COLUMBIA - Leading W.J. Keenan to the Class 2-A girls' basketball final was more than just a proud accomplishment for head coach Reggie McClain.

It also brought the South Carolina State alumnus some long-sought piece of mind. Just five years ago, McClain had guided the Hunter-Kinard-Tyler girls' basketball team to what was then its most successful season in school history and shared T&D Region co-Coach of the Year honors with Orangeburg-Wilkinson's Edward Pellman.

Those accolades, however, could not protect McClain from the looming budget cuts implemented months later by Orangeburg Consolidated District Four. Over the next three years, McClain could only watch from a distance at Williston-Elko as some of the players like Shalika Smalls whom he first mentored in middle school go on to win back-to-back Class A titles for H-K-T.

"That was definitely hard," McClain acknowledged in a T&D telephone interview on Monday. "It took a long time to get that taste out of my mouth."

With both W.L. Keenan (24-5) and H-K-T (22-5) at the Colonial Center this Saturday at the Colonial Center competing for state titles, McClain is enjoying the moment rather than looking it with bitter irony. In two seasons with the Lady Raiders, McClain has guided the program to a 43-11 record, two Region 4-AAA titles and now their second state title game in school history.

"The biggest thing was getting them to understand the schemes and offenses we were putting in." McClain said. "It took them two years to understand that. Once they did, it made things easier."

The team's growth was clearly evident during the holidays when they defeated Hartsville to win the Taco Bell Christmas Tournament and followed that effort by winning the Orangeburg County Sweet 16 Basketball Invitational.

McClain saw the Sweet 16 tournament victory, in particular, as a good omen given the past history of past championship teams advancing to the state title. This year was no exception as both girls' champion W.J. . Keenan and boys' champion Calhoun County have reached their respective championship games.

Guard Olivia Irick was named the Sweet 16 Girls Tournament MVP and she and Santera Grooms have combined to average 39 points per game this season. However, it's the Lady Raiders' pressure defense which McClain said is the key to their success.

"I think the biggest thing is I have a group of girls that work hard on the defensive end," he said. "We use our defense to create our offense."

This was very evident this past Saturday against Broome in the Upper State finals at Littlejohn Coliseum. After a slow start, the Lady Raiders broke the game open and held the Lady Centurians to just 13 second-half points in rolling to a 53-34 victory.

Keenan will need a similar effort to overcome the experience advantage enjoyed by defending Class 2-A champion Lee Central, which is seeking its fifth state title since 2002. McClain believes playing in a college setting at Littlejohn Coliseum will benefit them going to the Colonial Center.

"We're going to do the things we've done all year which is try to put pressure on our opponents and force turnovers," he said.

S.C. HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE BASKETBALL FINALS SCHEDULE

(ALL GAMES AT THE COLONIAL CENTER IN COLUMBIA)

Friday's Games

CLASS 4-A

(GIRLS) Lower Richland vs. Dorman 7 p.m.

(BOYS) Summerville vs. Spartanburg 8:30 p.m.

Saturday's Games

CLASS A

(GIRLS) C.E. Murray vs. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 11:30 a.m.

(BOYS) Calhoun County vs. Hemingway 1:30 p.m.

CLASS 2-A

(GIRLS) Lee Central vs. W.J. Keenan 3 p.m.

(BOYS) Southside vs. Burke 5 p.m.

CLASS 3-A

(GIRLS) Myrtle Beach vs. J.L. Mann 6:30 p.m.

(BOYS) Greenville vs. Myrtle Beach 8:30 p.m.

T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

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