It will be an ‘All-Wildcat’ affair this Friday at the S.C. High School League Class 5A boys’ basketball final at Colonial Life Arena.

Both 3-time defending Class 5A champion Dorman and Dutch Fork - led by Lexington High School graduates - secured berths in the championship game Saturday. 

The Cavaliers defeated Wade Hampton 66-40 at the Upper State final at Bon Secours Arena to reach their 4th final under head coach Thomas Ryan. They seek to match Calhoun County as the only teams in the last 96 years to win 4 straight titles. 

“This group is special,” Ryan said. “I’m just so proud of them. The first 4-5 minutes, didn’t play very well, especially offensively. We defended for 32 minutes. We’ve done that most of the year and coming into this atmosphere and defend like that was special.” 

Standing in the way are the Silver Foxes and head coach Brett Jones. They pulled away from Conway 71-52 at the Florence Civic Center to win their 1st ever Lower State title in boys’ basketball. 

Dutch Fork scored the game’s 1st 5 points, but fell behind 21-15 in the 2nd quarter. The Silver Foxes to tie the game at 22-22 before Conway (13-11) reclaimed the lead with 3:08 left in the 1st half on a 3-pointer by 8th grader Devin Grainger.

Dutch Fork closed out the 2nd quarter with a 10-0 run to take a 32-25 lead into the lockerroom. A 3-pointer by Houston Jones put the Silver Foxes ahead for good.

The run extended into the 3rd quarter when Dutch Fork opened the 2nd half with 10 straight points. The Silver Foxes (21-9) led as many as 22 points before the final buzzer. 

“I’m happy for Coach Jones,” said Ryan about Jones, who hired him as a junior varsity coach at White Knoll.  “He’s an incredible coach. He’s been around a long time and for him to get this opportunity is special. We probably talk 3-4 times a week for the last 20 years. This is my 20th year here in, so I’m happy for Coach Jones and his staff and players.

“It’s nice to have that Lexington connection. I’m happy for him.” 

This is the 2nd state championship meeting between the 2 schools. Back in December, Dutch Fork defeated Dorman 31-27 in overtime to claim its 4th straight Class 5A football title. 

Tipoff for the Class 5A final is set for 8 pm. The game will air on Spectrum Cable (Channel 1250) and www.wach.com.