Class 5A D1 State Championship: Blythewood vs Ridge View

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>USE CODE “baxley30” FOR 30% OFF THE FIRST PURCHASE OF ANY SUBSCRIPTION</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All roads have led to Florence and the last two teams standing in Class 5A Division One are Blythewood and Ridge View. Prep Hoops SC was at the Florence Center on Friday for this game and will be there to cover the other five classifications as well. Check out my game recap from the 2025 Class 5A Division One State Championship Game: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Score:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ridge View 71, Blythewood 47</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable Performers:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1692243' first='Korie' last='Corbett'] (Ridge View) - 23 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 4 Steals on 7-11 FG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1679970' first='Yale' last='Davis'] (Ridge View) - 13 Points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1972146' first='Malachi' last='Cooper'] (Ridge View) - 9 Points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2090536' first='TJ' last='Lewis'] (Blythewood) - 17 Points on 5-13 FG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2172957' first='Tyler' last='Stephens'] (Blythewood) - 6 Points + 6 Rebounds </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Torrean Sims</strong> (Blythewood) - 6 Points, 6 Rebounds, and 5 Fouls in 8 Minutes</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Game Recap: </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ridge View and Blythewood met for the third time this season on Friday to decide the Class 5A Division One State Championship. The Blazers won the previous two matchups, including one less than a month ago in Columbia that I was also there for. The most important defensive assignment for Ridge View remained the same: [player_tooltip player_id='1972146' first='Malachi' last='Cooper'] on [player_tooltip player_id='2090536' first='TJ' last='Lewis']. Cooper's length caused Lewis difficulty getting touches early in the game, meaning the Blazers could gain an early 7-0 advantage until <strong>Torrean Sims</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='1645098' first='Mujahid' last='Jones'] brought reinforcements off the Blythewood bench. [player_tooltip player_id='1848083' first='Talan' last='Staley'] knocked down a pair of threes at the end of the quarter followed by Lewis' first field goal shortly into the second. Ridge View's depth was on display throughout the first half as Staley continued to step up and [player_tooltip player_id='2373165' first='CJ' last='Moore'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2367667' first='Joshua' last='JT Vankallen'] made key hustle plays. Despite Lewis putting up 12 of his 17 points and [player_tooltip player_id='2172957' first='Tyler' last='Stephens'] chipping in with a few nice plays, it was all Ridge View in the second half. [player_tooltip player_id='1692243' first='Korie' last='Corbett'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1679970' first='Yale' last='Davis'] scored all 16 of the Blazers' third-quarter points as the lead grew to double digits, then a highlight-reel Corbett dunk pushed the lead up over 20 with 4:00 to play. [player_tooltip player_id='2104388' first='Robert' last='Wylie'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2149125' first='Brayden' last='Mack'] added 12 points on perfect shooting in the fourth quarter, meaning [player_tooltip player_id='1972146' first='Malachi' last='Cooper'], [player_tooltip player_id='1158877' first='Reggie' last='Mack'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1032753' first='TreyVon' last='Smith'] could get the standing ovation they deserved for going out on top in both their Junior and Senior seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->