Congrats To The Camden High Basketball Team! ::

Reprinted from this morning's The State:

Josh Council and Evrik Gary had one of those games.

When one wasn’t hitting, the other was, which was good for their Camden High basketball team and bad for their opponent.

Council scored 34 points and Gary 23 as Camden overcame a slow start to beat Greer 77-62 in the boys Class 3A championship Saturday at the Colonial Life Arena. It was Camden’s first state title since 1958.

“It’s incredible; I can’t believe it,” Gary said. “All during the playoffs, we started slowly, but we knew.”

Council’s point total was 11 shy of the state-record 45, held by former Latta standout Raymond Felton.

“I had a mismatch on me and my coach told me whenever I had that, then go get it,” Council said. “That is exactly what I did. I had to get it. We had to get it.”

And he gave it to Greer, especially in the second quarter, when he scored 20 of his 25 first-half points to give the Bulldogs (23-2) a 44-32 lead at halftime.

Greer (20-9) led for much of the first half — until Council heated up.

Gary’s 3-pointer with 2:25 remaining in the opening quarter sparked a 15-4 Camden run that ended with Council’s layup. The result was a 25-22 lead for the Bulldogs. The lead was Camden’s first of the game.

Greer’s Chandler Hash and Chris Dean, who came into the game averaging a combined 45 points per game, were held to seven in the first half. Hash finished with 14 points and Dean had seven. Joseph Neely led the Yellow Jackets, who were seeking their first state title since 2005.

“We came out with the right momentum, and then we just couldn’t keep up with them on the boards,” Greer coach Jeff Neely said.

Coincidentally, Camden’s last state championship win was against Greer.

“Fifty-one years is a long time,” Camden coach Ron McKie said. “The whole community came out and that has been tremendous. It’s an unbelievable group of kids. It’s just been a thrill ride.”

Camden extended its lead to as much as 19 points in the second half before the Yellow Jackets mounted one last threat. Hash’s three-point play and Michael McIver’s 3-pointer cut Camden’s lead to nine, 58-49, with 2:04 remaining in the third quarter. McIver finished with 12 points.

That was as close as Greer drew. Camden led 62-51 going into the fourth, and Greer had no answer.

“This is just an incredible feeling,” Council said, looking around the arena for words. “I don’t know what to say.”

The scoreboard said it all.

Reach Davis at (803) 771-8442

G: Joseph Neely 15, Chandler Hash 14, Mike Rox 12, Dean 7, McCullough 2, Michael McIver 12. C: Evrik Gary 23, Perkins 2, Jay Council 10, Wingate 6, Lee 2, Josh Council 34.