CA Johnson boys get revenge on Abbeville, advance to Upper State finals
C.A. Johnson had one mission on Tuesday night: Erase the ghost of Abbeville from their mind.
After a tense back-and-forth contest that saw the teams leave the floor early in the fourth quarter because of fan involvement in the stands, the Hornets made the plays down the stretch to advance to the Class A Upper State finals for the second consecutive season with a 75-68 win over the Panthers.
“This is for the C.A. Johnson community,” Hornets coach Robert McCray said. “It’s big for the community, it’s big for the program. We’re up. Academics, all the athletics, everything is up. It’s great energy and a great vibe. The community is doing wonderful and that’s what it’s all about. My boys are going to be part of bringing a new standard to C.A. Johnson.”
C.A. Johnson will face Horse Creek at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Class A Upper State championship game at Batesburg-Leesville High School. Horse Creek defeated Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 50-47.
The CAJ roster features a lot of the same players who lost to Abbeville last season in the state semifinals, and they had revenge on their mind.
“This feels great. We gave them the same thing they gave us, the same feeling,” C.A. Johnson’s Milton McCray said.
Neither team led by more than five points in the first half. They had six lead changes and five ties in the first half, and C.A. Johnson held a 40-39 lead at the break.
Jaden Baylor single-handedly kept the Panthers (21-3) in the game in the third quarter when he scored 15 of his 21 points to provide the two-point cushion, 59-57, going into the final eight minutes.
McCray, a junior, and senior Tony Odom found themselves on the bench early in the fourth quarter with four fouls each, but CAJ (22-7) took the lead for good with its two leaders on the sideline.
McCray tied the game at 59 to open the fourth quarter, then King Bryant gave the Hornets the lead for good with his second 3-pointer of the night. CA Johnson connected on 11 3-pointers as a team, with McCray making four to lead the way.
Abbeville got as close as 64-63, but McCray knocked down his final 3-pointer of the night from the top of the key that pushed the lead to four points with 3:16 remaining. McCray added two nice assists for layups in the paint by Elijah Harper and Aissacc Germany to seal the victory.
“I’m so proud of Milton. Last year at this time, if that had happened, it’s over, he’s out, he’s mentally gone,” Robert McCray said. “This year, he’s grown, became a leader and stepped up like he’s supposed to. That’s what we expect of everybody.”
McCray led the way with 21 points. Odom added 16 as four Hornets finished in double figures. Javarious Wyche added 12 points and Germany finished with 11. Baylor scored 21 points for the Panthers with Corde Hadden and Jamerion Williams each adding 14 points.
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 9:58 PM.