BE girls’ basketball knocked out of playoffs in lower state final

The bus ride home from the Florence Civic Center Feb. 24 was, at times, long and quiet. But by the time the Bishop England High School girls’ basketball team arrived back on campus, the hurt of a 56-33 loss to Andrew Jackson in the Class AA Lower State championship began to subside. 

 

After all, a top-4 finish in the state and a 28-3 record would be an incredible season for most of the teams in the Palmetto State.

 

“The girls played real hard,” BE coach Paul Runey said. “It was a good run for the girls. I thought we had a very good group of girls. They worked hard, played hard – and they played to the best of their abilities.”

 

So did Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson, in Runey’s opinion, was the best Class AA team in the state. Throw in a revenge factor and the Volunteers were not going to be denied.

 

Last year, the two schools met in the Lower State championship in Florence and the Bishops melted away a 12-point first half deficit by outscoring the Volunteers 17-4 in the second half to gain a 39-38 victory. Bishop England’s Evelyn Kitchin hit a free throw with three seconds left in the game to provide the margin of victory.

 

But that was then, and Saturday was now.

 

The biggest difference? Andrew Jackson standout junior Tamia Watkins. She played for Andrew Jackson as a freshman and helped her team reach the state title game. But she transferred to Legion Collegiate Academy in Rock Hill in time for last season. She transferred back to Andrew Jackson this season and was a force all season long, earning the Class AA player of the year.

 

Saturday, the Bishops held Watkins to 19 points, which was eight points below her average. But the Bishops couldn’t contain her when it came to missed shots. She grabbed 21 rebounds as the Volunteers improved to 26-4 and reached the Class AA championship for the second time in three years.

 

The Volunteers will play Landrum March 1 at the Florence Civic Center.

 

Andrew Jackson outscored the Bishops 13-9 in the first quarter, but BE scored the first four points of the second quarter to force a tie. But the winners outscored the Bishops 8-0 the rest of the stanza to take a 23-13 lead. The Volunteers put the game out of reach, outscoring BE 19-7 in the third quarter to take a 42-20 lead.

 

Sophomore Ni’Yonna Asbelle, an all-state selection, added 15 points for the Volunteers. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the victory was that the Volunteers handled the Bishops without sophomore forward Ayona Alexander, who averaged 18.5 points and 12.6 rebounds for the Volunteers before going down with an injury in January.

 

Senior Madison Riley and freshman Olivia Allen both scored nine points for the Bishops while junior Hanna Rosato tallied seven.

 

The Bishops said goodbye to seven seniors who played in their final game. Four of the seniors were starters. Runey will begin the 2024-25 season with 806 career victories.