SCHSL 3A Lower and Upper State Finals: Tuesday’s Results

When play commenced at the Florence Center on Tuesday, a good 60 percent of the state tournament field was determined with the 5A, 1A and 2A classifications settling their Upper State and Lower State championships.   Tuesday would see the 3A teams have their turn at the mic. One of the four teams that were left standing happened to be the defending 3A state champions. Two others are set to change classifications following the conclusion of this season.    We at Prep Hoops made the trip to Florence for all of the day's festivities. Here is a look at which teams prevailed to advance to championship Saturday.    Upper State Final: Wren vs. Powdersville   This season's 3A Upper State final was also the third meeting between a pair of region foes.    The 3A team in question that prevailed as state champions last season was, of course, the Hurricanes of Wren. Interestingly enough, Wren will move up to 4A next season and the three wins it has earned these playoffs are also against teams who are moving up to 4A – Emerald, Seneca and Blue Ridge.    Powdersville does not have to worry about any classification changes. It will stay at 3A and the Patriots have been one of the more ballyhooed teams across the state given its star player is a South Carolina commit. Union, Daniel and Fountain Inn have been on the receiving end of Patriots victories in this year's tournament.    Wren's title defense would come to an end as the Patriots clinched a berth in the 3A state championship game by virtue of a 47-46 win over the Hurricanes.    Remember What Happened Last Time?   On both occasions that the Hurricanes and Patriots met during the regular season, Wren proved victorious but not without tough efforts from Powdersville. On Jan. 16, the Hurricanes scored a 71-65 victory over the Patriots in overtime at Powdersville, then notched a 65-64 win at Wren on Feb. 2.    Quarter-By-Quarter   With Wren's girls already prevailing over its adversaries from Daniel, the Hurricanes' boys were looking to do its part in painting Florence blue and gold that day. Powdersville did its job in giving the defending 3A champions a game. It was all knotted up at 12 apiece with one in the books.   Nothing would be settled following two frames as it appeared a classic was brewing in the Pee Dee. As halftime commenced, both Wren and Powdersville would be all knotted up at 24 apiece.   As minutes continued to tick off the clock in the third quarter, the momentum was clear on the Patriots side of the court and the Patriots side of the stands. With three complete, Powdersville built a 43-33 lead on defending champion Wren.   But the Hurricanes are defending 3A champions for a reason and they embarked on a furious rally to trim its deficit to four (43-39) – then to three (45-42) – then to one (45-44). Powdersville still managed to hold off Wren and send another defending champion packing this week.   Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4258.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4258.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2362817" style="width:456px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Wren was engulfed in the sandstorm that is South Carolina commit [player_tooltip player_id='1149799' first='Hayden' last='Assemian']. The 2025 for Powdersville led all scorers with an 18-point performance. Interior scoring is among his many strengths.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4326-crop-2389x1569-1709129131.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4326-crop-2389x1569-1709129131.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2362827" style="width:451px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Also assisting Powdersville's efforts was the 10 points that were placed on the board courtesy of junior [player_tooltip player_id='2299729' first='Von' last='Burton']. The Patriots' roster is very 2025-heavy as Burton is one of seven juniors listed on this year's rendition of Powdersville.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4181-crop-2236x1469-1709129350.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4181-crop-2236x1469-1709129350.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2362830" style="width:452px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   With 17 points, [player_tooltip player_id='1341455' first='Abijah' last='Franklin'] led what was a very dangerous Hurricanes attack. He spearheaded Wren's efforts from behind the 3-point line as he had four of the team's six made shots from deep.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4214-crop-2758x1811-1709129549.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4214-crop-2758x1811-1709129549.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2362832" style="width:452px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Wren also benefitted from the 10 points that were put on the scoreboard courtesy of [player_tooltip player_id='1826853' first='Jeremiah' last='Campbell']. In what turned out to be his final game sporting the Hurricanes' signature blue and gold colors, he drained the other two triples.   Up Next…   Powdersville will play on Saturday in the 3A championship game. Later on that day, the Patriots would discover who its opponent would be.    So Long, Seniors   [player_tooltip player_id='1826853' first='Jeremiah' last='Campbell'], Titus Session, Seth Hickerson, [player_tooltip player_id='2208242' first='Cal' last='Godfrey'] and Ethan Sistrunk are the five seniors on this year's Wren roster.   Lower State Final: Darlington vs. Lower Richland   One team had to make a trip across Interstate 20 to get to Florence. The other resides only a hop, skip and jump from the Florence Center.   Entering Tuesday's play, the only other 3A team to defeat Darlington was Crestwood (twice). The Falcons' other losses came at the hands of 4A teams Catawba Ridge and Wilson. Dreher, Loris and North Charleston have been on the receiving end of Darlington victories in this season's tournament.    Meanwhile, Lower Richland took an eight-game win streak into Florence. The Diamond Hornets earned victories over Camden, Philip Simmons and Crestwood. One noteworthy storyline is that these are two teams that will see plenty of each other the next few seasons. Not only are Darlington and Lower Richland moving up to 4A next season, but both will be in the same region.    Darlington got the better of this contest of future 4A rivals. The Falcons scored a 38-35 victory over the Diamond Hornets to advance to the 3A state championship game.    Remember What Happened Last Time?   Lower Richland and Darlington have not faced one another since the 2013 season. That get-together resulted in a 55-45 victory for the Falcons.    Quarter-By-Quarter   Lower Richland was assessed a technical foul even prior to the first minute of play. Both teams would appear evenly matched as the first quarter elapsed. At the end of one quarter, the Diamond Hornets were in front by a tally of 8-6.   At one point in the second quarter, the Diamond Hornets upped their lead to six (12-6). Darlington responded with a 10-1 run to finish the half. The Falcons would bring a 16-13 advantage into that half.    Thanks to a late corner Falcons 3-pointer, Darlington's advantage would be four at the end of three stanzas. One period remained to determine which team would face Powdersville in the 3A championship game and it saw the Falcons ahead by a margin of 23-19.    Low-scoring and close were two characteristics of Tuesday evening's contest. An atmosphere indictative of a state championship game was another characteristic with both teams having large contingencies of fans at the Florence Center. Free basketball would be needed to settle this one as both teams were tied at 27 at the end of regulation.   Overtime periods always come down to which teams makes a few more plays than the other. Darlington indeed made more plays than Lower Richland and the Falcons knew they would take on Powdersville for this year's 3A state crown.   Primetime Performers   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4676-crop-2236x1469-1709129828.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4676-crop-2236x1469-1709129828.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2362834" style="width:468px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Approrpiately, it was a pair of seniors that paved the way to victory. One of those 2024s was [player_tooltip player_id='986186' first='Keenan' last='Dubose'] who led all Darlington point-getters with 12 points. Dubose displayed his toughness all game long.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4729-crop-2236x1469-1709129980.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4729-crop-2236x1469-1709129980.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2362836" style="width:472px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1242305' first='Michael' last='Green'] was another who stepped up to make big plays. The senior tallied eight points for the Falcons. Eight points may not seem like much on paper, but those eight points helped greatly in a game this close and as low-scoring as this one was.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4596-crop-2245x1474-1709130124.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4596-crop-2245x1474-1709130124.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2362839" style="width:466px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   A pair of six-point scorers keyed the efforts for Lower Richland on Tuesday night. One of those was [player_tooltip player_id='1466165' first='Alex' last='Atkinson'] who is a Presbyterian commit. Unfortunately for the Diamond Hornets, he fouled out in overtime.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4754-crop-2236x1469-1709130218.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/IMG_4754-crop-2236x1469-1709130218.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2362842" style="width:464px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Six points were also placed on the scoreboard by [player_tooltip player_id='1605781' first='Mario' last='James'] who thrives playing at either of the guard positions in the backcourt. He has previously worn the uniform of Carolina Legacy Assault during travel play.   Up Next…   Darlington vs. Powdersville for the 3A boys state championship this Saturday at the Florence Center.    So Long, Seniors   [player_tooltip player_id='1466165' first='Alex' last='Atkinson'], Ernest Wesley, Jeremiah Orange and Ja'Mel Patterson are among the seniors graduating from Lower Richland at the conclusion of the spring semester.

When play commenced at the Florence Center on Tuesday, a good 60 percent of the state tournament field was determined with the 5A, 1A and 2A classifications settling their Upper State and Lower State championships.