State champs! Lexington High wins first boys basketball title in 24 years
Lexington High School’s more than two decade state championship drought in boys basketball is over.
Senior Jaxon Prunty scored 23 points and Texas signee Cam Scott had 21 to help the Wildcats past Byrnes 67-48 in the South Carolina Class 5A championship game Friday night at the Florence Center.
The Wildcats last played in the finals in 2012. It’s the program’s third state title and first since 2000. The previous two titles and six championship appearances came under Bailey Harris, who was there Friday to present Lexington coach Elliott Pope with a commemorative game ball.
After the game, the Wildcats celebrated in the stands with the student section and then doused Pope with Powerade and water as he entered the locker room. Pope then took a sledgehammer and broke a cinder block that was placed in the middle of the locker room — an idea the coach had to symbolize the Wildcats finally breaking through with a championship.
“I get it why Thomas Ryan likes doing it so much,” Pope said of winning titles and referring to Dorman coach Thomas Ryan, who has won five state championships. “To have the kids work so hard and get to this point and come out on top, I am extremely blessed with this group of guys, a supportive wife. You can’t do this without everyone involved.”
Expectations were very high for Lexington the past two seasons. They were ranked No. 1 last year but lost in the state semifinals to eventual champion Dorman.
Lexington began this season ranked No. 1 in the S.C. Basketball Coaches Association poll and did not relinquish that spot all season. The Wildcats finished 28-2, with the two losses coming to out-of-state teams at the City of Palms Classic in Florida and the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach.
They ended the season on a 17-game winning streak.
“That is the last box that needed to be checked,” Scott said of the championship. “I feel I have done everything to fulfill myself, but I was just missing a ring. I got it now.
“... This doesn’t even feel real, I’m not going to lie. It is a big accomplishment. I wouldn’t trade it for nothing right now.”
Scott, the most decorated basketball player in program, got that elusive title after shattering many of the school’s individual records. He finished his career with 2,475 points and was courted by many national high school programs to leave, but he wanted to finish things out with his teammates and close friend Prunty, who joined the team last season.
The two exited the Florence Center floor together in the final seconds. Both were in tears.
“All seven or eight years I have known Cam, that moment was special right there,” said Prunty, who also had tied for the team lead with 12 rebounds. “We never cried in front of each other, but it was a great moment right there.”
Kaleb Evans added 12 points for the Wildcats, who shot 44.6 percent from the field and outrebounded Byrnes, 46-29.
Byrnes finished the season at 26-5. The Rebels were making their second championship appearance in school history. Will Fowler led the Rebels with 26 points and had 20 of the team’s 22 points in the first half.
After a cold-shooting start Friday, the Wildcats got hot and went on an 11-0 run over a four-minute span to lead 19-10 with 5:59 to go in the second quarter.
Lexington led 29-22 at halftime despite Scott, the reigning S.C. Gatorade Player of the Year, having just five points. But Pope told his senior “it was time” in the second half, and he responded.
Scott had 12 points in the third quarter and was diving on the floor for loose balls as the Wildcats extended their lead to 46-32 after three.
“Going into the locker room (at halftime), guys like Brayden Rollins. ... Kaleb Evans and Caleb Campbell picked me up and told me this is my game and they would hold it down until I get ready,” Scott said. “And once I was ready, I was on fire.”
L: Kaleb Evans 12, Jaxon Prunty 23, Bell 4, Cam Scott 21, Campbell 3, Byrd 4. B: McDowell 8, Cullen 7, Hill 1, Will Fowler 26, Enos 4, Page 2.
Lexington championship game history
1996 — Lexington defeated Irmo
1997 — North Charleston defeated Lexington
1999 — Lower Richland defeated Lexington
2000 — Lexington defeated Marlboro County
2010 — Gaffney defeated Lexington
2012 — Gaffney defeated Lexington
2024 — Lexington defeated Byrnes
State championship scores
At Florence Center
——Friday——
▪ Class 2A girls championship: Andrew Jackson 78, Landrum 60
▪ Class 2A boys championship: Gray Collegiate 44, Oceanside Collegiate 40
▪ Class 5A girls championship: Sumter 60, Rock Hill 42
▪ Class 5A boys championship: Lexington 67, Byrnes 48
——Saturday——
▪ Class A girls championship: Lake View 49, Denmark-Olar 46
▪ Class A boys championship: Christ Church 53, Bethune Bowman 32
▪ Class 3A girls championship: Camden vs. Wren, 2 p.m.
▪ Class 3A boys championship: Darlington vs. Powdersville, 4 p.m.
▪ Class 4A girls championship: AC Flora vs. Riverside, 6 p.m.
▪ Class 4A boys championship: Ridge View vs. Riverside, 8 p.m.
This story was originally published March 1, 2024 at 9:40 PM.
