Instant classic: Fulwiley’s big day powers Keenan past Camden for 3A state title
There was plenty of hype and buildup surrounding Friday’s Keenan and Camden state championship game, and it lived up to every ounce of it.
Aiyo Price hit the go-ahead basket with 18 seconds left and the Raiders (24-3) survived a pair of last-second attempts to defeat the Bulldogs 60-58 and win the Class 3A girls basketball state title at USC Aiken Convocation Center.
“As a fan, you had to enjoy it,” Keenan coach Reggie McLain said. “You had two good teams. You had two players, MiLaysia (Fulwiley) and Joyce (Edwards) that are two of the best in the country and played really, really well tonight. They have been talking about this game all year, number one versus number two. And they put on a good show for everyone.”
It was Keenan’s third straight championship and fourth title in five years, all with junior standout MiLaysia Fulwiley on the roster. The Raiders have appeared in five straight championship games since Fulwiley joined the varsity team before the playoffs when she was a seventh-grader.
The game was the lone all-Midlands final of this year’s championships. Fulwiley and Camden sophomore Joyce Edwards are two of the best in their classes and were the headliners in the matchup. Both stars delivered big performances, and each came close to a triple-double.
Fulwiley scored 41 points and had 17 rebounds and five steals to add to her already-growing legacy as one of the greats in S.C. girls basketball history. Edwards finished the game with 24 points, 14 and eight blocks, and cemented her status as the top-ranked player nationally in the Class of 2024, according to ESPN HoopGurlz.
“Times like this is why I work hard and put in all the hours in the gym,” Fulwiley said. “I am just extremely excited me and my team could pull out the win. It was a close one the whole game, but at the end of the day we pulled out the win, and that is all that matters.”
Camden led 36-28 in the third quarter before Fulwiley pulled her teammates aside during a timeout and encouraged them to keep battling. Fulwiley had 14 points in the third quarter and helped key a 18-4 run to close the third and lead 46-40.
The Raiders stretched the lead to 52-41 in the fourth before the Bulldogs mounted a late comeback. Morgan Champion hit two of her five 3-pointers during that stretch.
Then, Edwards tied it up at 58-58 on a basket with 27 seconds left. McLain said he didn’t want to call a timeout and let Fulwiley do what she does best — make plays. The junior drove down the middle of the lane and found Price for the go-ahead basket to make it 60-58.
“I was scared I was going to miss that layup. I’m not even going to lie. But then I made and we pulled it out,” Price said as she clutched a championship medallion around her neck.
Camden called a timeout after advancing the ball past halfcourt. The Bulldogs inbounded the ball underneath their own basket and got the ball to Champion, who missed a 3-pointer. Tateyonia Harris got the last of her game-high 18 rebounds but missed two shots as time expired. She had a third attempt, but the buzzer sounded before she released it.
“I was nervous,” McLain said of the final seven seconds. “The shot went up, they get the rebound, second shot goes up and third rolls around the rim. So I was really, really nervous, but I was glad we were able to get it.”
“It is a play we practiced at the end of practice a million times,” Camden coach Natalie Norris said. “We got a good look at it. Unfortunately, it didn’t go down for us.”
The loss ends Camden’s season at 21-7. It was the Bulldogs’ first title appearance since 1982. Norris sat on the floor of the hallway next to the locker room for a few minutes, reflecting on her team’s effort and season.
Norris hopes this could be the start of something special for Camden, which has Edwards back for two more years and doesn’t have a sophomore on the roster. The Bulldogs also won’t have Keenan to deal with the next two years, as the the Raiders are dropping down to Class 2A as part of the SCHSL’s 2022-24 realignment.
”We’ve got a lot of talent returning,” Norris said. “We didn’t really want to talk about next year because we had this in front of us today. But certainly the future is very bright and we grew a lot as a team. We took some big steps and hopefully you will see us in this same spot next year.”
C: Carter 5, Jeffcoat 5, Morgan Champion 17, Joyce Edwards 14, Harris 7. K: Griffin 4, Lewis 6, MiLaysia Fulwiley 41, Oree 3, Price 6.
SCHSL basketball championships
Games at USC Aiken Convocation Center
Thursday
5A Girls: Rock Hill 52, Summerville 44
5A Boys: Ridge View 65, Fort Dorchester 57
Friday
1A Girls: Military Magnet 35, Denmark-Olar 20
1A Boys: Calhoun County 53, Scott’s Branch 49
3A Girls: Keenan 60, Camden 58
3A Boys: Blue Ridge 49, Orangeburg-Wilkinson 42
Saturday
2A Girls: Christ Church 59, Andrew Jackson 39
2A Boys: Gray Collegiate vs. York Prep, 2 p.m.
4A Girls: Westside vs. North Augusta, 6 p.m.
4A Boys: AC Flora vs. Wilson, 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 7:39 PM.
