The 2024 Cayce Roundball Classic is over, and two teams were crowned champions after four days of action-packed basketball. 

Georgia’s Cross Creek won the National bracket over Indian Land 58-51 on day three of the competition. Byrnes beat host team and Lexington County’s own Brookland-Cayce 76-55 in the American Bracket after a dominant display from the Rebels.

Four Lexington County teams participated in the tournament. River Bluff competed in the National Bracket while Lexington, Chapin and Brookland-Cayce played in the American.

It was tough sledding for the four local teams who went a combined 6-6. Lexington, River Bluff and Chapin started tournament play with a loss and were eliminated from championship contention. 

River Bluff bounced back from its first loss with two wins in its final pair of games. Lexington finished 1-2 after winning its final game. Chapin also went 1-2, winning its second game but dropping its third. 

Brookland-Cayce put together a strong run to the championship game, winning its first two games by 20 and 44 points respectively. In the American championship though, the Bearcats ran into a red-hot Byrnes team, which steamrolled the Bearcats and improved to 13-0 this season. 

There were several big performances from some of the state’s top talents throughout the four-day event. Three local athletes earned a spot on an All-Tournament team. 

River Bluff’s Yasir Cromer averaged 14 points in the team’s three contests and was selected to the National All-Tournament team. Cromer scored 24 points in River Bluff’s final game against Lakeside. 

Kaleb Evans earned a spot on the American All-Tournament team after leading the Wildcats during the competition. He scored 26 points in the team’s second game against Hammond. 

A.J. Edwards was Brookland Cayce's All-Tournament selection. His play helped the Bearcats advance to the championship match. 

Frashad Tisby was named MVP of the National bracket after helping Cross Creek beat Indian Land. The sophomore played consistently all tournament and was a big part of his team’s success. 

Colt Fowler was MVP for Byrnes throughout their journey in the American bracket. Fowler shot the lights out from three-point range in the championship game. He averaged 18 points in the Rebels’ three games. 

Adding to the intrigue of the tournament, this version of the Roundball Classic was unlike any previous iteration. This was the first year the competition used a shot clock. 

Shot clocks are not used in high school basketball in South Carolina, but they are used in other states, including Georgia, Florida, California and New York. Discussions of adding a shot clock to all South Carolina high school basketball games have been discussed, and the state is currently conducting a two-year trial run. 

The addition of the 35-second shot clock was an adjustment for many teams during the tournament. A few times, teams would get caught up in running their offense and the shot clock would expire, creating a turnover. Other times, players were forced to hoist up a shot in the final second to avoid a violation. 

While teams will return to non-shot clock play, it was a good trial run for a rule that could be implemented soon. 

The Cayce Roundball Classic will return in winter 2025 and feature more of South Carolina’s top talent. 

All-Tournament Teams

National Bracket

Yasir Cromer - River Bluff

Kobe Sims - Fox Creek

Darius Franklin - Lakewood

Sequel Patterson - Indian Land

Mike Jones - Indian Land

Ty’Jai Heard - Cross Creek

Frashad Tisby - Cross Creek (MVP)

American Bracket

Kaleb Evans - Lexington

Jaiden Haltiwanger - Hammond

RyDarius Hill - South Pointe

Milton McCray - C.A. Johnson

A.J. Edwards - Brookland-Cayce

Sukhi Singh - Byrnes

Colt Fowler - Byrnes (MVP)

Full Tournament Scoreboard  

National Bracket

Cross Creek: 73, Fort Dorchester: 47

Indian Land: 58, Lakeside: 51

Fox Creek: 64, Hiram: 51

Lakewood: 44, River Bluff: 35

Lakeside: 64, Hiram: 52

River Bluff: 77, Dutch Fork: 34

Indian Land: 71, Fox Creek: 61

Cross Creek: 59, Lakewood: 46

Hiram 66, Fort Dorchester: 52

River Bluff: 53, Lakeside: 40

Lakewood: 59, Fox Creek: 47 (third-place game)

Cross Creek: 58, Indian Land: 51 (championship game) 

American Bracket

C.A. Johnson: 64, Lexington: 57

South Pointe: 60, Lower Richland: 57

Byrnes: 75, Chapin: 46

Brookland-Cayce: 70, Hammond: 50

Hammond: 69, Lexington: 54

Chapin: 70, Lower Richland: 67

Byrnes: 72, South Pointe: 64

Brookland-Cayce: 82, C.A. Johnson: 38

Lexington: 59, Lower Richland: 55

Hammond: 60, Chapin: 30

South Pointe: 71, C.A. Johnson: 51 (third-place game)

Byrnes: 76, Brookland-Cayce: 55 (championship game)