SUMTER, S.C. — The trophy cases at Cardinal Newman and Newberry Academy are going to have some additional hardware.
The Cardinals won their fourth consecutive SCISA state championship with a 54-44 win over First Baptist Saturday at the Sumter County Civic Center.
South Carolina signee Ashlyn Watkins led the way with 26 points in her fifth consecutive appearance in the state finals.
Lauren Jacobs added 14 for the Cardinals.
Watkins will be headed to Chicago in late March for the McDonald’s All-American Games. The 5-star post player will be part of the historic contest on March 29. The previous night, Watkins will be on the court competing in the dunk contest which is part of the Powerade Jam Fest.
In the Class A state championship game, former News19 Player of the Week Daja Taylor had a career high 29 points as Newberry Academy defeated Cathedral Academy 52-38. It was the Eagles’ second consecutive state championship and it continues quite the two-year run for Eagle athletics.
The volleyball team also won its second consecutive state championship and all five starters on the court Saturday for Newberry Academy have also been a part of the repeat effort on the volleyball court.