Blythewood too much for Irmo in overtime, advances to first title game

Blythewood coach Zeke Washington got the homecoming he was looking for and his team made history in the process.

The Bengals scored the final 10 points in overtime to defeat Irmo 61-50 on Saturday in the Class 5A Lower State championship game at the Florence Civic Center.

Blythewood advances to its first state title game next Friday. It will face Dorman at 8:30 p.m. at Colonial Life Arena.

The victory was a homecoming for Washington, who attended Wilson High in Florence. He came close to winning a state title on that floor, but his Lower Richland team lost to Hartsville, 60-46, in 2012.

Washington will take his third team to a championship game. He won titles with the Fairfield Central boys and Chester girls.

“It was a win-win for me. The community where I live now wins and the community where I grew up, I had a chance to come back here,” Washington said. “I am excited for the community and the kids. All I do is sit here. Those guys go out there play and the community makes sure they are here.”

Washington’s current players were determined, even after blowing an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter. In overtime, Keith Matthews knocked down a 3-pointer early on and the Bengals held the Yellow Jackets scoreless the final 3:03.

Matthews finished with 17 points and Robert Braswell added 12.

“I just didn’t want to lose. We came too far and worked too hard,” Matthews said. “And we wanted to get the win for coach. A lot of his family was here, so we wanted it for him.”

Winston Hill led Irmo with 20 points. The Yellow Jackets were in their fifth consecutive state semifinal game and looking for their second title appearance in a row.

“Extremely proud of the kids and season,” Irmo coach Tim Whipple said. “In my mind, I didn’t think we could have reached this far. It is a credit to the guys for staying after it, working hard and getting to a Lower State championship.”

Irmo trailed 40-32 with 5:46 left but went on a 12-2 run to take the lead with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter. Joshua Bowers gave Blythewood a 46-45 lead with 1:04 left, but Jonathon Henryhand hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to give the Yellow Jackets a 48-46 lead. It was Henryhand’s only field goal.

But Bowers hit a floater in the lane to tie it at 48 with less than five seconds left in regulation. Irmo had a chance to win, but Noah Jenkins’ half-court shot fell short.

“We wanted to get ball movement and we had the 3, but we wanted to get an inside shot,” Bowers said. “So when it came back to me, I saw the defense shifted over and I took a jab, took it to the lane and tried to finish the bucket.”

This story was originally published February 25, 2017 at 9:57 PM with the headline "Blythewood too much for Irmo in overtime, advances to first title game."