Bishop Englad girls cruise to Lower State final with win

And the beat goes on.

Bishop England defeated Marion, 80-51, Tuesday night in the third round of the Class AA girls basketball playoffs.

Bishops coach Paul Runey expected a close encounter.

"It should be the closest game of the year," he said prior to Sunday's practice session. "After all, we're down to the top eight teams in the state."

He was wrong.

The Bishops, in another yawn- burner, upped their record to 26-0, including 13-0 at Father O'Brien Gymnasium. Twenty-two of the victories have been by at least 20 points. The Bishops' average margin of victory is 38 points.

"I was surprised by the margin of victory," Runey said. "I didn't think we'd win by 30. But every time they made a little run, we would respond."

The Bishops advanced to Saturday's Lower State championship game against Lake City. The game will be played at the Florence Civic Center.Lake City advanced with a 58-52 victory over Mullins.

Marion finished the season with a 17-4 record.

Once again, the Bishops played fundamental basketball. Their offensive game included passing up easy shots for even easier shots. The Bishops' style hearkens back to the 1950s when bounce passes were crisp, shots were taken with both hands and the defensive intensity was up to full throttle.

"They are so fundamentally sound," Swamp Foxes coach Leon Sturkey said. "There was nothing surprising with what they did. They are fundamentally sound. That, and we didn't come out and match their intensity in the first quarter."

The Bishops led 21-11 after one period and expanded the lead to 18 points by halftime.

"Our thinking was, 'Look, let's go out and take our best shot.' " Runey said. "We wanted to see what they were made of. It was like a boxing match: We wanted to hit them first.

"We heard they didn't have much firepower, maybe one or two players who could score," Runey said. "We felt we had four or five who could score tonight."

The Bishops hit 53 percent from the field and the Swamp Foxes were a woeful 14 of 68.

Amber Corbett led the Bishops with 21 points, seven assists and six steals. Michele Boykin collected 20 points and eight rebounds. Mary Harriet Moore chipped in with 15 points and nine rebounds. Katelyn Grisillo scored 12 and dished out seven assists.

Tyshanna Lester scored 18 to lead Marion.

Marion (51): K. Foxworth 9, Gause 4, Duncan 3, Davis 1, Washington 7, Bennett 1, Kinney 6, Tyshanna Lester 18, Williams 2.

Bishop England (80): Katelyn Grisillo 12, K. Corbett 2, Amber Corbett 21, Latorre 4, James 2, Michele Boykin 20, Artigues 2, Mary Harriet Moore 15, Lussier 2.

Records: BE 26-0, Marion 17-4. Next: BE vs. Lake City on Saturday in Florence.