Class 3A Playoffs First Round Roundup

The first day of the 2023-24 state tournament would see the 1A, 4A and 5A teams begin their first rounds. The ensuing day would see the 2A and 3A teams have their turn at the mic.   This included a first-round get-together between Upper State combatants Clinton and Southside. Their boys teams also met the previous day with the Tigers upsetting the Red Devils by a final of 49-46.   Clinton's 18-5 season had earned the Red Devils Top 10 honors in a few coaches' polls this season. Going undefeated in its region allowed Clinton to host a first-round tournament matchup.    The Tigers may not have been the same Tigers that deep Upper State runs the past few seasons, but they still qualified as the final team out of Region 2-AAA.    Victory would be claimed in commanding fashion by Clinton as the Red Devils defeated Southside with the final score being 43-18.    “(Southside's) conference is really good,” Red Devils coach John Gardner says. “You can't always look at the record when you're playing in there with Wren, Powdersville and Fountain Inn. So, that's not your normal four seed.”    Remember What Happened Last Time?   These two teams already met earlier this season in late December at Clinton. The Red Devils scored a 32-22 victory over the Tigers on that occasion.    Quarter-By-Quarter   The Clinton team that went undefeated in its region resembled that squad in the first quarter. By virtue of holding Southside's offense to only one field goal in the first eight minutes, the Red Devils built an 11-3 advantage with one in the books.    Southside presented an improved defensive effort in the second quarter, particularly when Clinton was still looking to establish itself by driving to the basket. At the half, the lead was still eight (17-9) for the Red Devils.    “Part of the problem was I think in the first half, we missed six or seven free throws and how many layups did we miss,” Gardner says. “And I told them we're not going to make all our layups. If we did, we wouldn't even have to shoot them. They'd just give them to us. But, we've got to make more than what we made.”    Task no. 1 for the Tigers was to stay in striking distance to potentially set Southside up for a run. It appeared that objective would be met before Clinton expanded its lead. With three in the books, the Red Devils established a 29-18 advantage over the Tigers.    Southside's final points of the game – and their season – would be tallied in that third quarter against the Red Devils. Clinton closed the contest with a 22-0 to emphatically earn its berth into the second round.   Gardner mentioned how he was proud of how his team closed out Wednesday evening's matchup.   Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_1426-2.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-855145" style="width:462px;height:auto" /></figure>   Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='855426' first='Mylayja' last='Thompson'] (SCBCA 3A Girls All-State Selection) had herself a banner game to lead her Red Devils. She scored 20 points to lead all point-getters for either team. Regardless of what Southside's defense threw at her, Thompson could not be contained – especially in the second half.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_1379-crop-2312x1518-1707986107.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-855147" style="width:464px;height:auto" /></figure>   In what proved to be the final basketball game of her high school career, Alyssa Williams would lead her Tigers with an 11-point performance. Williams is a multi-sport athlete who has also played on the varsity volleyball and softball teams at Southside.   What's Next?   Clinton's second-round opponent was determined in the contest between Chapman and West-Oak. The Warriors earned a 66-59 victory over the Panthers to earn a date with the Red Devils.    “I've watched a little bit of film on them,” Gardner says. “Very disciplined, very sound. (They) shoot the ball well. They run good stuff, play good defense. They're solid out of that region. (Region 1-AAA) is a pretty tough region too. They've got a really good record, they've beat some good teams. So, we'll have to come and play well.”    Reclassification   Interestingly enough, both teams were impacted by the new 2024-26 SCHSL reclassification setup. Clinton will drop from 3A to 2A while Southside will head up to the 4A ranks.    Other 3A Scores   Daniel defeats Broome 63-28   Powdersville defeats Emerald 58-35   Blue Ridge defeats Seneca 57-40   Fountain Inn defeats Woodruff 45-43   Wren defeats Chester 86-11 ([player_tooltip player_id='175308' first='Raina' last='McGowens'] 21 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='628577' first='Ava' last='O'Shields'] 14 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='175339' first='Olivia' last='Randolph'] 12 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='975639' first='Hailey' last='Burgess'] 9 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='268139' first='Deyana' last='Hayes'] 8 pts)   Walhalla defeats Travelers Rest 57-42   Dillon defeats Battery Creek 55-28   Crestwood defeats Gilbert 67-43   Philip Simmons defeats Aynor 49-29 ([player_tooltip player_id='555430' first='Germany' last='Moore'] 14 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='555432' first='Tia' last='Chaney'] 12 pts, Harper Cohen 8 pts)   Darlington defeats Orangeburg-Wilkinson 63-50   Lower Richland defeats Lakewood 68-23   Hanahan defeats Loris 39-31   Camden defeats Swansea 83-19 ([player_tooltip player_id='171798' first='Joyce' last='Edwards'] 32 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='376018' first='Harmony' last='Jefferson'] 14 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='324555' first='Braylin' last='Mungo'] 11 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='171806' first='Zyasia' last='Carter'] 11 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='175325' first='Morgan' last='Champion'] 8 pts, [player_tooltip player_id='195518' first='Deanna' last='Jeffcoat'] 3 pts)   Waccamaw defeats Beaufort 52-17

The first day of the 2023-24 state tournament would see the 1A, 4A and 5A teams begin their first rounds. The ensuing day would see the 2A and 3A teams have their turn at the mic.