds of people still on the court. Throwing a full Gatorade bottle really could have hurt someone.

Wow.

 

Another lasting impression from tonight ... seeing all the Summerville fans wearing plastic fire helmets in honor of the late Louis Mulkey, the Summerville coach who died while fighting last summer's sofa super store fire. After the game, the team presented the state trophy to Mulkey's wife. Very, very moving moment.

Looking ahead to tomorrow .. the game I can't wait for is Calhoun vs. Hemingway. That's got to be a barnburner. Lots of good action tomorrow. Get on out here if you can. If you can't you can hang out with me here at CybeRip. Thanks for hittin' the refresh button. See ya tomorrow.

Equal ground?

Both teams are missing everything they're putting up. AJ Green just pulled foul No.4, equalizing the posts somewhat.

Two minutes remain. The refs have done a pretty good job, but they have a fascination with calling carries and push-offs. I've got a feeling those tendencies could play into the final moments of this one.

Fantastic game, great atmosphere. Wish y'all could be here.

SUMMERVILLE 45, SPARTANBURG 44, 1:59 in the 4th

Spartanburg takes the lead

Omar Sanders didn't return, but hey, if it ain't broke ...

Spartanburg came out on fire to start the fourth quarter. Raquentin Miller's trey gave the Vikes a 40-38 lead and forced a Summerville timeout.

SPARTANBURG 40, SUMMERVILLE 38, 6:04 in the 4th

THIS IS SPARTA(NBURG)!

The Vikings refuse to go away. Summerville would seem to have multiple advantages on the floor right now, but Spartanburg continues to scrap. The Vikes are crashing the boards on offense and Zycorrian Robinson is keeping everyone involved.

But will it be enough to overcome AJ Green? The Green Wave scoring machine has been slowed somewhat in the second half, but he did have two SportsCenter-worthy moves to the goal and blocked Spartanburg's last attempt of the quarter.

Heading into the fourth quarter of a very entertaining game ... will Omar come back to start the 4th?

SUMMERVILLE 38, SPARTANBURG 34, End of 3rd.

The Blame Game and other oddities

OK, who do I blame? This is a travesty, a sham and a mockery! A traveshamockery!

It dawned on me that there's a vending machine deep in the dark recesses of the Colonial Center. I wandered back there and discovered Skittles for 75 cents. What an outrage!

Wait ... let me try one first. ... Yep, nice and fresh. Not like the marbles I choked down from the concession stand.

Crap.

While waiting for the second half to begin, I was trolling CNN.com ... there apparently is video of a 28-inch-tall woman who gave birth to an 18-inch baby. When did CNN turn into Ripley's Believe It or Not(.com)?

If I wanted to see a hamster give birth to a gerbil, I would have tuned into Animal Planet.

Second half's getting started.

Halftime of a pretty good game.l

These teams are equals in terms of quickness and height. They also are equals in their inability to hit layups. Lots of misses in close tonight.

It would appear the team that does best on the offensive boards is going to be the team hoisting the trophy at night's end. Another factor: Spartanburg's Omar Sanders picked up his third foul early in the second quarter and took a seat.

If he remains in foul trouble in the second half, that does not bode well for the Vikes.

Great game and, if I may say, the referees are doing a pretty solid job as well ... other than their affinity for calling carries.

SUMMERVILLE 26, SPARTANBURG 24, Halftime

Spartanburg's Green with envy ... and that LR ending explained

A.J. Green outscored Spartanburg 14-13 in the first quarter. Egads.

Summerville 18, Spartanburg 13, End of 1st.

Back to the Lower Richland game ... Deb Stroman did not call a timeout with Fanchon Sartor at the free throw line. Two referees were trying to decide if there should be any time on the clock while the other ref at the free throw line clearly was in his own world. When the refs at the scorer table saw what was going on, they called for the buzzer.

Well, good for them. Point is, the ball was in Sartor's hands. They screwed up. They have to allow her shot to count. Also, after their confab, they decided against putting time on the clock.

You tell me ... how can a foul be called with no time on the clock? Refs flubbed this one badly.

First impressions

Having not seen these teams play during the season, a few quick first impressions.

-- I really like Omar Sanders' game. He's a 6-6 senior for Spartanburg who runs the floor well and has an inside-out game at the offensive end. He made an athletic block early in the first quarter.

-- It's well-known that South Carolina's top prep football recruiting, Summerville's A.J. Green, can hang with anyone on the hardcourt. He had a pair of 3's early and isn't afraid to get after it with and without the ball.

-- Both teams boast superior quickness, which goes a long way toward explaining their presence here, tonight.

Green just nailed another 3. Think Felton might want A.J. during Georgia's football offseason?

Summerville 16, Spartanburg 13, 1:56 in the first

Don't know what that was about, but LR wins

Recreating the ending:

-- Dorman's Ashlen Stewart rebound and putback: LR 46, Dorman 44
-- LR's Stephanie Hayes misses two free throws
-- Hayes promptly steals a pass but a teammate is called for a foul.
-- LR's Deb Stroman calls a composure timeout with 43 seconds left
-- Dorman misses a shot and Morgan Stroman strips a rebound from a Cavalier
-- Hayes takes the outlet and gets fouled. At the line, she hits one free throw: LR 47, Dorman 44
-- Dorman calls a timeout
-- Susan Walvius' mind wanders.
-- Dorman squanders the remaining time BUT WAIT! A desperation toss from halfcourt draws a foul as time runs out.
-- Fanchon Sartor goes to the line for three free throws, but the refs allow a timeout while she shoots. She hits the free throw but the referees wave it off. She hits one more, but the first one did not count, so when she misses, the game's over.

Let's be clear about something. The referee handed the ball to Sartor for the attempt. At that point, her shot HAS TO COUNT. The buzzer, inadvertant or otherwise, is irrelevant. The shot should have counted. What's more, when Sartor returned to the free throw line, the neon lights around the goal were still on. Can you say, DISTRACTION?

Stupid ending to an exciting game. The officials in this game were dreadfully Inconsistent. My only question, which I'll have to track down is whether Deb Stroman pulled an NFL timeout stunt to ice Sartor. Not sure what happened for the scorers table to hit the buzzer.

Take nothing away from LR. They are the three-time defending champions because they're the best team in the state. They didn't play their best game, but they played well enough to win tonight.

What a treat, seeing the current dynasty playing the most recent dynasty in girls basketball. What Dorman has achieved this decade has been remarkable. Is this edition of the Cavaliers as good as the Jade Hughes/Kelly White teams? No, but they've been good enough to get back here year after year regardless.

Fun, fun game. Congratulations to Deb Stroman, my new favorite player Stephanie Hayes and thank goodness ... the Diamonds actually won with me sitting courtside.

Deb, at long last, I'm a believer. I've seen it with my own eyes.

LOWER RICHLAND 47, DORMAN 45

Good and close

We're hot and heavy going into the final 3 1/2 minutes of the game. LR coughed up four consecutive turnovers and committed a lane violation during a free throw attempt to allow Dorman to hang tight. Dorman like any good team, has taken advantage of any and every break.

Alixis Gilliam just sank a free throw to keep Dorman within a possession.

LR 43, Dorman 40, 2:54 remaining in the game

One quarter to go ... we've got a gamer

Dorman has been Diamondized. The Cavs are looking about as bad as every other LR opponent this season. LR has  successfully turned the state championship into just another game.

If Deb Stroman offers up that exact quote, you can believe her.

Oh, wait a minute. The sloppy Diamonds are back. Dorman has gone from 0 to 14 on the scoreboard during the past two minutes.

Maybe the Diamonds just got bored. Whatever the reason is for this Dorman surge, Walvius is now leaning forward. Dorman has reclaimed the momentum. Improbably so.

We've got a game again. I think I'll splurge and eat a pair of Skittles.

LR 37, Dorman 35, end of 3rd

Anyone seen Dorman lately?

Let's just get this out in the open: I'm a Stephanie Hayes fan. She's just fun to watch. Rainbow jumpers. Knee-high socks, almost always in perfect position on defense, willing to go 1-on-3 against three Dorman trees and draw a foul.

Meanwhile, Dorman has gone nearly an entire quarter-equivalent without scoring. They've got LR's bad offense virus. It also isn't helping that Fannie Goodwin is light-years bigger than any of the relevant Cavalier players.

All the while, Susan Walvius looks on. She has a look on her face as if she's still trying to understand the last 10 minutes of Thursday's "Lost"

I'm with her on that, by the way. Enough with the time-traveling consciousness crap. Tell me what that black-smoke monster is and, for crying out loud, bring back Walt!

LR 33, Dorman 24, 3:43 in the 3rd

Offense and offensive fans

There's always that one pseudo-smart fan in the stands. You know the one ... he's the guy that yells "3 SECONDS!"

Shaddup, already.

Lower Richland actually ran a play on offense. And scored. Could be a plan. What would happen if the Diamonds actually started running an offense?

I've got chills. No, wait ... that's just the Colonial Center earning its keep.

LR 24, Dorman 22, 6:11 in the 3rd.

We're at halftime: Lower Richland 22, Dorman 21

Roshel Taylor hit a pretty 17-footer at the buzzer to give Lower Richland the lead going into halftime.

Ugly, ugly game. Not as nasty as the Irmo-Dorman ugfest of a few years back, but definitely not pretty.

LR's defense is giving Dorman fits. Their shooting percentage is very poor and, I'll say this, LR does not get cheating on blocked shots.

At the half, the unofficial stats indicate that while Dorman's shooting j