Ridge View defeats Dorman in playoff battle of marquee SC basketball programs
For all of its accomplishments over the past decade, there’s one thing that eluded the Ridge View boys basketball team: a win over Dorman.
The Blazers got that elusive win in a matchup of two of the state’s top basketball programs with a 74-65 win over the Cavaliers on Tuesday in the Class 5A Division I playoffs.
Ridge View advances to the Upper State championship to face Byrnes at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Rock Hill High School. The Blazers are looking for their third-straight state title.
“I didn’t know Ridge View hadn’t beat Dorman until yesterday,” Ridge View coach Joshua Staley said. “That was a little bit of added pressure. But I told the guys they were gritty, responded, and we get to play again Saturday.”
It was the fourth matchup and first since 2019 between Ridge View and Dorman, who have combined for 11 state championships since 2017.
The game didn’t disappoint the sellout crowd that poured into Ridge View’s gymnasium. The first half of the game featured a bunch of runs from both teams, with neither able to pull away in the first half. RJ Davis’ tip-in at the buzzer gave the Blazers a 38-37 halftime lead.
The Cavaliers jumped out quickly in the third quarter and led 44-38. Dorman’s lead was 47-44 on Aaden Bruton-Smith’s 3-pointer with 1:20 left in the third quarter.
But the Blazers answered with 3-pointers by Talan Saley and Christopher Horton to lead 50-47 after three quarters.
Horton was key for the Blazers off the bench, pouring in a game-high 20 points and hitting five of the team’s eight 3-pointers. The junior was buried on the bench last year but was one of the players to step up after the departure of guards Yale Davis and Korie Corbett.
“I’m the spark,” Horton said. “I got confidence before the game and I didn’t come into the game nervous because if you are nervous then you aren’t prepared. I know what I do best at the highest level and helped us get this one.”
Staley said guys like Horton, JT VanKallen and his son Talan Staley have waited their turn and now are delivering in key moments all season.
“When you come to Ridge View, you always are going to be ready,” Joshua Staley said. “A lot of guys don’t come to Ridge View because they say it is too many guys and too stacked. But if you come to Ridge View, bust your tail, wait your turn, you are going to be ready. That is how it is because you have to compete every day.”
In the fourth quarter, junior DJ Wylie took over, scoring 11 of his 14 in the final period. JT VanKallen drilled a big 3-pointer after a Wylie offensive rebound, to make it 64-58 with 2:40 left.
Talan Staley added 17 points for Ridge View and CJ Moore had 11.
Jaden Johnson and Peden Breazeale each had 21 points to lead Dorman. Johnson scored 19 in the first half, but the Blazers held him to just one field in the final two quarters.
Keenan girls back in state semifinals
After a two-year absence, the Keenan girls are back in the state semifinals.
The Raiders overcame a six-point halftime deficit Tuesday to defeat Dillon, 43-35, in the third round of the Class 3A playoffs. Keenan plays Oceanside Collegiate in the 3A Lower State championship at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Florence Center.
Keenan is looking for its first state title appearance since 2022.
Kristin Brown and Taelor Lee Sutton each had 13 to lead Keenan. The Raiders outscored the Wildcats, 13-5, in the fourth quarter.
Tuesday’s Playoff Scores
Class 5A Division I Boys
(3) Byrnes 71 (2) Dutch Fork 51: Class 5A Player of Year Colt Fowler scored 34 points as the Rebels defeated the Silver Foxes. Byrnes plays Ridge View on Saturday in the 5A Division I Upper State championship.
The Rebels used a 10-2 late in the third quarter to take a 46-37 lead into the fourth.
Samajae Govan led Dutch Fork with 16 points. Caleb Garner added 13 points and Justus Bell had 12.
Class 4A Boys
(4) North Augusta 67, (1) Gray Collegiate 59: The Yellow Jackets won the third matchup of the season between the two teams and advanced to the 4A Lower State championship.
North Augusta will play Bluffton on Friday at the Florence Center. It is NA’s second straight Lower State championship appearance.
Gray won the two regular season meetings between the two teams but lost for the first time at home in more than a year.
Class 5A Division II Girls
(1) Goose Creek 59, (4) Chapin 34: Madeline Dates scored 20 points as the Gators ended the Eagles’ postseason run.
Goose Creek will play Berkeley in the Lower State championship on Friday in Florence.
Chapin was in the third round of the playoff for the first time in more than 20 years. Sami Stephenson led Chapin with 10 points.
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 10:35 PM.
