Furious end-game rally powers Blythewood boys basketball to state title game
TJ Lewis has had some big moments this season for the Blythewood boys basketball team, but none bigger than on Saturday.
The senior scored four points in the final 30 seconds to help the Bengals to an improbable 46-45 come-from-behind win in the Class 5A Division I Upper State championship at the Florence Center.
With the win, Blythewood advances to the state championship game, set for Friday at 8 p.m. against rival Ridge View, which defeated James Island earlier on Saturday. It will be the Bengals’ second title appearance, with the other coming in 2017 when they lost to Dorman.
Blythewood will have both teams playing for state championships, as the Bengal girls team defeated JL Mann to advance to their first state championship game.
“We haven’t been to a state championship in a long time,” Lewis said. “We told ourselves before we left the locker room at halftime that we are going to find a way to win the game. So when we came back and won, it was an emotional feeling, and it is something we haven’t done in a long time.”
Blythewood gets a third crack at Ridge View, losing to them twice in the final week of the regular season. But before that matchup, the Blythewood players and coaches were trying to soak in what they just witnessed over the final quarter.
“Right now, I am trying to put it together. It is hard for me to believe,” Blythewood coach Zeke Washington said. “Dorman has had our number so many times. We played them in the first 5A state championship. They are a great program. We just happened to win this one.
“To get over the hump and get to a state championship is big, but give all the credit to the players. ... It is a testament to them (players). I wish I could take credit, but I was just sitting there, going along for the ride.”
Washington is trying to become the third coach in state history to win a state championship with three different schools. He won one with Fairfield Central boys (1998) and Chester girls (2004).
Blythewood, which led after the first quarter, trailed for much of the game until the fourth quarter. Dorman took a 44-33 lead, with 5 minutes, 8 seconds left, on Keenan Arcega-Whitesides’ basket.
But the Bengals turned up their defensive pressure and were able to get the stop they weren’t able to get earlier in the half. Blythewood also got some big rebounds, something else they weren’t able to do earlier in the game.
Lewis, who finished with 21 points, led the comeback charge and hit a 3-pointer to get the Bengals within five points at 44-39. Javarius Wyche hit two free throws to trim the lead to 44-42 with 1:35 left.
Dorman led 45-42 before Lewis drilled a 3-pointer that tied it with 20 seconds left.
“I knew I wanted the ball. I trust my reps and trust my confidence. I put enough work for this situation,” Lewis said. “So, I figured I would take the shot. My teammates had enough trust in me to take the shot, and they did. And God let it work out the right way we needed to.”
After Lewis’ basket, the Cavaliers missed a layup on the other end and Blythewood got the rebound and called timeout with eight seconds left.
Terrion Mack dribbled the ball up the court and passed it to Lewis who dribbled and Dorman’s Pedan Breazale fouled him with 2.4 seconds left.
Lewis made the first and missed the second, but the rebound went out of bounds in favor of the Bengals with 0.4 seconds left. Blythewood inbounded the ball and the bench and fans erupted in celebration.
Jaden Johnson led Dorman with 22 points. The Cavaliers have been one of the powerhouse programs in the state for the past decade, winning five state championships and making six title appearances since 2017.
“We competed as hard as we could. I am proud of our guys,” Dorman coach Thomas Ryan said. “We just kind of self-destructed at the end and some of our inexperience really showed off. But they will learn from this. … We had a good season, just disappointed in the finish tonight.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 8:21 PM.
