Class 4A State Championship:Westside HS vs North Myrtle Beach HS

What had all of the ingredients of a rout early transitioned into an entertaining contest at the Aiken Convocation Center between the Westside Rams and the North Myrtle Beach Chiefs to decide the Class 4A state championship. When the game clock his triple-zeroes, the Rams pulled off a 44-30 victory, bringing a state championship to Anderson. “This has been a huge win. Because, even as a player and as a coach all these years, it’s just been tough to get over the hump,” Rams coach Jackie Roberts said. “We’ve been so very close and we have not been able to finish. So, this year … I knew that this was the group, we knew all along that this was the group that if it was going to happen it was going to happen with this group.” <strong>Manifesting its Destiny:</strong> Rams junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="124094" first="Destiny" last="Middleton"]</strong> led all scorers with 17 points while also collecting 10 rebounds. She set the tone early for the Rams by tallying seven of the first nine Westside scored – including a made 3-pointer and a pair of free throws. <strong>Chiefs make a push:</strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-260464" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/03/4A8AC9AF-7234-43F2-8FCE-CE7F4D3F8AF3.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /> The vaunted defense of Roberts’ Rams caused problems early for North Myrtle Beach as Westside jumped out to a 14-1 edge after the first quarter. The Chiefs’ first made shot from the field came with just over three minutes to play in the second quarter by way of a layup from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="171736" first="Daveona" last="Hatchell"]</strong>, who concluded the game with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Chiefs’ <strong>Adaiah Vereen</strong> was a key factor in her team’s charge which closed North Myrtle Beach’s deficit to within single digits in the third quarter. She scored 12 points (all in the second half) and hauled in 13 rebounds. Roberts attributed the North Myrtle Beach run in the second and third quarters to “unforced turnovers.” It was a two-possession game late in the third quarter as the Chiefs closed its deficit to, at one point, within 25-19. <strong>Seniors say Farewell: </strong> <strong>Chyna Dixon</strong> is the lone senior for the Rams. She had three rebounds an assist, a steal and played 14 minutes. For the Chiefs, in addition to Hatchell, <strong>Ashanti White</strong>, <strong>Jaden Parker</strong> and <strong>Tiara Bryant</strong> all played their final games for North Myrtle Beach. White had four rebounds, two points and two assists along with a block and a steal. <strong>Anderson South?</strong> There appeared to be significantly more Westside fans that made the trip from Anderson than there were North Myrtle Beach fans that made the trek from Horry County even though the Chiefs had a healthy contingency as well. <strong>Giving thanks:</strong> “Giving God the glory for this moment right now,” Roberts said. “Because it’s just been a whole lot of things that have transpired to this moment that I know it was nobody but God.” <strong>A Lid on the Season:</strong> Westside finishes with a 20-2 record with its only losses coming against Mann (50-41) in early January and Greenville later in the month. The book closes on North Myrtle Beach’s 2020-21 campaign with an 11-2 mark.