By David Shelton Senior Writer Mt. Pleasant – A fantastic spring sports season saw the Oceanside Collegiate athletes win five state championships. The Landsharks won the AAA girls soccer title, their fifth state championship in a row. “We lost 11 players from last year. This wasn’t supposed to happen,” coach Mark Meyer said. The boys tennis team won their fourth consecutive crown and freshman Luke Skillman won the Class AAA individual singles state title. “This is a special group of young men and they put in the work to be good players,” coach Shawn Harris said. The boys golf team won the AAA state tournament, their third title in four years. The championship capped a great 2025 season that saw the Landsharks win five tournaments, including the state tournament. The Landsharks finished with a team score of 589 through 36 holes, 21 shots ahead of runner-up Christ Church. Sophomore Chase Whittle was the individual medalist in the event, needing a playoff hole to beat Evan Cheek of Southside Christian. Both players shot 144 after two rounds with Whittle winning the first playoff hole. Reed Cook finished third at 146 and Blake Boccell i was sixth overall at 148. “This is a very talented group of players. We are blessed,” OCA coach Rocky Catalano said. The girls lacrosse team from winning their second state title in three years, beating rival Bishop England, 12-8, in the AAAA finals. Two-time All-American Teagan Scott came up big for Oceanside, tallying five early goals and two assists as the Landsharks built a 9-3 halftime advantage. Cadyn Clark’s second goal in the first minute of the third quarter pushed the lead to 10-3 just before lightening and heavy rain halted play. Bishop England came into the contest having won seven of the last eight state titles and with a 16-2 record. Oceanside Collegiate finished with an 18-4 record. It took a little longer than coach Tom Harris expected but the Oceanside Collegiate boys lacrosse team climbed back to the top with a resounding 22-2 win over May River in the Class AAAA state championship contest, played on Monday night. Harris guided the OCA program to state championships in 2018 and 2019 and had reached the state semi-finals three times later but came up empty. The championship win to cap this season’s 16-3 record was quite gratifying, especially after an 0-2 start to the season. “We had such a resilient team. This team accepted the changes that we made after the 0-2 start and just continued to build all season,” Harris said. During their 14-game winning streak, the Landsharks out-scored their opponents, 130-23. Among the leading offensive threats were Carter Gregory and Brody Hollingsworth , who dominated the championship game. Gregory led the team in points and assists this season while Hollingsworth returned from injury to make an impact in the playoffs. He tallied three goals in the championship game. Gregory’s championship performance included five goals and three assists. A strong defensive effort was led by senior Alex Seaton and goalie Gavin Harrison . Seaton scored three goals in the finals.

SCHSL Championship Series got started on Saturday with 12 teams in each category striving to earn a state title. It's looking to be a wet week for most of the state, we'll see how the forecast holds up for these games to be completed. Softball 5/26 - Class 5A Div 1. - Byrnes @ Summerville 5/26 - Class 5A Div. 2 - Catawba Ridge @ St. James 6p 5/27 - Class AAAA - York @ Gray Collegiate 6:30p 5/27 - Class AAA - BHP @ Aynor 6p5/27 - 5/27 - Class AA - Saluda @ East Clarendon 7p 5/27 - Class A - Latta @ Lewisville 6p 5/28 - Class 5A Div 1. - Summerville @ Byrnes 5/28 - Class 5A Div. 2 - St. James @ Catawba Ridge 6p 5/28 - Class AAAA - Gray Collegiate @ York 5/29 - Class AAA - Aynor @ BHP 6p 5/29 - Class AA - Lewisville @ Latta 5/29 - Class A - East Clarendon @ Saluda 7p Game 3s (if needed) on 5/30 Baseball - Games Started Saturday, May 24 th with games 5/27, 5/29, and 5/31 5/24 - Class AAA - Southside Christian 14 , Oceanside 1 5/24 - Class AA - Philip Simons 5 , Batesburg-Leesville 3 5/24 - Class A - McBee 5 , LakeView 3 5/27 - Class 5A Div. 1 - Lexington @ James Island 6:30p 5/27 - Class 5A Div. 2 -Catawba Ridge @ Berkeley 5/27 - Class AAAA - Airport @ Seneca 5/27 - Class AAA - Oceanside @ Southside Christian 5/27 - Class AA - Philip Simons @ Batesburg-Leesville 5/27 - Class A - McBee @ Lake View 5/29 - Class 5A Div. 1 -Lexington@ James Island 6:30p 5/29 - Class 5A Div. 2 -Berkeley @ Catawba Ridge 5/29 - Class AAAA - Seneca @ Airport Game 3s (if needed) on 5/31

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to the HSSR Mt. Pleasant – Through the first three innings Saturday night’s first game of the AAA championship series was looking like it would a pitcher’s duel between Oceanside Collegiate’s Aiden Culler and Southside Christian’s CJ Aubuchon but that changed in the fourth and fifth innings as Southside Christian erupted for 13 runs to win game one 14-1 in five innings. Game two will be Tuesday at Southside Christian. The Sabres can claim their fourth consecutive state championship with a win. An Oceanside win would force a deciding game three for the AAA state championship. “We swung the bats well tonight. We struggled in the third a bit, made some adjustments in the fourth and were able to jump on them and put seven on the board. They made a few mistakes and we were able to take advantage. I’m just proud of our guys and their approach to the game,” said Southside Christian’s head coach Scott Freeman. Oceanside Collegiate’s head coach Britt Reames said, “I told our guys we have another game so forget this and move on. This was a poorly executed game all around; we didn’t play defense, we didn’t hit, we didn’t pitch. It is hard to win a game when you don’t execute.” The Sabres were able to manufacture a run in the first thanks to a Landshark error. Tyler Bolemon singled up the middle with one out. Bennett Candler came in as a pinch runner and then got caught by Culler on an attempted pick off move, however, first basemen Aiden Brusman threw the ball into left field and Tyler Bolemon ended up on second base. After Culler struck out the next better before Aubuchon singled to right driving Tyler to score the game’s first run. Culler then took over the next two innings as he struck out five of the six batters he faced. The Landsharks had a chance to get on the board in their half of the second as they loaded the bases on three walks with one out. Aubuchon struck out the next batter and then third basemen Cole Atkins made an outstanding play as he dove left and snagged the hard-hit ball and threw it to first for the third out of the inning. The score was 1-0 Sabres heading into the fourth inning as Culler and Aubuchon had settled down to strike out 12 batters between them. In the top of the fourth the state’s top ranked junior player Carson Bolemon led off with a single to left. Carson went to second on wild pitch before Aubuchon walked. Jacob Wiggs singled to drive in Carson. Mike Hotinski walked to load the bases. Atkins kept the inning going as he singled in Aubuchon. Matt Cauthen walked to reload the bases for the Sabres. An Oceanside error scored Atkins before Tyler and Carson Bolemon drove in two runs each with a single and double respectively to give the Sabres 8-0 lead. Oceanside attempted a comeback in the bottom of the fourth as Charlie Johnson led off the inning with a walk and then stole second base. Charlie Becker singled to move Johnson to third before he scored on a fielder’s choice. Aubuchon then got the next two batters with a fly out to center and he struck out his sixth batter. The top of fifth inning started well for the Landsharks, after Wiggs walked he was thrown out attempting to steal by Oceanside catcher Scott Henry. The next hitter struck out for the second out but then disaster struck for the Landsharks. Third basemen Cade Griffith lost a high fly ball in the lights and dropped the ball allowing Reeves Israel to reach base with two outs. Then Landsharks relief pitcher Tyler Mellison could not find the strike zone as he walked six of the next seven batters he faced. During that stretch Cauthen had the only hit for the Sabres. When the dust settled, Sabres had but six more runs on the board to break open the game at 14-1. Southside Christian brought in Chandler to finish the game SC - 1 0 0 7 6 14 OC- 0 0 1 0 0 1

By Neill Kirkpatrick Special to HSSR Hanahan – Nothing in baseball causes a coach more stress than when his pitching staff can’t find the strike zone as was the case for Fox Creek in the second and third innings Monday night as home standing Hanahan took full advantage by scoring 9 runs and then they had to withstand a Fox Creek rally to advance into the lower state final with a 9-8 win. “I’m proud of our guys. We got down five in the second inning but they didn’t hang their heads. We are a young team but these guys never give up, they never stop fighting and they always compete,” said Head coach Skylar Hunter. The Hawks will take on region rival and the HSSR’s second ranked team Oceanside Collegiate (26-5). The teams have played three times this season with the Landsharks winning all three. The Hawks will have to win twice to advance to their eight state championships series and third in a row. Fox Creek ends the season at 23-7. The Predators will also say good bye to nine seniors that were the backbone of back-to-back region and district champions. “I’m proud of this team. They battled to the end and showed a lot of grit all game,” said Head Coach Roby Gillespie. “This senior class has set the precedent for future teams. We tell the guys ‘Good isn’t good enough, strive to be great’ and this team did that every day.” After an uneventful first inning, the Predators came alive in the second. Bradley Anderson led off the inning with a single. After a strikeout, Will Frischmann stepped to the plate and launched a bomb to right center for a two-run tater and a 2-0 lead. Hanahan starter Chris Polm then walked the next three Fox Creek batters. The first batter that walked Jackson Wright was thrown out by the Hawks Hudson Sprovero for the second out of the inning. Caleb Waters had an infield single for Fox Creek to load the bases with two out. Will Fountain would score on an error and then Anderson plated two runs with a single pushing the lead to 5-0. The Hawks would respond in their half of the second with help from Fox Creek starting pitcher Devin Hillary. With one out Hillary walked Wyatt Muirheid. Zac Jimenez singled to put runners on first and second. Hillary then struck out the next batter before he couldn’t find the strike and walked the next three Hanahan which resulted in two runs cutting the Predators lead to 5-2. In the bottom of the third the Hawks would take the lead with a seven-run inning. It started with a lazy fly out to right. Hillary then walked the next two Hawks. Two wild pitches and a passed ball moved both runners up to second and third. Jimenez singled to scored Polm from third and still leaving the bases loaded.  Gunnar Haulbrooks came up next and singled scoring Muirheid and Jimenez and the game was tied at 5. The inning continued as Tripp Gallus had infield single and Joe Furse walked to load the bases. Sprovero came up next and promptly deposited the ball over the left field fence for a grand slam giving the Hawks a 9-5 lead. Fox Creek’s would bring in their fourth pitcher of the game Audyn Randall, who would get Jimenez to ground out to second base to end the inning. Randall pitched the finals 3 1/3 innings for Fox Creek and shutdown the Hawks offense. He struck out the side in the fourth and gave up only one hit to keep the Predators in the game. “Audyn maybe pitched four or five innings for us all. He came up to me and said coach give me the ball, I know I can throw strikes. He got up there and did his job to keep us in the game,” said Fox Creek coach Gillespie. Meanwhile, Hanahan brought in Haulbrooks in the second inning and he pitched well until the fifth inning. “Gunnar did a good job of settling us down in the middles innings and he also a big hit to bring two runs,” coach Hunter said. The Predators would draw closer to the Hawks as they scored twice to cut the lead to 9-7. Chance Weathersbee singled with one out and moved to second when Wright drew two out walk. Will Fountain would score both runners when he hit a triple into the right field corner. Hillary would cut the lead to one in the top of the sixth when he hit a solo shot over the right centerfield fence and suddenly the Predators were down only one at 9-8. The Hawks made a pitching change after the home run going to lefty Nolyn Nickels. Nickels would walk the first batter he faced but then got the final four outs of the game including striking out the last two batters and the Hawks were headed to the Lower State finals.

Kailen Kramer of Oceanside clearing 12'6 during the AAA State Championship Pole Vault.

SCHSL Boys Tennis State Championship Recap By WORTHY EVANS Contributing Writer Columbia - Thunderstorms throughout the Columbia area Saturday threatened to soak the South Carolina High School League boys tennis state championships, but once the venue moved from the Cayce Tennis Center to the University of South Carolina’s indoor tennis facility off Rosewood Avenue, three out of four championships fell into place. Myrtle Beach claimed the 5A Division 2 championship, A.C. Flora won the 4A crown, and Oceanside Collegiate won the 3A state title as the matches played out over the afternoon on the 6-court facility. The fourth, the 5A Division 1 matchup between upper state champion J.L. Mann and lower state champion Wando , was postponed and rescheduled for Thursday at noon at the USC indoor tennis facility. While under cover, USC’s facility is small compared to the Cayce Tennis Center’s 23-court spread, which would have had eight teams battle out four championships over the course of about four hours. 5A Division 2 Myrtle Beach downs upstate rival Riverside Regardless of classification in which they compete, the Myrtle Beach and Riverside tennis teams have been getting meeting in the state finals for several years. The Pirates won the 4A state title in 2023 with a win over the Warriors. The next year Riverside returned the favor and claimed the 4A crown. This spring both teams moved up a classification and found themselves in the 5A Division 2 bracket. And on Saturday through the rain and location change, Myrtle Beach claimed its second state championship in three years with a 5-1 defeat of the Warriors. “Riverside’s a great team,” Myrtle Beach head coach Jeremy Howe said, noting Riverside head coach Heather Gage . “They had a great strong team last year, and this year they were bringing back two returners, same as us. We have a good crew, but man, I respect that coach all day, and what they’re doing up there.” In singles, No.1 Spencer Green defeated Nathan Purica 2-6, 6-4 (10-0); No.2 Ashiv Patel defeated Hadden Otay 6-1, 6-1; No.4 Foster Cahill defeated Jaehun Kwak 6-4, 6-4, and No.5 Wyatt Anderson defeated Eric Zhou 6-0, 6-4 for Myrtle Beach. The doubles team of Gage Van Wagner and Kenneth Gunter defeated Thomas Belflower and Cooper Pauls 7-5, 7-5 to clinch the win. The only match that fell Riverside’s way was when Myrtle Beach No.3 player Caleb Cahill retired from his match with Spencer Thicke because of cramps. That happened after the Pirates clinched the championship. Gage, whose team won their first state championship in 20 years last year, said her young team is poised to do better in the future. “I’m really proud of my guys today,” Gage said. “It might be the same school and the same program, but I lost five starters from my program last year, and these guys who came in this year fought tooth and nail for every single point. They loved to go on the court and they played with character and class. I can’t ask for anything more.” Having an upstate rivalry to aim for will help her young team, Gage said. “It’s fun to have somebody to aspire to, we talk about it all season long,” Gage said. “Now these guys have the experience this year, they’ve been in this environment and they can come back next year knowing what to expect, and that pressure, it’s going to be so much easier to handle.” Howe, whose team has won three state championships in his four years with the team, thinks another “I can see them coming back again and again,” he said of the Warriors. “I hope that we’ll be back again and make it (to the state championship match) five years in a row.” 4A AC Flora tops Bishop England for 4A title This year’s A.C. Flora boys team picked up where the school’s 2021 state championship team left off. Despite the stoppage of play in the middle of the first sets in singles at the Cayce Tennis Center, and resumption of play in the USC indoor tennis facility, the 2025 Falcons kept their cool and took out Bishop England 5-1 to claim the team’s third state championship. “I don’t know how it works but each one gets sweeter and sweeter,” head coach Amy Martin , who won four state championships, three with the boys and one with the girls, said. “This was the middle school team from 2022, we grew them up from 2021 and they have come out and gotten exactly what they needed to get done this year.” Bishop England No.1 player Dante Naud defeated James Smyth 6-1, 6-4, but the Falcons notched a victory in every other match. No.2 Jude Smyth defeated Roland Wier 2-6, 6-1 (10-3), No.4 Vijay Sinha defeated Colin Murphy 6-1,6-2; No. 4 Will Hewitt defeated Parker Murphy 6-2, 6-4; and No.5 Wiliam Beasley defeated Lucas Kizzetto 6-2, 6-4. In doubles, the No.2 team of Will Trumpeter and Tripp Van Vlake defeated Andrew Hamilton and Caleb Watson 6-1, 6-0. The doubles match was the first win on the board for the Falcons, and once that victory was notched, the hassle of weather and moving from venue to venue disappeared. “We had to keep it rolling. We were a couple of games up, but that means nothing,” Martin said. “We came to a new surface, a new place where fans weren’t allowed to walk around, but we had to keep the same momentum we’ve had for the past three months.” The Falcons (21-1) had carried the momentum of a formidable team, but going into the final match Martin said she felt the pressure of finishing the season on a high note. She added that the team didn’t know much about the Bishops coming into Saturday’s match, and that helped, rather than hurt. “We knew nothing about Bishop England and that was probably to our advantage that we had no knowledge of them,” she said. “Because we overthink and sometimes it’s better to not know anything about your opponent sometimes. BE boys (14-2) coach Kristin Arnold knows that her team put in a lot of good work over the season, and with losses to two state champions, Flora and 3A champion Oceanside Collegiate, the Bishops record is a good one. “We had a great season, I’m very proud of the boys,” Arnold said. “The boys team hasn’t been to the state final since 2019 and they’ve worked incredibly hard to be in this position to be back here. They worked hard and competed and I’m very proud of them, it just wasn’t their day.” 3A Oceanside Collegiate wins fifth straight state championship The venue change didn’t bother Oceanside Collegiate at all. The 2024 2A state champion Landsharks took out Clinton 6-0 to win the 2025 3A championship, the boys team’s fifth straight state title. “We’re very lucky that our team is able to compete in different classes, 1A, 2A, 3A, we’ve been all over the map,” Head coach Alex Lazano said. “I’m just very lucky to have such good players that will allow us to succeed at any level.” Among those players is Coach Lazano’s son, No.1 player Alex Lazano , who defeated Nathan Meade . “Proud dad moment, he’s going to go play for The Citadel ,” Lazano said. “He’s won four straight high school championships. A lot of boys underneath him have won two or three state championships, and all the boys are working hard and competing. We’ve seen them from freshman all the way through graduation.” Behind Lazano’s son were No.2 Luke Skillman , who defeated Edwin Orr ; No.3 William Claus , who defeated Matthew King ; No.4 Oliver Pfarr , who defeated Jacob King ; and No.5 Huck Reynolds , who defeated Cooper Stinson . The No.2 doubles team of Carter Heath and Helms Sandel rounded out the victory by defeating Jake Meyerholz and Malakye Brewer . The success of the Landsharks’ tennis program–the girls team has won three state championships–moves the team forward, Lazano said. “It’s a tradition,” he said. We’ve had I think four or five more others who have moved on and are playing college tennis right now. That’s a big draw for those guys to see that and fill in the spaces.” For Clinton, a 2A school that competed among 3A teams all year, just reaching the final match of the year is a testament to the players’ hard work, Red Devils head coach Clovis Simmons said. “We were put in with 3A this year and that was kind of a shock, but I used it and told the guys that we’ll just have to be the 2A team that makes it the longest distance and hopefully win the 3A bracket,” Simmons said. “We fell short but at least we were here.”

Southside Christian, Oceanside Collegiate lead AAA baseball contenders By David Shelton Senior Writer Moncks Corner – Two programs that have dominated play in other classifications in recent years now sit atop the mid-season rankings of Class AAA. And, while Southside Christian and Oceanside Collegiate are the favorites to reach the AAA state championship series, there are a handful of squads that will make the trek difficult. In the end, however, if the top two teams do advance to the finals we will hear the chatter about private and charter schools once again. Southside Christian played in the Class A state finals four consecutive years, winning state titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The Sabres were probably good enough in the last three seasons to win a higher classification and now they get their chance, moving up two classes when the SCHSL realigned the classifications. Southside Christian (16-1, 8-0 region) has arguably the top junior in the state in Carson Boleman , a University of North Carolina commit. Boleman gets it done at the plate (.298, 19 RBI) and on the mound (6-0, 0.00 ERA in 24 innings, 61 strikeouts, five walks). Boleman is as good as any No. 1 starter in any classification but the Sabres also have CJ Aubuchon , who is 7-0 with a 1.50 earned run average. He also hit .412 with 12 RBIs. Will Cauthen is hitting .486 with 15 RBIs and Tyler Boleman is hitting .392 with 12 RBIs. Second-ranked Oceanside Collegiate won the last two state titles in Class AA and won Class AAA in 2022 so the Landsharks are playing for a fourth straight title. Coach Britt Reames took over last season and the program didn’t miss a beat. Several of the main characters return this spring, led by outfielder Andrew Palmer , catcher Scott Henry , and pitcher Charlie Becker . “We have a good group of players but they really work hard to be successful,” Reames said. “This team will come to play, win or lose. That attitude gives us a chance.” The Predators of Fox Creek hope to sneak up on the favorites but that won’t be easy with as good as they are. Fox Creek leads region 5-AAA with an unbeaten record and sit at 12-3 overall. The program also has won a state title in recent years. Caleb Waters is one of the key offensive leaders this season, hitting .513 with 13 RBIs. Bradley Anderson is the ace of the pitching staff with a 1.56 ERA while hitting .405 with 18 RBIs. Devin Hillary is another key performer, hitting .405 with 15 RBIs. Will Fountain has a few wins on the mound with a 1.85 ERA. Hanahan has won the last two AAA Lower State titles but came up short in the finals both times. The Hawks may not be as talented overall as they have been but they will still be a hard out in the postseason. The Hawks are now in the same region with Oceanside Collegiate and those teams will decide the region title after spring break. Hanahan is led by one of the few returning veterans, catcher Hudson Sprovero , who also is one of the best backstops in the state. The No. 1 pitcher when the season started was senior Riley Ballard . Shortstop Bo Brabham and centerfielder Joe Furse are solid table-setters at the top of the lineup. Nolyn Nickels has been a threat offensively and has pitched quality innings. Swansea is 14-3 overall and the Tigers look to make some noise in the postseason. Kreaton Steppe has been a leader offensively, hitting .346 with 18 RBIs. Kendall Wright also has 18 RBIs and Jacob Harper leads the team with 21 runs driven in while hitting .421. J acob Hai r is hitting .444 through the first 17 games. Aynor, Loris and G eorgetown are locked in a battle for the region seven title. Aynor is 5-1 in league play while Loris and Georgetown sit a game back. St. Joseph’s is another team that was bumped from Class A to AAA but the Knights are competing well at 10-5. They will likely finish second in region two to Southside Christian.  Henry Dryden sets the pace offensively, hitting over .400, along with Nolan Green. Liam Okuley has been the top performer on the mound. Class AAA Top 10 (Apr. 13) 1. Southside Christian 2. Oceanside Collegiate 3. Fox Creek 4. Woodruff 5. Hanahan 6. Swansea 7. Aynor 8. St. Joseph’s 9. Loris 10. Walhalla

By David Shelton Senior Writer Mt. Pleasant – It would not be surprising for Oceanside Collegiate Academy to win multiple state champions again in the spring of 2025. It would be an upset if the Landsharks did not win more than one state title. With strong teams in soccer, lacrosse, baseball and tennis, OCA will be in the hunt for championships. The baseball team has won three straight state titles while boys soccer has won two in a row. The girls soccer program is seeking a fifth consecutive title and the girls lacrosse team is again one of the favorites in AAAA. Another team looking to challenge for a championship is the softball team, coached by Alecia Robinson . The Landsharks are set to battle Hanahan for the region title at the end of the regular season and will then point towards an extended playoff run. OCA went 13-8 in their first 21 contests, playing a competitive schedule against larger schools in the Lowcountry. Robinson reports her team is “much-improved” defensively this season while using speed on the bases with solid offensive potential as well. The lineup returns several seniors who are leading the way this spring. Grace Terry , a utility player, is the defensive Most Valuable player from last season. She also is hitting .382 after 21 games. Terry has signed with Coker College. The top offensive threat is third baseman Addison Miller , who is hitting .468. Miller has signed with Towson. Olivia Gilbert is one of the team’s pitchers and also plays in the outfield. She is hitting .353 on the season. Senior Ava Grace Luckie is a leader in the outfield. Junior Mia Roseburgh is the top pitcher with a 1.88 earned run average and sophomore Hannah Bagwell is a solid defender at first base. Sophomore Kendall Bas is a returning infielder as well. The girls lacrosse team is 9-4 as of April 8 with no losses to a team from South Carolina. Reigning Gatorade player of the year Teagan Scott is having a great senior season, scoring 66 goals with 38 assists in 13 matches. Junior Katelyn Boerst has 43 goals and 37 assists while junior Cadyn Clark has 27 goals and 11 assists. Senior Lila Jane Finlayson has 24 goals and 10 assists. The girls soccer team is 9-2-2 heading into spring break. Sophomore Hailey Piesner leads the team with 14 goals while junior Ella Petry has 10 goals and six assists.

By Billy G. Baker Publisher Florence —In high stakes athletic events, games have defining moments, and when Oceanside Collegiate’s Ella Mae Schepp fouled out mid-way through the fourth quarter, in the Landsharks AAA Lower state championship game against Dillon, at the Florence Civic Center, her team lost the services of their best press breaking guard and the Wildcats rallied for a 59-57 win. Dillon (23-2) will now challenge Walhalla (26-3) in the AAA state finals scheduled at the Florence Civic Center for 6 p.m. on Thursday March, 6 and 6 p.m. Walhalla defeated St . Joseph’s 47-41 to advance. After the come-from-behind win, long-time Dillon head coach James McMillian told the HSSR, “This has been a long time coming,” said Coach McMillian. “This is my 22 nd year in coaching so we are looking forward to playing one more game. “I tell my players not to get too high or too low, and to learn how to play through adversity,” said Coach McMillian. “I am so happy right now, I do not know what to do. “Everybody on the floor stepped up today and I am so proud of our senior leader Mariah Campbell because she has given her heart and soul to Dillon High basketball,” said Coach McMillian. “ Treasure Davis has already scored 1,000 points and she is just a freshman and McKinnon, who is just a sophomore, scored 24 points today. It was just a great team effort and a great team win.” Oceanside Collegiate head coach Mandy Harrison shared some thoughts after the game. “She (Schepp) is a player we do not want to leave the court so it was unfortunate she fouled out,” said Coach Harrison. “We knew their press was coming and we had prepared for it all week. “My message to the team after the game, and they were down and sad, but I told them not to hang their heads because they had a lot to be proud of,” said Coach Harrison. “I reminded them that they had played a heck of a ball game and that they had made some big shots throughout the game.” The Dillon girls are patently famous for their second half full-court, in-your-face, pressing defense, taking advantage of their quickness and tenacity to convert steals into lay-ups. The Wildcats were down 37-27 at the half when they released their wrath of defensive pressure on Oceanside to start the third quarter. By the start of the fourth quarter Dillon had cut the deficit in half to 47-42 when Schepp got her 4 th foul with 6.3 seconds left in the third period. Dillon had built a 14-11 first quarter lead, but in the second period Oceanside erupted for 26 points as senior Teagan Scott scored 10 points, junior Ella Hunter scored 8 points, while Schepp added four points in the second quarter, to give OC a 10-point lead at the half. During the third period, Dillon began the quarter with a basket from the corner by sophomore point guard Khwnylahi McKinnon who would go on to finish with a team high 24 points. At the 6”15-mark McKinnon nailed a three-point shot from the corner and with 3:50 left in the period she hit another three-point shot that cut the deficit to 43-36. Seconds later a steal and lay-up by talented freshman Treasure Davis narrowed the score to 43-38 and OC called time out to regroup. As the third quarter ended Dillon senior forward Zadaiya Moody scored on an inside basket to make the deficit 47-42 going into the final period. Dillon out-scored OC 17-10 in the final and Schepp fouled out with just under four minutes left in the game. Dillon took a 56-55 lead with 1:25 left in the game on a steal and lay-up from McKinnon. OC came right back and regained the lead (57-56) with 47 seconds left on a basket by junior forward Chole Millard . Then with 26 seconds left senior guard Maraih Campbell hit the game winner on a three-point shot that gave the Wildcats a 59-57 win. OC called time out with 1.7 seconds on the clock but was unable to convert as time expired after a challenged inbounds pass.  For the game McKinnon led Dillon’s scoring index with 24 points followed by Davis with 17 points. Campbell contributed seven points with Ayonna Lester getting five points rounded off by two points each from Azyiah Ford and Moody. Oceanside was led by Scott, a senior power forward, along with Schepp with 14 points. Ella Hunter had 9 points, while Millard added 8 points along with junior Henley Hanks who scored six points.