Panthers knock off Falcons for first lower state title

CHARLESTON — The Lake City Panthers have a flare for the dramatic.

The Panthers thrived for most of the first half in the Class 3A lower state title game against Darlington at The Citadel.

For the final quarter plus, they survived a constant comeback attempt by the Falcons.

In the end, Lake City walked away with a hard-fought 76-73 victory and the first lower state title in school history.

Lake City (24-4) will face Daniel on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia for the Class 3A state championship.

“I’m just so proud of our kids right now that I think I’m going to cry,” an emotionally exhausted Willie Thomas said. “This has kind of been our story all season. We’ve had to battle through a lot of adversity, and I knew it would make us stronger for times like these.

“Hopefully, we have one more left in us.”

For the Falcons, it’s a tough ending to what had been a perfect season.

“We’re all devastated right now,” said Darlington coach Ken Howle, whose Falcons finish 24-1. “You have to give Lake City credit. We had great opportunities. It just didn’t happen.

“I feel bad for these kids right now. … It’s going to hurt for a while.”

The Panthers nearly coughed up a double-digit lead in the second half, and almost did the same with a five-point lead in the final 1:38.

Two turnovers, a foul and two missed free throws opened the door for three last-ditch drives by the Falcons.

“The game probably should have been closed out a lot sooner than it was,” Thomas said. Then smiling, he added, “But I’ll correct that when we get home.”

The Panthers missed six free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, but were bolstered by balanced scoring with DaShawn Butler and Domanic Wilson combining for 10 points in the final frame. Two free throws by leading scorer Martin Cooper with 6.8 seconds left put the game out of reach.

Despite numerous comeback attempts, Darlington never got closer than a point after the first quarter. Every time the Falcons made a run, Lake City responded.

“We never felt any panic,” senior Corey Baker said. “We’ve been through this before. We just had to weather it and execute. That’s what we were able to do.”

Baker finished second on the team with 14 points, nine of which came in the first half to help Lake City gain a 43-34 edge at halftime.

The Panthers were able to hold Darlington to just two 3-pointers and none by College of Charleston signee Jordan Scott.

“They did a great job defending (Scott),” Howle said. “They were physical, and he didn’t get any stand-still looks.”

While Scott was cold from beyond the arc, he was red hot under the rim to start the second half. He scored nine points in the third quarter and was a huge part of a 10-0 run early in the third that got Darlington back in the game.

Scott finished with 19 points, second on the team behind Torey Wright’s 20.

The Panthers had four in double figures, including Baker. Cooper finished with 17 while Bryce Thomas and Butler added 10 apiece.