LA girls repeat as state champions

For the second year in a row the Laurens Academy Crusaders girls’ basketball team is the best in SCISA Class A.

All-tournament selection Ruthie Moore had 18 points and Reagan Williamson, another all-tournament pick, had nine points, and the Crusaders pulled away in the second half to earn a 39-24 victory over Dorchester Academy, and claim the program’s second straight state championship. The game was played at the Sumter County Civic Center.

The Crusaders led 18-11 at the half before turning up the defense against the Raiders (22-3), holding the team without a field goal for the entire third quarter. Dorchester Academy missed all 20 field goal attempts in the third quarter, and missed its first 27 shots of the second half before finally breaking through with 3 minutes, 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Before that the Crusaders had built a 21-point lead, their biggest of the game.

LA finished the season with a record of 29-3. The victory marked a bit of payback after the Raiders defeated the Crusaders in the 2017 SCISA Class A Championship.

Jennifer Wu, who had four points in the game, was the third player from the Crusaders selected to the all-tournament team.

Look for full coverage of the championship game in Wednesday’s edition of The Laurens County Advertiser.