Basketball season remains alive and thriving in the town of Irmo.

On Monday, the 2nd ranked Irmo girls’ basketball team earned their 1st trip to the S.C. High School League semifinals in 5 years. The Lady Yellow Jackets used a dominant 4th quarter to defeat 3rd ranked T.L. Hanna 51-36 for their 14th straight victory.

In heading to the Class 5A Upper State final Saturday against top-ranked Clover, Irmo got a combined 37 points from All-Star guard Ehrial Wagstaff, freshman Maliyah Mason and senior guard Jayla Lovett.

After T.L. Hanna got within 33-30 at the end of the 3rd quarter, Irmo outscored the visiting Lady Yellow Jackets 18-6 in the 4th quarter. It was also the 2nd straight game in which it allowed 1 or less field goal in the final stanza after holding Rock Hill to 1 point in the 2nd round win.

For head coach Monica Williams, who increased her career win total to 409, it was a relief to be returning to the Final Four of SCHSL girls’ basketball. The Lady Yellow Jackets reached the Class 5A Lower State finals in 2015 and made their lone state final appearance in 2004.

“I think it hit me that we can actually go to the Upper State,” Irmo head coach Monica Williams said. “That we’re not going to lose in the 2nd or 3rd round. That we’re actually making it that far.”

Standing in the way of a 1st state final appearance since 2004 for Irmo is topranked Clover. The Lady Blue Eagles (27-2) defeated J.F. Byrnes 63-55 on Monday.

“We played Clover this summer and they’ve got a talented guard (All-State selection junior Aylesha Wade) and a very good coach (Sherer Hopkins) that I’m actually coaching with at the (Carolinas Classic All-Star Basketball Game March 28 in Wilmington, NC.). So that should be fun.”

The winner will face Wando or defending Class 5A champion Goose Creek in the March 6 final at Colonial Life Arena.

Tip-off for Saturday’s Upper State final at Bon Secours Arena in Greenville is 5 pm. The game can be streamed for a fee online at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/.

BOYS TEAMS IN ELITE 8

As of presstime, the Irmo boys looked to join their female counterparts in Greenville for the Class 5A Upper State final. The 2nd ranked Yellow Jackets (24-3) played host to 4th ranked Wade Hampton (24-5) at the Temple of Doom.

The winner would face 3-time defending state champion Dorman or Spartanburg in Saturday’s Class 5A final at 6:30 pm.

Coached by Lexington High School graduate Thomas Ryan, the nationally 2nd ranked Cavaliers look to join Calhoun County as the only SCHSL teams to win 4 straight titles in the past 95 years.

An Irmo/Dorman matchup would mark the 3rd straight year the 2 schools have met in the post-season. The Cavaliers have won both, including the 2018 state final.

In the Lower State, Dutch Fork sought to reach its 1st Final Four in boys’ basketball with a win Tuesday at Fort Dorchester (20-5). Ironically, the football team blanked the Patriots 48-0 in Charleston enroute to a 4th straight Class 5A title.

Head coach Brett Jones has received contributions from key football contributors like Jarvis McClurkin, who had 22 points in the 2nd round win over West Florence on Feb. 22, and All-Region forward Dimarco Johnson.

The winner would face Conway or Goose Creek in the Lower State final Saturday at the Florence Civic Center at 6:30 pm.

In Class 2A, Gray Collegiate (23-6) looked to continue its quest for a 3rd straight title. It played host to Christ Church (24-1) at Allen University with the goal of reaching a 4th straight semifinal and 3rd in the Upper State.

The winner would face in the Upper State final Abbeville or last year’s Class 2A runner-up Andrew Jackson at 12:30 pm in Greenville. Check the results from Tuesday’s games at www.lexingtonchronicle.com .

LADY GATORS’ HISTORIC SEASON COMES TO END

The River Bluff girls’ basketball team started the 2019-20 season with losing streaks both overall (30) and in region play (45).

The Lady Gators pushed aside those dubious marks enroute to winning a school-record 17 games, placing 2nd in Region 5-5A and posting 2 post-season victories for the 1st time.

River Bluff’s run ended Monday with a 61-26 loss to defending Class 5A champion Goose Creek. Despite losing Region 5-5A Player of the Year Japonica Wilson to graduation, the Lady Gators’ future looks bright with All-Region 8th grader Samira Khalil and host of juniors back for another year.

SCHSL REALIGNMENT SET

Not all the good news was contained to the hardwood at Irmo High School.

On Feb. 18, the school saw its final realignment appeal to the S.C. High School League approved by a 3-2 vote by the appellate panel.

This decision allows Irmo to move from its original designated region in 5-4A to the preferred Region 4-4A as part of the 2020-22 realignment plan.

Irmo’s move creates 21 Upper State teams in Class 4A and 19 in the Lower State.

Here’s how the final SCHSL makeup will look over the next 2 years:

CLASS 5A

Region 5-5A: Chapin, Dutch Fork, Lexington, River Bluff and White Knoll

CLASS 4A

Region 4: A.C. Flora, Dreher, Lugoff-Elgin, Irmo, Richland Northeast, Westwood

Region 5: Aiken, Airport, Midland Valley, North Augusta, South Aiken

CLASS 3A

Region 5: Brookland-Cayce, Fox Creek, Gilbert, Orangeburg-Wilkinson, Strom Thurmond, Swansea

CLASS 2A

Region 4: Batesburg-Leesville, Columbia, Eau Claire, Gray Collegiate, Newberry, Saluda

Region 5: Barnwell, Edisto, Pelion, Silver Bluff, Wade Hampton