Pinewood Prep, Heathwood Hall to play for SCISA AAAA boys title; Northwood, First Baptist after girls crown

       Sumter – Pinewood Prep and Heathwood Hall will do battle for the SCISA AAAA boys basketball state title on Friday, while Northwood Academy and First Baptist School will tangle for the girls championship following the semifinal games on Wednesday at Sumter County Civic Center.

           Pinewood Prep rolled over First Baptist 80-45, and Heathwood defeated Laurence Manning Academy 52-39. On the girls ledger, Northwood whipped John Paul II 57-37, and First Baptist took down Ben Lippen 70-47.

           The girls championship game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start on Friday at the civic center. The boys game will follow with an approximate tip-off time of 7:30.

           The Class A girls title game between Richard Winn Academy and Wardlaw Academy will begin championship weekend on Friday starting at 4.

           GIRLS

           Northwood 57

           John Paul II

           Maliyah Birch, Jada Bates and Alyvia Tocco combined for 53 of the Chargers’ 57 points as they beat the Golden Warriors for the second time on the year.

           Birch led the way with 21 points for NA, which improved to 28-1 on the season. Bates added 17, and Tocco finished with 15.

           Bella Heaton had the other four points.

           Northwood, which beat JPII 73-45 in the first meeting, led just 12-10 after one quarter and 28-21 at halftime. It added some cushion in the third quarter, taking a 43-31 lead into the final stanza.

           Lauren Major led John Paul II, which finished with a 20-4 record, in scoring with 10 points. Lily Termini added eight, Gabby Heathcott had seven, Ellie Heathcott six and Savannah Washington four.

First Baptist 70

Ben Lippen 47

           First Baptist led by just four points in the third quarter before gaining control and using a big fourth quarter to come away with the 23-point triumph.

           The Hurricanes, who improved to 23-12, led 17-6 after one quarter and opened as much as a 16-point lead in the first half. However, the Falcons battled back, pulling within 28-21 at halftime.

           BL, which finished with a 22-8 while reaching the semifinals for the first time in school history, cut the deficit to four before FBS widened the lead to 45-35 entering the final stanza. The Hurricanes outscored Ben Lippen 25-12 in the fourth quarter.

           Maddy Pojani led First Baptist in scoring with 25 points. Dyarri Braddick added 18. Ellie Blitch added 12, and Gabby Moore had 10.

           Eighth-grader Ariel Simmons led the Falcons with 16, while freshman Laney McIntire had 13. Ny’Lasia Gipson added eight, and Mariah Felder had four.

BOYS

Pinewood Prep 80

First Baptist 45

           Pinewood Prep outscored First Baptist 22-9 in the second quarter to take control of the game and roll to the big victory.

           The Panthers, who improved to 27-6, led just 16-13 after one quarter. However, they pushed the lead to 38-22 at halftime and led 51-35 after three quarters.

           Tre Green led Pinewood with 24 points. Kais Parris had 19, Jonathan Slawson 15, Tripp Eidson six and Jayden Alexander and Hayden Moore five each.

William Rose and Jordan Aremu led the 14-13 Hurricanes with 13 points apiece. Jaquan Walker added 10, and James Pojani added seven.

           Pinewood Prep is after its first state title since 2010 when it beat – wait for it – Heathwood Hall for a second straight AAA title.

           Heathwood Hall 52

           Laurence Manning 39

           Heathwood Hall outscored LMA 24-11 over the final 11:38 of the game to advance to a state championship game for the first time since 2012.

           The Highlanders, who improved to 21-7, are in search of their first state title since 2011, which was the second of three straight title game appearances. They were runners-up to Pinewood in 2010 and to – again, wait for it – Laurence Manning in 2012.

           Chip Ravenell led Heathwood with 14 points, while Keon McKinley had 13. DJ Scott, Henry Morris and Deuce Claxton scored five apiece, while Hunter Collins and Xander Pertile both had four.

           Morris, Heathwood’s second leading scorer, injured his knee and didn’t play in the second half. His status for the championship game is not known.

           Wesley Lyles led the Swampcats, who finished 25-5, with 13 points. Zy Dennis finished with nine, Scoop Dennis had seven, and Tristen White had five.

AAAA

Boys

Semifinals

Wednesday, February 25

Game 9 – Heathwood Hall 52, Laurence Manning 39

Game 10 – Pinewood Prep 80, First Baptist 45

State Championship

Friday, February 27

at Sumter County Civic Center

Game 11 – Heathwood Hall vs. Pinewood Prep, 7:30 p.m.

Girls

Semifinals

Wednesday, February 25

Game 9 – Northwood Academy 57, John Paul II 37

Game 10 – First Baptist 70, Ben Lippen 47

State Championship

Friday, February 27

at Sumter County Civic Center

Game 11 – Northwood Academy vs. First Baptist, 6 p.m.