Camden defends girls SCHSL 3-A title; Powdersville takes 3-A boys state championship
Joyce Edwards, playing the final game of her stellar high school career, may have saved the best for last.
The 6-foot-3 center and South Carolina signee scored 27 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked 6 shots as the Bulldogs pounded Wren 44-22 to win their second consecutive 3-A state championship Saturday afternoon at the Florence Center.
It’s the fifth state championship overall for the storied Camden program.
Braylin Mungo added nine points for the Bulldogs, who wound up with a 28-2 record.
South Carolina commit Joyce Edwards dominated with 27 points and 20 rebounds in leading Camden to a 44-22 win over Wren in the SCHSL Class 3-A girls basketball state championship game.
Wren was able to keep it relatively close for a half, trailing 20-13. But the Hurricanes couldn’t muster any kind of offense. Star forward Raina McGowens, who averaged 21.2 points for the season, had just four points. Dayana Hayes and Olivia Randolph each had six points to lead Wren, which shot just 18.6 percent.
Camden added four points to its lead in the third quarter and finished out the game by smothering Wren to the tune of just two points in the final period.
The Hurricanes were pressured into 19 turnovers while Camden had just 8.
Among those present at the game was Edwards’s future coach, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley.
Powdersville prevails
Jaleel McGee scored 18 points, Powdersville turned back a Darlington rally and the Patriots prevailed 53-47 to win the 3-A state championship.
Hayden Assemian had 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Patriots finished the season with a 25-6 record.
Darlington (25-5) got most of its offense from Keenan Dubose, who pumped in a game-high 27 points.
Powdersville, behind a big night from Jaleel McGee, defeated Darlington, 53-47, to win the SCHSL Class 3-A boys basketball state championship.
Powdersville led by four at halftime but opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run.
Dubose and the Falcons roared back and got within one but Powdersville never relinquished the lead.
A 3-pointer by Dubose made it a 50-47 game with 34 seconds left but the Falcons had to foul and Powdersville padded the final margin with free throws.
