By Thomas Grant Jr.
For the first time in over two decades, the Chapin girls’ basketball has reached the third round of the S.C. High School League playoffs.
Chapin’s Sami Stephenson
The successful first season under head coach Terrence Jones achieved another milestone last Saturday. The 50-40 win over Lugoff-Elgin in the second-round of the Class 5A Division II playoffs gave the program 16 victories for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
A road win Tuesday over Goose Creek would mark even more rarified air for Chapin. Should the Lady Eagles advance and win in the Lower State final Saturday at the Florence Civic Center, this would mark their first state title appearance since winning the Class 2A championship in 1973.
Chapin defeated Rains-Centenary coached by legend Taft Watson for its lone title.
“This is big, but it is something we talked about in the summer time when I took over,” Jones said in published reports. “We just wanted to change the mindset and the culture here. We wanted to compete for the region championship, finish in the top three and make a run in the playoffs. So far, we have done a good job.”
Sami Stephenson led Chapin with 14 points. Alaya Douglas overcame a shoulder injury which kept her sidelined during the second half to score 13 points and Mary Ann Woods had 10 points for the Lady Eagles.
