Dorman vs Ridge View game lives up to hype — even if fewer fans could watch in person

Lou Bezjak
·4 min read

It wasn’t a packed crowd like it would have been in a normal year, but the spectators who walked out of Ridge View High School on Friday night likely didn’t feel cheated with what they had just witnessed.

Dorman and Ridge View, two of the top boys basketball programs in South Carolina, put on a show for those in attendance — with Dorman winning 60-51 to advance in the Class 5A playoffs.

“Even though we didn’t have 1,500 people in here, it felt like it a lot of times,” Ridge View coach Yerrick Stoneman said. “This is a high-caliber basketball game. I would say at any time tonight, you had eight to 10 Division II or better players on the court. It was a special game. We just came up a little short tonight.”

Ridge View’s gym, which has a capacity of 1,598, wasn’t close to being full because of COVID-19 protocols. The school’s athletic director, Brian Rosefield, said 200 tickets were sold and another 45 people got in with passes.

In a normal year, this game could have been moved to a bigger venue such as Colonial Life Arena to accommodate the demand for tickets. But that wasn’t an option with COVID restrictions in place.

Despite the smaller crowd, people started arriving more than an hour before game time. The energy built as DJ IAM spinned the music as players warmed up. Spectators wore masks and were socially distanced per COVID-19 protocols.

And thousands who couldn’t be there tuned in for the game’s online live stream. QC Broadcasting, which airs Ridge View’s home games, said more than 5,300 people tuned in to watch the Facebook stream of the game — up from the 800 to 1,000 viewers with a normal Blazers broadcast.

The three-day buildup around the game reminded JoJo English of some of the huge matchups he was a part of in the state while playing for Lower Richland High School in the 1980s. There were the games with Eau Claire, including two at Carolina Coliseum in front of more than 10,000 fans. There also was Lower Richland’s state championship game against Hillcrest.

Dorman-Ridge View had that same big-time feel because of the dominance the two programs have enjoyed the past five seasons They entered Friday’s game with 224 combined wins and seven state titles since 2016-17.

“It is almost like March Madness or an Elite Eight game. Coach Stoneman (Ridge View) and Thomas Ryan (Dorman) have set the standard for the last few years and are competing on the national stage,” said English, the former University of South Carolina standout who is now the head coach at Richland Northeast. “These are two of the best coaches, teams and players in South Carolina. Even though you won’t have as many people, the intensity level will be a little higher because you are playing for a chance to play for a state championship.”

Dorman has won four straight Class 5A titles and Ridge View three in Class 4A. The Blazers moved up to 5A this year.

“These kids started thinking about this game right after the last regular season game everybody looked at the brackets,” English said, “but you knew you were going to meet for a chance to get to the state championship.”

Many projected that Friday’s winner will go on to win the 5A state championship, but that remains to be seen with two rounds left. Dorman came in as a slight underdog to the top-ranked Blazers because they were on the road — and because of the amount of talent the Cavaliers lost from last year’s 30-1 team that finished No. 2 in the final ESPN and MaxPreps Top 25 rankings.

In a poll conducted by The State of coaches from around South Carolina, 12 of 18 picked Ridge View to win over Dorman.

“We knew what everyone was saying, but inside that locker room we knew somebody had to beat us,” Ryan said. “We work hard. And while Ridge View is awful talented, we had confidence we could win this game.”

Ridge View led 41-40 going into the fourth quarter before the Cavaliers went on a 12-4 run to lead with 4:25 left. Class 5A Player of the Year Jalen Brezeale hit a number of big shots and finished with 24 points. His backcourt mate Zay Foster added 17.

Sophomore GG Jackson led Ridge View with 18 points, and Davion Everett added 14. Everett picked up his fourth foul in the fourth quarter when Dorman went on its run.

Dorman was able to neutralize Ridge View’s outside shooting and didn’t allow the Blazers’ transition game to get going.

The Cavs will play Riverside on Tuesday with the chance to play for their fifth straight title on the line.

“There are not many games where everyone is living and dying on every basket, and you had that tonight,” said Ryan, a Lexington native. “The kids were excited.”

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Doctor Who: The Devil’s Chord review: Is this madness?

    'The Devil's Chord' is a mess, but it's probably an intentional mess.

  • “Young Sheldon”'s Zoe Perry 'Teared Up' After Reading Shocking Scene as Series Nears End

    Iain Armitage also shared his feelings on social media following the shocking twist on the May 9 episode of 'Young Sheldon'

  • Franki Raffles: everyday scenes of working women in the Eighties rendered remarkable

    In the 10 years leading up to her untimely death in 1994 aged 39, while giving birth to twins, Edinburgh-based photographer Franki Raffles took over 40,000 pictures, many of women at work. Art galleries are frequently putting on ‘forgotten female artist’ shows, less so forgotten feminist photographers. Thanks to a few enthusiastic curators, this remarkable show takes us back to the 1980s and early 90s, during which Raffles worked with women’s organisations, trades unions and charities such as Wo

  • Navy League Palm Beach Council support Fleet Week

    The Navy League Palm Beach Council is excited for those visiting Miami Fleet Week, especially high schoolers considering the Navy, Marines or Coast Guard.

  • Ticket tax needed to help music venues, MPs say

    A report recommends a levy on arena and stadium concert tickets to help struggling small venues.

  • Judge strikes down NY county's ban on female transgender athletes after roller derby league sues

    A New York judge on Friday struck down a Long Island county's order banning female transgender athletes after a local women’s roller derby league challenged it. Judge Francis Ricigliano ruled that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman didn't have the authority to issue his February executive order, which denies park permits to any women’s and girl’s teams, leagues or organizations that allow female transgender athletes to participate.

  • WABC Radio suspends Rudy Giuliani for flouting ban on discussing discredited 2020 election claims

    NEW YORK (AP) — Rudy Giuliani was suspended Friday from WABC Radio and his daily show canceled over what the station called his repeated violation of a ban on discussing discredited 2020 election claims. Giuliani said the station's ban is overly broad and “a clear violation of free speech.” Giuliani issued a statement saying he had heard of WABC Radio owner John Catsimatidis' decision through “a leak” to The New York Times. Catsimatidis confirmed his decision in a text message to The Associated

  • Luminate Streaming Ratings: ‘The Idea of You’ Rises to No. 1 Spot on the Movies Chart for May 3-9

    “The Idea of You” was the most-streamed movie of the May 3-9 viewing window, per Luminate. The movie, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, was watched for 714.2 million minutes between May and May 9, its first full week of availability on Amazon Prime Video. Up from its No. 5 position on last week’s chart, …

  • ‘Stunning’ Northern Lights spotted across the UK

    The Aurora Borealis has been spotted in Whitley Bay on the north east coast, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Wokingham in Berkshire.

  • US says Israel may have breached international law with American weapons in Gaza

    Report says it is "reasonable to assess" there have been breaches in Gaza, but admits it does not have "complete information".

  • Kylian Mbappe finally confirms PSG departure and set to sign for Real Madrid

    Striker will play his final game at Parc des Princes on Sunday before completing an expected move to the Spanish champions

  • Sean Burroughs, former MLB player, Little League World Series and Olympic champion, dies at 43

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean Burroughs, a two-time Little League World Series champion who won an Olympic gold medal and went on to a major league career that was interrupted by substance abuse, has died. He was 43. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s online records said Burroughs died Thursday, with the cause of death deferred. USA Today, citing unnamed sources, reported Burroughs died at Stearns Champions Park in Long Beach, California, where he grew up. The Long Beach Fire Department respond

  • Jaw-Dropping Aurora Borealis Illuminate the Northern Sky Amid Solar Storm

    Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty ImagesAs night descended across the Earth on Friday, a solar storm suffused the skies with a gorgeous display of aurora borealis, and well, it was jaw-dropping.For the first time in 20 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a watch for a “very rare” severe geomagnetic storm, which was upgraded to an extreme G5 storm later on Friday. This is the first G5 storm since 2003, and could effect the power grid, as well as radio communications

  • STF resoundingly rejects government ‘Final Offer’

    The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) voted overwhelming against the government’s ‘Final Offer’ over May 8-9. In results announced Thursday evening with 92.2 percent of Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation members casting a vote over the two-day period and 90 per cent of those voting against the offer. “This vote is a clear demonstration of the high level of engagement of teachers throughout this entire process, and also shows the results that they have to fight for their students and for pub

  • Home run resurgence sends Wichita State softball back to AAC tournament title game

    The Shockers will host the AAC tournament championship game against Charlotte at 11 a.m. at Wilkins Stadium.

  • MBARI debuts new interactive mobile game

    MBARI debuts new interactive mobile game

  • Here's a Stacked List of June 2024 Holidays and Observances

    June holidays and observances in 2024 include Father's Day, Juneteenth, Flag Day, and Eid al-Adha. See a calendar of the special June days worth celebrating.

  • Oil Prices Track Gold, With a Lag. Prepare for Higher Crude.

    A market technician charts a historical correlation. Plus, investment newsletter commentary on international stock markets, CPI forecast, the relationship of earnings estimates to job growth.

  • ’28 Years Later’ Gets June 2025 Release Date

    Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later” is hitting the big screen next summer. Sony Pictures has slated the long-awaited project for June 20, 2025. Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes are set to star in the sequel to “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later.” Plot details are still being kept under wraps for the new screenplay, written by …

  • New York judge strikes down Nassau County trans sports ban

    NEW YORK — A state judge on Friday evening struck down Nassau County’s controversial sports ban on transgender women and girls, finding that the county’s Republican executive had acted beyond his authority in enacting the ban. The decision, issued in Nassau Supreme Court by Justice Francis Ricigliano, delivers a significant victory to the New York Civil Liberties Union, which had sued the ...