BE girls dominate in first round of state playoffs
The reigning queens of Class AAA basketball in the Palmetto State, the Bishop England High School varsity girls, opened the first round of the state playoffs with a game on Presidents Day, Monday, Feb. 17.
The Bishops were more than up for the challenge against a Lake City team that traveled to Daniel Island with only four victories under its belt. The Bishop England team, which began defending its state championship from last year, defeated their opponents with a 78-13 victory.
Bishop England’s Paul Runey might have sounded more like a politician than coach when he attempted to point out the virtues of the Lake City program.
“Going in, we had a lot of respect for Lake City,” said Runey, whose team has won 37 of its last 39 playoff games since the 2011-12 season, and five of the last six state titles. “They were quick and had pretty good talent. On paper, we knew we should win. But they have played teams tough.”
The Bishops, who won yet another Region 8-AAA championship last week, took control of the game right from the tipoff. The Bishops jumped to a 26-4 lead at the end of the first stop and pushed the margin to 45-9 at halftime as 13 of the 16 players on BE’s roster saw action. Runey played his starters for a few minutes in the third quarter as the Bishops improved to 18-7.
The Bishops will be at home Thursday, Feb. 20, to battle Lake Marion, which entered Monday’s road game against Gilbert as a No. 3 seed. But the Gators upset Gilbert with a bucket in the game’s final seconds.
Jaiha Williams led the Bishops, collecting 17 points, five steals and seven assists against the Panthers. Thirteen players scored for the Bishops and three reached double figures. Princess Scott chipped in with 14 points and Lily Woods scored 12.
The big lead gave the Bishops a chance to fine tune their game as the season gears up for March Madness, The Bishops’ backups also got to experience the playoff atmosphere as well.
“I know it was lopsided,” Runey said.” But I am really proud of the ways the girls played. Defensively, we stepped up. That’s what we will need down the road.”
The Lady Bishops are one of four Daniel Island teams to reach the playoffs.
The Bishop England boys, who also won a Region 8-AAA championship last week to finish the regular season with a 24-2 record, including 9-1 in league play, were scheduled to host Loris in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs.
The Philip Simmons High School girls’ team was set to begin the Class AA playoffs with a home game against Allendale Fairfax.
The Philip Simmons boys’ team, which finished the regular season with a 10-15 record, was scheduled to travel to Johnsonville for a first-round playoff game on Feb. 19.
The high school basketball season concludes the weekend of March 6-7 with the Weekend of Champions, which will be contested at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.