The Boys Basketball Finals Are Set for the SCHSL State Finals

With Colonial Life Arena once again the site of the Weekend of Champions, nearby schools C.A. Johnson, Ridge View and Westwood will have the simplest of travel plans.

Class 5A Division II Lower State champion Westwood / Thomas Grant Jr.

With Colonial Life Arena once again the site of the South Carolina boys basketball Weekend of Champions, nearby schools C.A. Johnson, Ridge View and Westwood will have the simplest of travel plans.

Rivals Share Championship Dreams

Located in the same district and 17 miles apart, Ridge View and Westwood high schools have developed successful basketball programs.

It’s also become one of the Palmetto State’s best basketball rivalries. As the Blazers have ascended to becoming the “gold standard” with six state titles since 2017, the Redhawks have posted 20-win seasons in three of the last four years.

They also hold the distinction of handing Ridge View its only Region 5-5A loss the past two seasons.

Over the weekend, the two teams punched their tickets to Colonial Life Arena.

Westwood Overcomes Foul Trouble to Top Goose Creek

Westwood defeated Goose Creek 56-53 in the Class 5A Division II Lower State final in Florence. The Redhawks overcame foul trouble to All-State point guard D’Marcus Thomas and a determined Gators’ squad to reach its first-ever state final.

Cylan McLeod led the Redhawks with 18 points, nine in each half, and Daytron Cockfield was a major contributor rebounding and 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.”

With the score tied at 50-50, McLeod came through after getting fouled with a short jumper. He made the free-throw for the 3-point play with 1:05 left to put the Redhawks on top for good.

Goose Creek had a chance to tie with six seconds left, but Reggie Dozier split two free throws. Jayden Crews was fouled after grabbing the rebound and made two free throws to close out the victory.

A Familiar Opponent Awaits

The Redhawks will face one of the three teams to defeat them this season in Thursday’s final. Defending Division II champion Greenville emerged again from the Upper State following a 55-48 win over Riverside.

The Red Raiders led as many as 16 points before holding off a late rally.

They have won the last three meetings against Westwood, including a 50-45 victory on Dec. 20, 2025.

‘We had a matchup against Greenville at the beginning of the year,” Robinson said. “We went 10-25 from the free-throw line. 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.”

Ridge View Rallies Past Byrnes in 5A Upper State

Meanwhile, Greenville head coach Yvette Stoneman’s former team continued its bid for a ‘3-peat’. On Saturday, Ridge View rallied to defeat J.F. Byrnes 84-76 in the Class 5A Division I Upper State final played at Rock Hill High School.

The highly-anticipated matchup featured the Class 5A Player of the Year guard Colt Fowler of Byrnes against a Blazers’ team with two All-State selections in forward R.J. Davis and forward C.J. Moore.

Like the previous matchup against another Region 2-5A foe Dorman, Ridge View found itself behind at halftime. With Fowler leading the pace with his team-high 24 points and several assists, the Rebels led 50-44 after three quarters.

With Moore in foul trouble, Christopher Horton kept Ridge View in the game with four, 3-pointers.

J.F. Byrnes’ lead grew to 11 points in the third quarter when the Blazers went on 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.

Moore also bounced back from first-half foul trouble to finish with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

With the game tied at 76-76 with 55 seconds remaining, Staley connected on a go-ahead 3-pointer. This kicked off a game-ending 8-0 run to send the Blazers back to the final.

This will mark head coach Joshua Staley’s ninth state title appearance. He has taken three teams (Orangeburg-Wilkinson girls, A.C. Flora boys, Ridge View) each to three state title games and has won three championships.

Ridge View faces first-time finalist Ashley Ridge on Friday. It defeated Region 8-5A rival Cane Bay 58-56 on a driving layup by Javion Gathers with 1.4 seconds left.

The victory avenged a 67-43 loss to the Cobras in the season-opener. This is the first-ever meeting between Ashley Ridge and Ridge View.   

Back for redemption

Class 4A Lower State champion North Augusta / S.C. High School League

Like Greenville, North Augusta is one of two schools with two finalists in the state final.

The Yellow Jackets hope to join their female counterparts in claiming the Class 4A rival. On Saturday in Florence, they used a 18-4 run in the final three minutes to pull away from Bluffton 55-38 in the Lower State final.

Quh’mareon Webb scored 20 points to lead North Augusta, which is making its third consecutive state title game appearance.

Instead of Lancaster, the Yellow Jackets will face South Pointe. The Stallions galloped past the Bruins 58-34 to reach the state title for the second time since 2021 under head coach and former University of South Carolina guard Melvin Watson.

Last year, High Point Academy was defeated by Atlantic Collegiate Academy 58-49 in the Class 2A final. This year, the Grizzlies are back after rallying in the fourth quarter for the 66-53 win over American Leadership Academy at Mid-Carolina High School.

The Patriots, who set a school record for victories and were seeking its first-ever title game appearance, led 44-38 after three quarters. Justin Richburg had a team-high 20 points and Braxton Redding had 15 rebounds.

High Point outscored ALA 28-9 in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win. Chris Copeland had 22 points and 10 rebounds and J’Sean Sanders, who had 10 rebounds, Deylen Whitaker and Joc Miller, all scored 10 points.

The Grizzlies will put their 27-game winning streak on the line Thursday against Phillip Simmons. The Iron Horses defeated Mullins 67-54 behind 20 points and six blocked shots by All-State wing Hopper Afman.

Two years after losing in the Class A final, Bethune-Bowman has made it back. The Mohawks defeated Carvers Bay 69-65 after erasing a 14-point deficit with a 17-3 run in the third quarter.

With the score tied at 55-55 entering the fourth quarter, Jaedon Bell hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to reclaim the lead for Bethune-Bowman. He finished with 29 points.

The game was tied on two more occasions down the stretch. After layups by Jamie Graham and Ethan Morris put Carvers Bay up 65-61 with 2:03 left, it did not score again.

A driving layup by Trashaunn Bonaparte started the game-ending 8-0 run. He also hit a go-ahead layup and Zyreon Keith made 4-6 free throws down the stretch to finish with 16 points.  

Bethune-Bowman is seeking its first state title since 1991. Its state final opponent on Saturday, C.A. Johnson, last won the title in 2014.

The Hornets rolled to an 81-51 win over Horse Creek Academy in the Upper State final at Batesburg-Leesville High School.

What was a 6-point lead at the end of the first quarter grew to 47-18 by halftime. Javarious Wyche scored 23 points and Tony Odom added 20, including six 3-pointers for the Green Hornets.

Both Bethune-Bowman and C.A. Johnson are riding 15-game winning streaks.

Class A Lower State champion Bethune-Bowman / S.C. High School League

Four titles, three classifications

Few schools have had state championship teams in multiple classifications.

Following Saturday’s 61-47 win over Mountain View Prep, Christ Church Episcopal looks to add a Class 3A championship to the ones collected in Classes A and 2A.

It will face Fox Creek, a 75-68 winner over W.J. Keenan, in the final. Justin Vining had 17 points, Rondy Robinson finished with 13 points and Chanze Allen added 11 points.

This is the Predators’ second state title appearance. It lost to Burke in the 2015 Class A final.

Class 3A Lower State champion Fox Creek / S.C. High School League

SCHSL Boys Basketball State Championship Schedule

(Thursday’s Games)

High Point Academy vs. Phillip Simmons 4 p.m.

Westwood vs. Greenville 8 p.m.

(Friday’s Games)

Christ Church Episcopal vs. Fox Creek 4 p.m.

Ridge View vs. Ashley Ridge 8 p.m.

(Saturday’s Games)

C.A. Johnson vs. Bethune-Bowman 4 p.m.

North Augusta vs. South Pointe 8 p.m.