FLORENCE, SC – In a nail-biting, back-and-forth clash that had fans on the edge of their seats, the Greenwood Eagles defeated the Greenville team 49-47 in overtime to win the 2025 Girls 5A-D2 Upper State Championship at the Florence Civic Center.
Greenwood came out firing, establishing an early 10-2 lead with aggressive defense that stymied Greenville’s offense. The Eagles surged to a 13-4 advantage by the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 18-8 midway through the second.
However, Greenville found their rhythm, closing the gap to 18-12 with a series of fast-break layups, forcing Greenwood to call a timeout. Despite a timely three-pointer from Greenville’s Kailee Williams, Greenwood maintained a 24-19 lead at halftime.
Greenville carried their momentum into the third quarter, quickly narrowing the deficit to a single point, 26-25. A’Keyra Harris gave Greenville their first lead of the game, 32-30, with less than two minutes remaining in the third. Greenville continued to push, taking a 36-31 lead into the final quarter.
Greenwood battled back, narrowing the gap to 36-35 with under six minutes to play. Anya Johnson’s fast-break layup gave Greenwood the lead once again, but Greenville responded immediately, making it 38-37. A pivotal Greenville score was nullified by an illegal screen call, and the teams traded baskets, tying the game at 40 with 2:17 remaining.
Cameron Oliver drained one of two foul shots to give Greenwood a slim lead, only for Williams to hit another clutch three, tying the game at 43 as regulation time expired.
The tension escalated in overtime, with Greenville opening the scoring. The teams remained neck-and-neck, tying the game at 47 with two minutes remaining. With 24 seconds on the clock and the score still tied, Greenwood held possession, carefully winding down the clock. As the buzzer sounded, Greenwood scored the decisive two points, securing a hard-fought 49-47 victory.
Greenwood’s tenacious defense and clutch scoring proved to be the difference, propelling them to the state championship game this Saturday.
