Spring Valley (Columbia), The No. 4 girls basketball team in the
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 girls basketball rankings presented by the Army National Guard, finished off another state championship season over the weekend, topping last year's champion Goose Creek 41-35 for the 4A crown.
The Vikings exacted a bit of revenge on Goose Creek, which won last year's title by one point in the final seconds over Spring Valley.
Only five players scored for the Vikings, as
Asia Dozier poured in 16 points and
Xylina McDaniel added nine.
"It's hard to come back when you lose like that. … But we didn't focus on vengeance, (because) I feel like you never get a lot out of it when you do that," Spring Valley coach Anne Long told The State. "But we'll take a couple extra thumbs up for this one."
The game was low scoring from the start, as Goose Creek took a 16-12 lead at halftime, even though the Gators were held scoreless in the first four minutes. The Vikings came back and led by six points after three quarters and that lead held up for the crown.
The state's championships were held at the Colonial Life Center in Columbia and here are some highlights from the other championship games:
4A BoysTim Whipple had to wait 16 years to claim another state championship, but the
Irmo (Columbia) coach won his fourth crown on Friday night as his team topped Ridge View 79-70 in the 4A boys title game.
Jordan Roper scored 14 of his 24 points in the opening half to lead the way, while
Jeremy Clinkscales added 17 points. It was the first time this year that Irmo had beaten Ridge View.
3A boysWade Hampton (Greenville) became the only team to finish with a perfect record as the Generals knocked off Darlington 79-68 to win the 3A boys title. Brian Steele scored 30 points to lead four Generals in double figures. At one point, the Generals had a 24-point lead in the third quarter.
2A boysKeenan (Columbia) won its second straight title with a 56-50 win over Mullins in the 2A boys championship. The Raiders started the season as the No. 1 team in the state and finished that way.
Quinton Johnson scored 18 to lead the way.
1A boysGreat Falls tied the state record with a ninth state championship as it beat Burke 53-50. Alstevis Suirewell and Shaquille Lamar scored four points in the final 37 seconds to give Great Falls the title.
3A girlsMyrtle Beach won its second straight title with a 60-38 victory over Greenville. Three Seahawks topped double figures, with
Khadijah Sessions leading the way with 21 points.
2A girlsThe only overtime game of the weekend saw
Timberland (St. Stephen) topping Keenan 55-48 for the 2A girls championship. Rateska Brown got overtime started quickly for Timberland as she scored the first seven points of the extra frame.
1A girlsRidgeland won its first girls basketball state title with a 41-34 defeat of St. Joseph's.
Brittany Richardson scored 17 points to lead the way.
HOOPS PLAYERS OF THE YEAR NAMEDThe S.C. Basketball Coaches Association has named its all-state teams, which includes the state's players of the year for each classification.
The boys players of the year are: Irmo's Jordan Roper (4A), Wade Hampton's Rod Drummond (3A), Chesnee's
Dajohn Rowland (2A) and Calhoun County's Shamier Jeffery (1A).
South Carolina all-state boys basketball teams.
The top girls players are: Goose Creek's
Aleighsa Welch (4A), Hartsville's
Jasmine Phillips (3A), Marion's
Candace Wright (2A) and Christ Church's
Hayden Latham (1A).
South Carolina all-state girls basketball teams.
HILTON HEAD WINS VIKING CUPThe Viking Cup is one of the top girls soccer tournaments in the state and
Hilton Head (Hilton Head Island) proved it is one of the top programs.
The 2008 3A state champions knocked off the two-time defending champions, Riverside, 2-0 in the finals of the event. Seahawks goalkeeper Maria Tremarelli was named the tournament's most valuable player after posting three shutouts.
In the finals, Julie Kuklinski and Lindsay Bruno each scored goals as the Seahawks finished 3-0-2 in the tournament. Riverside was 4-0-0 going into the finals.