The early-January loss to Brookland – Cayce was still fresh on the minds of Gray Collegiate players and coaches, more than three weeks after the first of their two-game region series.
The No. 6 War Eagles got their revenge with a 74-63 win over No. 5 B-C on Friday in front of a large crowd at Bearcat Arena .
With the win, Gray (12-7, 7-2) is a half-game back of the Bearcats for second place in the Region 4-4A standings. Both teams trail top-ranked North Augusta (18-1, 9-1). Gray handed the Yellow Jackets their first loss of the season on Tuesday and followed that up with the win over the Bearcats.
Friday’s victory was a little more personal for the War Eagles, who lost at home to B-C, 54-45, on Jan. 7 . After the game, B-C coach Robert Wells gestured to the Bearcats crowd behind the bench with his hands raised. Wells’ postgame remarks focused on how big the win was for the school district and community to knock off Gray, the public charter school powerhouse that won six state championships in Class 2A and is in its first season in Class 4A.
On Friday, it was Gray coach Carlos Powell’s turn for a jab with a little celebration after the game. The former USC Gamecocks standout left the court with his hands raised toward the Gray fans and students who made the six-mile drive for the matchup.
“Friendly rival. The battle of West Columbia . I’m all here for it,” Powell said. “It’s always competition, man. We work very hard. We’re just out here doing community service.”
The crowd was the biggest in the six-year history of the B-C arena. That crowd was alive with energy from the start of the matchup between two teams ranked in the top 10 statewide in Class 4A. The intensity spilled over between the two coaches, as Wells and Powell exchanged words with each other during the second half.
WellsPowellWords
On the court, Gray’s Levi Ball set the tone early for the War Eagles. The junior, who moved to South Carolina from Texas in the summer, scored 18 of his season-high 28 points in the first quarter as Gray led 27-16.
Ball showed a bit of everything in the first two quarters, from 3-point shooting to rebounding and getting out on the break with a couple of big slam dunks down the middle of the lane.
“Levi Ball is starting to come out of his shell and be the guy I knew he is and could be,” Powell said. “Last game (against North Augusta ) I think it was his coming-out party. His attention to detail, his will and his work is starting to show.”
Ball was held to eight points in the first matchup against B-C and said he heard about it from one of the Bearcat players after the game. Since then, the forward has scored in double figures for seven straight games, capped off with his best performance of the season Friday.
“Last game we played them I had eight points and at the end of the game I think it was No. 2 AJ (Edwards) said ‘What did you do this game?’ I had to take that personally,” Ball said. “I came out and had all the confidence going in and just shot it well.”
Quan McDuffie added 17 points, with 15 coming in the second half. McDuffie had 11 in the third quarter as the War Eagles were able to withstand a B-C run. The Bearcats started the third quarter on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 44-36.
Amarii King kept B-C (15-7, 8-2) in it in the third quarter, and his jumper got B-C within 50-41. The senior led the Bearcats with 20 points but picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter and eventually fouled out.
The War Eagles closed the third quarter on a 14-5 run and led 64-46.
B-C, which stayed in the game with its outside shooting, only hit three 3-pointers in the second half.
“It’s not over. We are 8-2 in the region,” Wells said. “I told our guys if we win out, then we will tie for the region championship. We are going to keep working, get back in the gym and keep doing what we have done all season.”
Gray Collegiate 68, Brookland – Cayce 26 (Girls)
Kadence Walker-Lee
scored 20 points and Kiley Freeman
had 12 as the War Eagles bounced back from Tuesday’s loss against North Augusta and swept the season series.
Photos: Brookland -Cayce vs. Gray Collegiate boys basketballThe Brookland-Cayce Bearcats host the Gray Collegiate War Eagles in high school basketball action on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025 .
Girls Basketball Scores
Friday
Saluda 35, American Leadership 33
S: Brunson 2, Abney 1, Black 1, Daniels 13, Cedrianna Springs 18. AL: M. McClain
3
Magni 2, Reid 7, K. McClain
8, Furgess 5, McKie 1, Wright 4, Jackson 3
Dutch Fork
60, Chapin 34
DF: Michaela Fairwell
33, Crumlin 10
Lower Richland
53, Hartsville 21
LR: Taelor Hiller
15, Chi’Nya Isaac 12
Keenan 60, Swansea 15
AC Flora 57, Lancaster 51
Blythewood 85, Lugoff – Elgin 21
Heathwood Hall 71, Cardinal Newman
29
HH: Lauren Jacobs
31
Ridge View
58, Spring Valley 54
Lexington 68, Irmo 39
L: Izzy Saville
25, Sydni Anderson
14. I: Abby Livingston
11, Jayla Anderson
10.
South Pointe 66, Camden 53
SP: Janyia Cunningham
25, Braylin Mungo
18, Harmony Jefferson
14, Jillian Rush
10
Airport 46 Midland Valley 23
Northside Christian 47, Ben Lippen
36
Thursday
White Knoll 59, River Bluff 22
WK: Shaelyn Hayes
14, Jaliyah Daniel
11, Paniagua 2, White 4, Desiree Butler
13, Emory Waters Inman
15. RB: K. Winegardner
7, M. Tucker
5, C. Tucker
3, Bleakley 2, Johnson 5
Eau Claire 42, Fairfield Central 25
EC: Syteria Bethel
16, Destinee Tiller
10.
Boys Basketball Scores
Friday
Ridge View
103, Spring Valley 65
JT Van Kallen 16, Yale Davis 14, Tal Staley
14, Malachi Cooper
12, Korie Corbett
10, Horton 8, Smith 7, Davis 7, Moore 5, R. Mack
4, J. Mack
4, E. Cohen
2
Dreher 47, Richland Northeast 30
D: Austin Glasscho
13, Halen Moss
13, Johnson 9
Heathwood Hall 67, Cardinal Newman
33
H: Tristen McCleary
13, Nic Nichols
13
Keenan 111, Swansea 21
K: Zyion Jones 12, Antoine Caughman
14, Nyheim McNeil
12, Marcus Simpson
10, Marcus Simmons
15
Blythewood 50, Lugoff – Elgin 34
B: Tyler Stephens
20
Northside Christian 73, Ben Lippen
71
South Pointe 61, Camden 47
C: Jahmarie McLeod 22. SP: Tre Raymond
26
Midland Valley 74, Airport 42
Lancaster 56, AC Flora 52
L: Jordan Watford
20, RJ Brown 10, Malik Tinsley
10. ACF: Spence West
11, Wiley 9
Irmo 66, Lexington 37
I: Matthew Hopkins
12, Browman 9, Brown 9, Rivers 8
Dutch Fork
68, Chapin 40
DF: Caleb Garner
13, Justus Bell
12, Bryson Taylor
11, Samajae Govan 10
Chester 56, Mid-Carolina 55
MC: Jay Gallman
14, Kaden Myers
11, Ryan Crooks
10, Jamarian Dewalt
10
Richard Winn
45, WW King 38
Thursday
River Bluff 48, White Knoll 44
WK: McLeod 7, Posey 4, Jennings 9, Jackson Lorick
16, Schofield 8. RB: Dax Avery 20, Yasir Cromer
15, Jones 6, Wilson 7.
Fairfield Central 53, Eau Claire 49
EC: AJ Garner 17, Gregory Williams
19. FC: Khaleb Feaster
13, Kamauri Jones
15, Thomas Johnson
13
January 31, 2025 | State, The: Web Edition Articles (Columbia, SC)
Author/Byline: Lou Bezjak, The State | Section: high_school