AC Flora boys draw first blood in a battle of state powerhouse basketball programs
A.C. Flora coach Joshua Staley believes Collin Murray-Boyles is one of the best players in the state, and he looked like it Friday night.
The 6-foot-7 junior scored 20 of his game-high 30 points in the second half as No. 2 AC Flora defeated No. 1 Irmo 60-55 in the battle of top-ranked teams in Class 4A.
“I think Collin is one of the best players in the state, if not the best,” Staley said. “He just has to start believing that. He stepped up. We challenged him at halftime and he did a good job leading the young group.”
Murray-Boyles hasn’t gotten much attention or the recruitment like some of the top prospects in the state such as GG Jackson, Noah Clowney or Cam Scott, but he is motivated to get on that level. He comes from a strong basketball pedigree: His brother, James Murray-Boyles, was a standout at Flora and then at UNC-Pembroke, and is now playing professionally overseas.
“Who doesn’t want to be the No. 1 player in the state?” Murray-Boyles said. “That is a small dream, but that is one of my goals.
“Coach Staley puts a lot of trust in me, so I got to go out and do it for him.”
Friday’s game at Irmo High School was the first of two scheduled meetings between two of the favorites to play for the 4A state championship. They will play again Feb. 4 at A.C. Flora.
The game lived up to the billing and hype despite the crowd limited to 50% capacity because of COVID-18 protocols. During pregame, Irmo coach Tim Whipple was presented with a game ball to commemorate his 800th win he got last month. Several former Yellow Jacket players were on hand to watch on Friday.
A.C. Flora jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter before Irmo battled back to get within 26-24 at halftime. The Falcons’ lead grew to 39-26 before Irmo, which has a knack for come-from-behind wins this year, chipped away at the lead and Teandre Summons basket cut it to 39-36 going into the fourth quarter.
Murray-Boyles helped Flora maintain the lead in the fourth with 14 points in the quarter. Irmo got within 54-43 with Dylan Williams’ bank shot with 42.8 seconds left But Murray-Boyles hit a pair of free throws to put the Falcons up 56-53 with 23 seconds left, and A.C. Flora got a couple late defensive stops to preserve the win.
“We got grit,” Staley said. “We respond to challenges. They do a good job of taking coaching. So we got a good group of young men.”
Brandon Crawford led Irmo with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Williams had 15 and Summons 13.
“We were our own worst enemy out there tonight,” Whipple said. “We didn’t take care of the ball real well. Defensively we had a hard time covering. They have too many weapons out there, especially on the inside. We aren’t a big team or a strong team. We were exploited in the lane tonight.”
Boys Basketball Scores
Friday
AC Flora 60, Irmo 55
ACF: Collin Murray Boyles 30, CP Parker 18, Wiley 7, Willard 3, Green 2.I: Brandon Crawford 17, Dylan Williams 15, Te’Andre Summons 13, and Juice Kiett 10.
Westwood 60, Dreher 40
W: Arden Conyers 27, Bryson Felder 17
Hammond 53, Ben Lippen 50
H: Amari Evans 26, Jackson Osborne 11, Roberts 8, Epps 6, McCall 1, Tyler 1. BL: Evan Werner 17, Ellis Jones 15, Stockman 7, Zetz 6, Adams 3, Little 2
Gray Collegiate 93, Batesburg-Leesville 14
GC: Avantae Parker 16, Jalen Jefferson 14, Quan McDuffie 14
Saluda 51 Eau Claire 45
S: Kinard 7, J Baker 9, T Mathis 4, M. Baker 7, Zion Wright 21, Watson 4. EC: J, Burrell 13, Wilson 2, Moore 9, Murray 2, K Moody 5, Henry 2, Robinson 2, Singleton 2, Marsh 7
Dutch Fork 72, Chapin 46
DF: Green 6, McDaniel 2, Williams 8, Houston Jones 18, Renner 3, Zayan Rivers 10, Octavious Smith 10, Danley 5, Toney 8, McKenzie 2. C: Stephen Lindler 13, Raines 8, Collins 8, Phillips 6, Wheeler 3, Peterson 4, Ray 2, Wallace 2
Blythewood 64, Northwestern 64
B: Randy Kelly 10, Nelson 5,, Isaiah Williams 18, Olden 6, Pack 2, Samaad Wright 23. N: Boyd 21, Pope 2, Bryson 24, Brooks 14, Bryson 2
Ridge View 62, Spring Valley 36
RV: GG Jackson 20, Donovan Rivers 14
Lexington 60, White Knoll 40
L: Cam Scott 28, Jose Figueroa 13, Bell 6, Campbell 2, Farmer 4, Byrd 7. WK: Seth Sims 11, Kaleb Evans 11, Maddox 8, Daniels 1, Funderburk 2, Thomas 3, Lee 4
Brookland-Cayce 42, Strom Thurmond 34
BC: Christian Ferguson 17, Jahmari Kennerly 13, Jenkins 6, Young 5, Hall 1. ST: Edward 9, Walker 7, Bush 6, Mims 6, Banes 6
Richland Northeast 57, Lugoff-Elgin 34
RNE: Montae Daniels 16, Avonte Grant 15, Justice Johnson 13
Keenan 48, Fairfield Central 42
K: Marqueece Williams 10, King 2, Gipson 4, Chrisean Oree 13, Echols 6, Sumpter 2, Knox 6, Price 3.
Thursday
Heathwood Hall 53, Cardinal Newman 49
HH: Barnes 9, JD Gardner-29, Morris 5, Titus 3, Avery 3, Draffin 2, Porter 2. CN: Martin 9, Peeples 2, White 6, Shelby 6, Frazer 8, Gerald Gary 18.
Ridge View 52, Northwestern 40
RV: GG Jackson 17, Gamar Powers 14, Moultrie 8, Cohen 8, Letthand 5
Girls Basketball
Lower Richland 52, Mid-Carolina 28
LR: Shawnteanna Tillman 12, Green 4, Isaac 8, Jackson 6, Floyd 4, Nelson 5, Curry 2, Hiller-Johnson 4, Weston 7. MC: C. Wicker 3. Livingston 4. Carry 8, C. Wicker 8, Sims 1, Gunter 4
Westwood 62, Dreher 35
W: Korletta Daniels 23, Jessica Woods 22, Thompson 4, Johnson 4, Chatman 4, Omiere 4, Graham-Brown 2.
Spring Valley 73, Ridge View 47
SV: Ariana Wilkes 20, Zie’l Ratchford 16, JaiDah Liebert 11, Gabby Hollis 10, Humphrey 2, Smith 2, Johnson 2, Williams 5, Entzminger 5. RV: Banks 1, Addison 6, Alexander 2, Houser 4, Myers 10, Drakford 13, Waters 4, Harvey 8.
Keenan 71, Fairfield Central 24
K: MiLaysia Fulwiley 25 (Also 10 asst, 11 reb, 11 stl), Ashari Lewis 15, Tierra Griffin 12, Green 3, Hicks 4, Johnson 4, Oree 8. FC: Belton 2, Mcmillian 3, Adams 13, Kennedy 1, Feaster 4, Yarborough 2.
Dutch Fork 87, Chapin 20
DF: Antoinet Cheeseboro 15, Spratley 7, Kori Peterman 15, Monroe 6, Aaliyah Lee 11, Hillary Offing 10, Niles 2, Anderson 9, Christyonna Jackson 11, Hollmon 1. C: Kutcherenko 1, Haggard 6, Hobbs 2, Brooke Holmes 11
Lexington 78, White Knoll 22
L: Carwell 1, Green 8, Griffin 6, Sexton 9, Jenna Yanity 19, Johnson 5, Saville 6, Lindsay Garner 12, Austin 6, Misick-Rivas 4, Mills 4. WK: Buckner 2, Butler 2, Covington 4, Jackson 2, Henderson 1, Bell 10, Harvin 1
Airport 32, South Aiken 27
This story was originally published January 14, 2022 at 10:12 PM.
