AIKEN, S.C. — Madden Collins scored 16 points to lead Irmo to a 58-43 win over Lancaster in the Class AAAA state championship game Thursday evening at the USC Aiken Convocation Center.
AJ Brand added 15 and Brandon Crawford had quite the all-around game with 12 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocked shots as Irmo seized command with a 32-9 halftime lead.
Irmo head coach Tim Whipple was making his 11th state championship appearance and the victory gave him six state titles, the first since 2013.
Irmo’s fortunes clearly took a turn for the better when center Brandon Crawford returned from a three-week battle with mononucleosis.
With his presence in the middle, the Yellow Jackets hit their stride down the stretch and rolled to a region title and that momentum continued through the playoffs and into the state title game where they recorded a convincing victory over a Lancaster team which has been also quite potent during the season.
But this is an Irmo team that has been on a mission and with a head coach who knows which buttons to push come March, the Yellow Jackets left no doubt as to who is the top team in Class 4A for the 2022-2023 season.
In the Class 4A girls’ state championship, North Augusta defeated Westwood 42-29. The Redhawks were making history as the first team from Westwood to compete for a state championship.
Jessica Woods led Westwood with 10 points.
For North Augusta, it was their fifth state title in the last seven years.