SCHSL 2A Lower and Upper State Championships: Saturday’s Results

Following the 5A teams determining who their state championship game participants would be, the next classification to decide which teams would play for the big prize was that of 2A.   The outlook for Saturday's contests was crystallized this past Saturday when the girls Lower State and Upper State semifinals took place. The two Upper State games emanated from Florence Center first followed by the Lower State final contests.    We at Prep Girls Hoops were on site at Florence Center which was to be the epicenter of attention for the Palmetto State sports fan. Without further adieu, here is how those two Saturday games unfolded.    Upper State Final: Landrum vs. Gray Collegiate   Which would soar higher on Saturday afternoon in the Pee Dee? Cardinals or War Eagles?    The last time Landrum participated in an Upper State Final, it was two years ago at Bob Jones University when the Cardinals suffered defeat at the hands of eventual 2A champion Christ Church. This year's rendition of Landrum basketball was looking to right that wrong and earlier victories over Newberry, Fairfield Central and Keenan had the Cards on the right track.    As for Gray Collegiate, they were the team all others in the 2A ranks were looking to beat given they are defending champions. All of the War Eagles' wins – vs. Chesnee, Mid-Carolina and Silver Bluff were all lopsided victories.    Landrum would play into March by virtue of its 31-26 victory over Gray Collegiate.    Remember What Happened Last Time?   It was during the playoffs of the 2020-21 COVID year when Landrum and Gray Collegiate last shared a court. That contest went the way of the Cardinals by a final of 52-34.    Quarter-By-Quarter   At one point in the first quarter, the momentum appeared to be on the Landrum side of the floor as the Cardinals assumed a 10-6 lead which prompted a timeout from Gray Collegiate. With eight minutes having elapsed, it was a 10-8 advantage for Landrum.    After 16 minutes, the only thing that was decided was that both the Cardinals and War Eagles were evenly matched. As halftime commenced, Landrum and Gray Collegiate would be all knotted up at 17.   Defense would be the order of the day as both Landrum and Gray Collegiate struggled to put points on the board. One frame remained to determine the first 2A girls state participant with the War Eagles with a slim 21-20 lead.   Midway through the fourth quarter, Landrum assumed a five-point 27-22 lead which prompted a Gray Collegiate timeout. What continued to be a defensive struggle would break the way of the Cardinals as they prevailed by a final of 31-26 over the defending champions.    Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_3452-crop-2236x1469-1708876813.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-860858" style="width:426px;height:auto" /></figure>   In a low-scoring contest such as this one, every point was precious – including the 11 points that were scored by [player_tooltip player_id='251758' first='Savannah' last='Brown'] to lead all point-getters for Landrum. Her only two field goals were from deep.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_3327-crop-2366x1554-1708876940.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-860860" style="width:425px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='587300' first='Kylie' last='Fortner'] contributed 10 points to the Cardinals' cause. Getting out in transition to convert on easy baskets near the rim proved to be big in Landrum's efforts to gain the victory on Saturday afternoon.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_3450-crop-3073x2018-1708877047.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-860862" style="width:424px;height:auto" /></figure>   Sydney Price is another of the three seniors that make up the 2023-24 rendition of Landrum basketball. She added eight points to the Cardinals efforts. Out of the four 3-pointers the Cardinals connected on, Price had a pair of those triples.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_3455-crop-3406x2236-1708877148.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-860864" style="width:423px;height:auto" /></figure>   The interior game has been a strength of the War Eagles all season and it showed up again in Florence. It was spearheaded by [player_tooltip player_id='242933' first='Kadence' last='Walker-Lee'] who concluded her afternoon with a 12-point performance.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_3396-crop-2415x1586-1708877249.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-860866" style="width:426px;height:auto" /></figure>   Gray Collegiate benefitted from the 11 points that were placed on the scoreboard courtesy of [player_tooltip player_id='207409' first='Karlee' last='Phelps']. Phelps displayed her ability to connect on midrange jumpers and was not afraid to take a few tries from deep.   So Long, Senior (and so long, 2A)   [player_tooltip player_id='185424' first='Jordan' last='Mintz'] is the lone senior on this year's Gray Collegiate roster. The War Eagles are also, of course, saying farewell to the 2A ranks and will say hello to the 4A realm.    Up Next…   With the Cardinals prevailing over the defending champions, Landrum would await its opponent on March 1. That was determined later that day.    Lower State Final: Bishop England vs. Andrew Jackson   With one of the 2A state championship participants revealed, it was time to figure out which team Landrum would face on the first day of March for the state crown.    And it featured a pair of familiar foes who met in last season's Lower State final which Bishop England got the better of. The Bishops were on the receiving end of last season's state championship defeat to Gray Collegiate. Coach Paul Runey once again has this season's Bishop England assembling at or near the top of the coaches' rankings. The Bishops earned a trip to Florence at the expense of Mullins, Chesterfield and Kingstree.    Andrew Jackson had to vividly remember how last season ended – and the one prior to that when the Volunteers were on the bad end of a state championship defeat to Christ Church. This season, Andrew Jackson has been another team that has been among the class of the 2A field. Edisto, Oceanside Collegiate and Woodland all suffered postseason defeats to the Volunteers.    Victory this time belonged to the Volunteers and the final score was an emphatic 56-33 to end the 2023-24 season for the Bishops.    Quarter-By-Quarter   Through one frame, neither the Bishops nor the Volunteers established itself as more dominant than the other. With one quarter in the books, Andrew Jackson had a 13-9 advantage over Bishop England.    Through the second, the contest began tilting heavily in Andrew Jackson's favor as they opened up a double-digit lead. The halftime score was very auspicious for the Volunteers as they led Bishop England by a 23-13 tally.   The Volunteers began the third quarter emphatically with an 8-2 scoring binge that prompted a timeout from the Bishops. Andrew Jackson also closed the third period with a buzzer-beating three. A championship date with Landrum was in sights for the Volunteers as they assumed a commanding 42-20 advantage with three in the books.    Bishop England actually had its best offensive quarter in the fourth. The only problem was that Andrew Jackson had already put this one well out of reach. The Friday 2A girls state matchup was set in stone – Volunteers vs. Cardinals.    Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_3629-crop-2236x1469-1708877732.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-860868" style="width:428px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='175322' first='Tamia' last='Watkins'] continues to display why her return to the Volunteers has paid massive dividends. She contributed 19 points to Andrew Jackson's efforts. Bishop England's defense had little to no answers for Watkins – one of the state's premier 2025s.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_3624-crop-2236x1469-1708877822.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-860870" style="width:429px;height:auto" /></figure>   The Volunteers also got another big game from [player_tooltip player_id='383418' first='Ni'yonna' last='Asbelle']. She finished with 15 points and spearheaded Andrew Jackson's efforts from deep. The team sank five from distance – Asbelle had three of those.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_3643-crop-2451x1610-1708878698.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-860875" style="width:434px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='395216' first='Emiley' last='McCall'] finished with 10 points. McCall provided plenty of timely offense and was unafraid of drawing contact to take her opportunities at the free throw line. She is one of seven juniors on this team.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_3696-crop-1833x1204-1708878859.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-860878" style="width:434px;height:auto" /></figure>   For Bishop England, freshman Olivia Allen provided plenty of worthwhile minutes off the bench. She finished with 10 points. The Bishops as a team made three from deep. Allen contributed two of those.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/IMG_3689-crop-1833x1204-1708878960.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-860881" style="width:436px;height:auto" /></figure>   Madison Riley finished with nine points in what proved to be the final game for her sporting Bishop England's signature green. Riley is one of seven seniors that will soon trade those uniforms for caps and gowns.   Unavailable   [player_tooltip player_id='496215' first='Ayona' last='Alexander'] was unavailable for the Volunteers. She was with the team and on the bench wearing street clothes.    So Long, Seniors   Those other 2024s outside of Riley are Lizzy Tompkins, [player_tooltip player_id='206616' first='Isabella' last='Woods'], Lilly Hodge, Julia Bride, Jetta Mevold and [player_tooltip player_id='280762' first='Julia' last='Penton'].    Up Next…   Andrew Jackson vs. Landrum at 2 p.m. at the Florence Center on Mar. 1.

Following the 5A teams determining who their state championship game participants would be, the next classification to decide which teams would play for the big prize was that of 2A.