The 2019-20 S.C. High School League has come down to 2 Chronicle Country boys’ basketball teams.

Both Gray Collegiate and Dutch Fork will look to hoist state title trophies this Friday at Colonial Life Arena. All 10 championship games can be seen on Spectrum Cable (Channel 1250) or online at www.wach.com or www.nfhsnetwork.com (for a fee).

CLASS 2A FINAL - GRAY COLLEGIATE (24-6) VS. WHALE BRANCH (21-6) 5 pm

It’s the 3rd consecutive trip to the Class 2A finals for the top-ranked War Eagles, winners of 14 straight, both overall and the post-season.

Gray Collegiate seeks to become the 9th team in SCHSL history to win 3 consecutive state titles. The contest is a rematch from last year’s 2nd round matchup in the Lower State won 62-40 by the War Eagles.

Senior All-State guard Tauris Watson is averaging a team-high 17.6 points per game and has sparked the team defensively with 2.4 steals a game. S.C. Basketball Coaches Association Class 2A Player of the Year Latavian Lawrence is 2nd on the team in scoring (12.2 points per game) to go with 5.2 rebounds a game.

Chase McDuffie, Zaire Rogers and Tory Kelly are also contributors on a team whose length and height has proven problematic for opponents.

Whale Branch brings 7 seniors to the floor against Gray Collegiate and are riding an 8-game winning streak. The Warriors will present some height in the middle to match up with the War Eagles. Senior All-State 6-foot-8 center Nick Pringle has averaged 15.2 points and 10.9 rebounds a game.

Fellow senior Shawn Chisolm is averaging a teamhigh 15.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

CLASS 5A FINAL - DUTCH FORK (21-9) VS. DORMAN (29-1) 8:30 pm

Same schools, different sport.

Nearly 3 months after winning a 4th straight title in football, the Silver Foxes will look to prevent the Cavaliers from doing the same on the hardwood.

Dutch Fork has 5 football players on the roster, including point guard Jarvis Green who had 25 points in the 71-52 win over Conway in the Class 5A Lower State final. Seniors Jarvis McClurkin and DiMarco Johnson have also stepped up their play since returning to basketball.

Both acknowledge the mentality and energy developed from football has helped them on the hardwood.

At the same time, Jones said it still took time to reintegrate the returning football players back to the roster to go with young players.

“Our biggest thing was figuring out roles as coaches and what are their roles and players figuring out their roles,” Jones said.

Meanwhile, Dorman is seeking to join Calhoun County as the only programs to win 4 straight SCHSL titles in the past 96 years. Led by SCBCA Co-Players of the Year guard Myles Tate and center P.J. Hall, the Cavaliers have won 27 straight games.

Ryan said his team’s commitment to team play, led by their senior leaders, has created a “special” environment at Roebuck.

Irmo’s playoff run concludes

The 2nd ranked Yellow Jackets lost to top-ranked Clover 67-47 in the Class 5A Upper State final.

The Lady Blue Eagles used a 24-3 scoring run in the 2nd quarter during which they hit 5 of their 9 3-pointers to take control of the contest.

All-State guard Ayleshia Wade scored a game-high 25 points.

The loss snapped a 14-game winning streak by Irmo (24-4), which was making its 1st semifinal appearance since 2015.

Jayla Lovett finished with 15 points and Ehrial Wagstaff and Maliyiah Mason each had 9 points.