Class A State Championship Preview
Hemingway
Nickname: Tigers
Coach: Greg Lawson
Record: 21-5
State Championship: 5
Last Appearance in State: 2016 vs. Calhoun County 65-55 lost.
Road to Columbia: Defeated C.E. Murray 88-61, Baptist Hill 60-41, Bethune-Bowman 83-55.
Probable Starters: Darius Taylor Soph. 6’0 (10.0 ppg, 1.3 spg), Desmond Pressley Sr. 6’1 (13.1 ppg, 5.5 RPG, 1.9 spg.), Solomon Skinner Sr. 6’1 (9.2 ppg, 1.7 RPG, 1.3 apg, 0.9 spg), Tyrike Lewis Jr. 6’3 (9.1 ppg, 4.6 RPG), Darius Williams Soph. 6’4 (10.8 ppg, 8.1 RPG, 0.4 bpg)
Key Reserve: Jaquan Julious Jr. 6’4 (2.6 apg, 3.0 RPG), Malek Morris Sr. 5’11 (5.2 ppg, 0.4 apg), Darius Brown Sr. 6’0 (4.3ppg, 0.7 RPG).
Lewisville
Nickname: Lions
Coach: Michael McRae
Record: 19-6
State Championship: 2
Last Appearance in State: 2013 vs. Whale Branch 64-54 win.
Road to Columbia: Defeated Estill 76-41, Williston-Elko 76-70, Calhoun Falls 71-48.
Probable Starters: SR. 6’6 Trey Keels (13 ppg, 11.5 RPG, 3.1 blk), Mikial Fourney Jr. 6’2 (12.3 ppg. 7.4 RPG, 2.9apg), Demetric Hardin Fr. 6’0 (8.6 ppg, 7.6 apg), Michael Hill Sr. 5’11 (15.7 ppg, 4.1 spg, 3.6 apg), D’Metrius Edwards Sr. 6’0 (4.1 ppg, 10.2 RPG)
Key Reserve: Jadakiss Talford Soph. 6’2 (10 ppg.), Maurice Grant Soph. 5’10 (5.9 ppg), Quentin Sanders Jr. 6’2 (4.1 ppg, 2 spg), Drew Colvin Sr. 6’2 (2.9 ppg, 3 reb)
Summary: Michael McRae played at Hemingway as a player on the 1998 and 1999 Class 2A state championship team under Coach Jerry Hartwell. Hemingway played the first three games without 10 of its 15 starters and Lewisville played without 8 of its 14 starters because of the football season being extended for two weeks because of Hurricane Matthew.
Greg Lawson is the Hemingway AD and the Head Coach of the Tigers Football team that lost in the Class A lower state title game to Lake View. The Tigers have a bad taste in their mouth from losing the title game to Calhoun County and wanted to make it back. Lewisville Mike Hill finished second behind Hemingway Desmond Pressley in the Class A Player of the Year. Pressley was named to SCBCA North / South team that will play at Lexington High School on March 18.
2 Lions have found schools for next season. Trey Keels Presbyterian College (Football) and Michael Hill – Iowa Western Community College (Football)