Sumter routs Rock Hill for SCHSL 5-A girls state championship

FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA – Sumter was knocking on the door the last couple of seasons.

On Friday, the Gamecocks busted all the way through it.

Rickell Brown scored 20 points and eighth grade phenom Araina Ross had 17 as the Gamecocks capped off a dominating undefeated season by trouncing Rock Hill 60-42 to win the SCHSL 5-A girls basketball state championship at the Florence Center.

This team was on a mission.

“We started the year with kind of a chip on our shoulder,” said Sumter coach Jeff Schaffer. “The last two years we lost in the semifinals. … So we took the season one game at a time and the wins just kept adding up. As the year went on, I thought we played better and better defense.”

It came to a culmination Friday night when the Gamecocks held Rock Hill to 24 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers.

Despite featuring a smaller lineup, the Gamecocks repeatedly forced the action inside and finished strong at the rim.

“We’re undersized,” Schaffer said. “Let’s face it. … They’re tenacious and fearless when they go in the lane.”

Keziyah Sanders and Kiara Croskey, the 5-A state player of the year, each had eight points for Sumter, which finished off its season with a 25-0 record.

The Gamecocks won all but one of their games in double figures.

“It starts with God,” Brown said. “We put Him first. We love each other and have good chemistry. That’s how you win a championship.”

De’ashaj Crawford led Rock Hill with 14 points but made just 4 of 19 shots. Chloe Hudson had 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting.

The Bearcats wound up with a 27-3 record.

Rock Hill did keep it close for most of the first half. But the Gamecocks got breathing room when Ross drained a 3-pointer following Brown’s steal. Sanders then hit a layup after another steal and Sumter led 30-20 at intermission.

It became a runaway in the fourth quarter when Croskey hit a pair of free throws and made a layup on heavy traffic.