Late basket lifts Greenville over Fort Mill in SC boys’ basketball semifinal
Fort Mill boys’ basketball players and fans will make the two-hour drive back home with thoughts of “what if” in their heads.
The Yellow Jackets were looking for their first state championship game appearance since 2007, but a Roman Cooley basket with 16 seconds remaining Wednesday night rallied Greenville to a 46-44 victory in the Class 5A Division II Upper State Championship at the Florence Center.
It was just the second lead of the game for the Red Raiders and brought the Yellow Jackets magical season to an end with a 26-3 record. The other two losses came against Byrnes and North Augusta and the 14-game winning streak coming into Wednesday night’s game is history.
Fork Mill had two chances to tie it in the final seconds but came up empty. It missed a jumper then got one final chance with 0.8 seconds remaining when the rebound was tied up for a loose ball. That final shot hit the side of the iron.
Fort Mill coach Myron Lowery praised his players while acknowledging their post-game pain.
“I’m really proud of this group. They gave everything they had. They were a fantastic group to work with. When great things end, they hurt really bad,” Lowery said after a long time in the locker room with his team. “When you put everything you have into it and fall a little bit short, it hurts really bad.”
Fort Mill was in control for most of the game. The only other Greenville (27-2) lead came at 18-17 late in the second quarter. The Yellow Jackets could never make a run to grow the lead to double digits and after a Logan Parker jumper opened the fourth quarter for a 41-34 lead, Greenville closed the game on a 12-3 run.
Caden Coleman, who led the Red Raiders with 22 points, tied the game on a jumper with 2:59 remaining. The Yellow Jackets would only get three possessions after that, resulting in three missed shots and a turnover. Fort Mill’s last points came with 4:52 remaining on a layup by freshman Jermier Nelson.
Greenville (27-2) ran nearly two minutes off the clock setting up the stage for Cooley, who finished with 13 points, to propel the Red Raiders into Saturday’s state final against Goose Creek. He cut to the basket, got free and scored for the deciding points.
Parker led the Fort Mill attack with 17 points. Nas Berry and Walker Campbell added 11 points each. The Yellow Jackets missed their final five shots from the floor and only made 2 of 10 in the fourth quarter.
“The possessions before that (final shot) really hurt us. I think we missed a layup and had a turnover on one,” Lowery said. “We ran the things we wanted to run, got the ball in good spots and just didn’t make the play. The last play is what a lot of people remember, and I would do the exact same thing again. You can’t argue the look that we got.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 10:59 PM.
