Dorman takes Class 5A title, ends Irmo’s unexpected journey

Irmo’s improbable run to the state championship game didn’t have the fairy tale ending many had hoped.

Sophomore Myles Tate scored 20 points, and Dorman used a third-quarter run to defeat the Yellow Jackets, 44-33, to win its second straight Class 5A championship Friday at Colonial Life Arena.

“It wasn’t about this game. It was about the journey to get here,” Irmo coach Tim Whipple said. “I’m proud of the guys. I know you say that a lot, but there is no one that saw us play in January that said we had a prayer to get here. The guys just stayed focused and worked hard. Maybe this can be an inspiration to other people and other teams.”

The loss ended one of the unexpected runs in Whipple’s more than 30 years of coaching and a chance for the Midlands to sweep all of the title games Friday night with Keenan, Gray Collegiate and Spring Valley all winning before the Yellow Jackets took the floor.

Irmo lost five out of six at one point this season and was just trying to find a way into the playoffs.

The Yellow Jackets found a way to get in the playoffs and were second in Region 5-5A. Irmo finished the regular season on a six-game winning streak and then knocked off higher seeds West Ashley, Sumter and Blythewood to make it to the state championship.

But it wasn’t meant to be against the Cavaliers, the state’s preseason No. 1 team, who used a second-half spurt for the second championship in school history.

“The pressure we put on them was outstanding and it was big,” said Dorman coach Thomas Ryan, a former Lexington standout. “It was a great team win, and I am proud of our eight seniors to be able to do it a second time.

Irmo led 19-15 at halftime but Dorman used a pair of runs to take control of the game. The second spurt, a 13-1 run to close out third quarter gave Cavaliers a 35-27 lead.

Ethan Parton, PJ Hall and Myles Tate all hit 3-pointers during that Dorman run.

Irmo managed to get within only six points the rest of the way. Winston Hill led the Yellow Jackets with 13 points.

Irmo turned the ball over 12 times in the second half.

“The turnovers got them going and got them to a point where we couldn’t catch up,” Whipple said.

This story was originally published March 2, 2018 at 11:32 PM with the headline "Dorman takes Class 5A title, ends Irmo’s unexpected journey."