The Raiders of W.J. Keenan win their third straight title, while the Calhoun County Saints march to a 10th championship for head coach Zam Fredrick.
AIKEN, S.C. — The final Friday of the high school basketball season provided some great moments at the USC Aiken Convocation Center.
The Class 3A girls state championship featured the top two teams in the latest South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association rankings.
W.J. Keenan, looking for its third consecutive championship, came into the contest ranked first with Camden in hot pursuit at #2.
Two of the top players in the country were on the court. Milaysia Fulwiley from W.J. Keenan is a 5-star guard for the class of 2023 and is ranked in the top 15 nationally. Camden’s Joyce Edwards is the top-ranked forward in the country for the class of 2024. Both ladies put on a show. Edwards scored 24 points, but Fulwiley’s 41 points and 17 rebounds carried W.J. Keenan to a 60-58 win as Camden missed a game-winning three-pointer and two putback attempts in the closing seconds.
Camden was making its first appearance in the state finals since winning it in 1982.
Like Camden, Orangeburg-Wilkinson’s last trip to the state championship game was in 1982. The 2022 Bruins were hoping to do what the 1982 team did and capture a state championship trophy. But it was #4 Blue Ridge winning that program’s first state title, defeating second-ranked Orangeburg-Wilkinson 49-42 for the Class 3A state championship. USC Upstate-bound Justin Bailey scored 29 points for Blue Ridge.
In the Class A boys contest, Calhoun County backed up its #1 position in the SCBCA ranking with a 53-49 victory over Scott’s Branch which came in ranked fourth in the state. The win gave Calhoun County head coach Zam Fredrick his 10th state title. The former Gamecock guard has won state titles in four different decades starting with his first state title in 1996. Calhoun County joins Great Falls as the only programs to win reach double figures in state championships on the hardwood.
Calhoun County 53, Scott’s Branch 49
Blue Ridge 49, Orangeburg-Wilkinson 42
Military Magnet Academy 35, Denmark-Olar 20
W.J. Keenan 60, Camden 58
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