Wildcats Fall to Irmo High

On Saturday, Feb. 27, The West Ashley High School Varsity Boys’ Basketball Team played in the Lower State Finals against Irmo High School at the Florence Civic Center. While both teams played a great game, in the end it was the Irmo Yellowjackets that came out on top. This marked the first time in the school’s history that the Varsity Boys’ Basketball Team advanced to State. West Ashley High had their work cut out for them from the start as Irmo had won the State Championship five times previously and is currently one of the top ranked teams in the state.
“We knew going into the game that Irmo, ranked #1 in the State for most of the season, would present some difficult challenges because of their size, experience, and style. We were not able to speed the game up to a pace that was favorable to us,” said Head Varsity Boys’ Basketball Coach Ronnie DuPre. “We had difficulty rebounding and we committed numerous turnovers in the first half. We did not play our best game by far, but in athletics when you do not play as well as you would like, the other team is usually responsible. That was the case against Irmo.”
Senior David Hodije and sophomore Skylar Williams led the Wildcats with ten points each. Coach DuPre hopes that the players who return next year will use the chance to play in the Lower State Finals as a learning experience and that they will grow as a team in the process. Considering the fact that 70% of the scoring and 65% of the rounds were being done by freshmen and sophomores, DuPre hopes to build on the experience they gained this year so that the entire team benefits from their abilities in the future.
Even though the team did not come back home as the Lower State Champs, they feel very grateful for the support they received from the students and faculty who attended the game. “The school spirit demonstrated by our student body was outstanding,” said DuPre. The coaches and players would like to thank Mr. Lee Runyon, Mrs. Jaima Kennedy, Mrs. Jenna Taylor, Mrs. Melissa Stewart, Ms. Sandy O’Dell, and Ms. Ellyn Bowen for the making it possible for students to attend the game by providing them with fan buses, at no extra cost.
With a score of 51-34 the Wildcats fell to the Yellowjackets and finished the season with a record of 20-6.