Two schools in the Diocese of Charleston rode a wave of skill and determination to claim three state basketball titles.
Bishop England High School in Charleston and Cardinal Newman School in Columbia each won their respective tournaments, with the Lady Bishops’ clinching a sixth victory and the Cardinal’s claiming bragging rights for both the women’s and men’s varsity teams.
For Bishop England, it was a case of proving themselves against a Columbia team that was not only favored to win, but also boasted stand-out shooter Milaysia Fulwiley, an eighth-grader already being recruited by the University of South Carolina’s Lady Gamecocks. Led by senior Josie Dennis and Lily Woods, the Bishops managed to contain the Keenan High School Raiders, coming out on top 54-46 in the SCHSL AAA girls state championship game at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.
It marks the Bishops’ sixth state title in the past eight years and extends their run of dominance, a feat not seen in girls’ high school basketball in South Carolina since the 1930s.
Cardinal Newman, meanwhile, earned a slam dunk when both the women’s and men’s varsity basketball teams won the title at the South Carolina Independent School Association AAA State Championships held at the Sumter Civic Center Feb. 23.
The men’s team took on perennial rivals Hammond. Led by Chico Carter Jr., who scored 22 points, the Cardinals shot to a 57-41 victory for their first title since 2013, and their eighth championship overall.
Not to be outdone, the Lady Cardinals went against Northwood Academy from Charleston, beating them 53-44 for their first basketball championship.
Top photo: Players from Cardinal Newman’s men’s and women’s basketball teams celebrate their victories.
