Irmo boys basketball falls short in Class 4A title game against Byrnes

Irmo was able to withstand Byrnes’ first two big runs of the game. 

But the Rebels delivered the knockout punch on their third run as they scored the first 10 points of the second half on the way to a 57-50 win over the Yellow Jackets on Friday in the Class 4A state championship at Colonial Life Arena.

It is Byrnes’ first state title since it won the Class 3A title in 1990. 

“It came down to them just manhandling us in the lane,” Irmo coach Tim Whipple said. “We couldn’t stop them from scoring. I kept looking at the clock and thought we are still close, but I didn’t know how we were still close.”

The championship completes the turnaround for Byrnes when coach Layne Fowler took over in 2010. Fowler, who played on the Rebels’ state runner-up team in 1993, inherited a program that went 1-19 the year before he took over the program. 

“It’s incredible to knock off a team that’s always there. They’re the Yankees of high school basketball,” Fowler said of Irmo. “It’s so euphoric just knowing what our kids have come through all season. They’re the toughest kids I’ve ever coached, and I’ve had a lot of good kids.”

Hayden Brown led the Rebels with 25 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 forward scored nine of the game’s first 11 points as Byrnes led 11-0 less than two minutes into the game. 

After Irmo (24-5) cut the lead to 16-12 going into the second quarter, Byrnes went on an 8-0 run to lead 24-12 with 5:50 left in the second. The Yellow Jackets answered that run with their strong outside shooting. Guards Dre’Von Sweat and Ta’Vonne Bond combined for five 3-pointers in the first two quarters, and Irmo shot 6-of-12 from 3-point range in the first half to cut the lead to 34-27 at halftime.

Sweat led Irmo with 19 points. 

But Irmo hit only 2-of-7 from 3-point range in the second half, and couldn’t match the inside presence of Brown and point guard Jaylan Foster, who pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds. 

The Rebels (25-4) outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 42-21, and outscored them 34-14 in the paint.

“We couldn’t handle how physical and athletic they were,” Whipple said. “We had no answer for that. It was almost like men versus boys out there at times.”

The loss denied Whipple his sixth state title, which would’ve been the most in Class 4A history. But the veteran coach said he and the team couldn’t be too disappointed from the way the season started. Irmo started 3-3 before winning 21 of its last 22 games to reach the title game. 

“I’m extremely proud of our guys,” Whipple said. “They battled and fought this entire year. For them to even get to this game was a huge credit to their work ethic, and what great kids they are.”

I: Jenkins 3, Brice 5, Gunn 6, Ta’Vonne Bond 11, Dre’Von Sweat 19, Wilson 1, Edwards 2, Hill 3. B: Hayden Brown 25, Miller 9, Glenn 1, Howard 8, Jaylan Foster 10, Morgan 4.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 10:20 PM with the headline "Irmo boys basketball falls short in Class 4A title game against Byrnes."