Blythewood basketball blitzes opponents on way to state finals

Zeke Washington isn’t afraid of a rebuilding project.

He knew he had one when he took over at Blythewood in 2012 because the Bengals had only one winning season since the school opened in 2006. But five years later, Blythewood has a pair of region titles and will play for its first state championship Friday against Dorman at The Colonial Life Arena.

"I always like rebuilding and it was a program that needed to be rebuilt and we took it on as a challenge," Washington said. "My staff and I knew they had athletes there, so it took some time to get a group to buy in to what we were selling."

Some of those athletes were lost after Blythewood split to form Westwood High. That forced Washington to play many younger players in his first couple years. But those young guys gained valuable experience despite having losing seasons the first two years.

There was also getting used to Washington’s style of play. He likes to play up-and-down and play as many players as possible. The system worked in Washington’s previous stops at Fairfield Central, Chester and Lower Richland, resulting in state titles at Fairfield Central and with the Chester girls.

This year’s team uses 10 or 11 players a game, who sub in and out frequently. Senior guard Keith Matthews said players aren’t bothered by their minutes, especially after the results the past three seasons which have netted 61 victories.

"We are deep and can go 10 deep and not miss a beat, keep it going. It is hard to run with us, we are a fast-paced team," said Matthews, a Stetson signee. "You give it all you got and you know the next man coming in can maintain and contribute until you get back in."

Washington said the Bengals’ depth was big factor in Saturday’s 61-50 overtime win against Irmo in the Class 5A Lower State Lower State championship. It was the second win over the Yellow Jackets this season. But their one loss to the defending lower state champs might have turned the Bengals’ year around.

Since the 56-49 loss to Irmo on Dec. 13, Blythewood has lost just three times, two coming in Christmas tournaments.

"We had a lot self examination and things we didn’t do right and try to change those things," Washington said. “We had to get more paint touches, play better defense and be more disciplined in our shot selection. That kind of game woke us up. Our kids took things to heart and made some changes."

This story was originally published March 2, 2017 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Blythewood basketball blitzes opponents on way to state finals."