Stallions are No. 1! South Pointe caps spectacular season with state championship
South Pointe High School’s improbable run ended with one last heroic effort.
This South Pointe team rose from the bleakest of lows on Saturday in the USC-Aiken Convocation Center and did something no other team had done before it: The Stallions defeated Hilton Head Island High School, 52-50 — delivering the program its first-ever state championship.
The Stallions came back from a double-digit deficit and only led twice all game — after the first points and after the last.
What happened?
The game’s scoring began with a South Pointe fast-break bucket from senior Waymond Jenerette after a Quan Peterson steal.
But Hilton Head took a hold of the first half from there, building as much as an 11-point lead by virtue of its size.
JJ Hicklin, South Pointe’s stretch power forward, picked up two early fouls in the first quarter. He was replaced by O’Mega Blake, who’d go on to score six straight points in his absence.
Hilton Head went on a big run in the second quarter — in part because of HHI’s 6-7, 225-pound forward Sam Summa’s 13 points and 10 rebounds in the first half — and entered the break up, 30-19.
But South Pointe wouldn’t fold: The undersized but more-athletic Stallions did what they’ve done all year — pressed and made opposing guards uncomfortable. That and the coming alive of Jenerrette and a pair of Hicklin threes put the game in arm’s reach by the time the third quarter buzzer sounded. 40-36, Hilton Head still led.
The Stallions continued to play hard through the fourth, but it looked as if it was swimming against an unrelenting current. The game got to within two after a third Hicklin three, 43-41, but then Hilton Head extended its lead to two possessions once more.
Then everything changed: Peterson hit a floater from the free throw line to draw the game to two, and then the following defensive possession, Peterson picked his opposing guard’s pocket, rose up for a layup — and was bumped to the floor but not before his layup somehow found the net. Bucket. And-one. 50-50.
Two more Peterson free throws put the game at 52-50 with 4.1 seconds left. Then an HHI halfcourt heave fell no good.
The Stallions stormed the court. Head coach Melvin Watson, in the aftershock of reaching the pinnacle in the only job he’s ever had, fell to the ground in emotion. He was hugged by his assistants and family.
How South Pointe got here
The Stallions’ run to the state title game was a surprising one: South Pointe, generally a trove of athletic talent in Rock Hill and across South Carolina, wasn’t a preseason South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association Top-10 team. And with its 2019-20 record (11-12, 4-6 Region 3-4A), it had no reason to be.
But things appeared to fall into place this season. On its way to a share of the region title, South Pointe proved it could win close games, defeating Region 3-5A champion Gaffney by two in late December and region foe Lancaster by two in early February. The Stallions also proved resilient — not letting a two-week quarantine or a four-game stretch that saw three losses detract them from their final goal.
South Pointe coach Watson, a South Carolina Gamecock great who has been at the South Pointe helm since 2011, said that this team had “come a long way since the start of the season” in early February.
Its progress would be put on full display in its 4A state playoff run, which included a tough overtime win over AC Flora in the quarterfinals and an eight point win over Greenville in the semis.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
