Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, February 25, 2018, 11:17 a.m.

For twenty years, while I was writing about NASCAR, I didn’t see a lot of women’s basketball. Many times, people said to me, “You’d be amazed at how much better it is,” and I’d say, “Well, probably so,” without much commitment to delving into the matter.

Now I know how much better it is.

At last, this year, I got to know the girls’ team — for some silly reason related to age, in high school, they are girls, and in college and pro, they are women — at Laurens Academy, culminating in the private school’s first state championship in the sport. In a span of eight days, I also got to know Sumter, its civic center, and Wilson Hall Academy, but I really know the way to and from.

I also got to know girls’ basketball.

A senior point guard named Taylor Campbell is as dedicated as Stephen Curry. On Saturday, playing with four fouls and busily wrapping up a Class A, South Carolina Independent Schools Association (SCISA), championship with a 48-34 victory over Patrick Henry Academy, Campbell seemed as if her head was equipped with a metronome. A nearby referee was counting diligently, waving her right hand, then pausing as Campbell penetrated around her foe, often dribbling in a circle back out near midcourt.

One, one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand, four … okay … one, one thousand, two, one thousand, three one thousand, four … and so on.

Campbell was unerring. The pursuing Lady Patriots would have to foul her. She made five out of six free throws in the final two minutes. The Lady Crusaders — somehow, in basketball, both girls and women are ladies — pulled farther and farther ahead.

A junior guard named Ruthie Moore is as tough as Campbell and almost as polished. She is a slight girl, and she plays all over the court, often being shoved and pushed by opponents without as many coats of polish. I marvel at how many times she seems to be at the point of exhaustion but never gets exhausted.

This year I have seen several teams more talented than Laurens Academy. None was more cohesive and determined. Jason Marlett has coached them so well that he doesn’t have to coach them much. Campbell and Moore are merely the best players. They all know what they can do, when is the time to do it, and how it can be done.

In the state tournament, Laurens Academy (31-1) won by scores of 50-13, 53-17, 33-21, and, as noted, 48-34. The only loss was to a large public school, Fort Mill, long, long ago in a faraway place, or something like that.

Next year Campbell will play at Newberry College, and others will sell her short because, well, she is short. I expect her to succeed. I expect her to find a way. She will dribble, shoot, dance, and dash out to the very edge of her potential. She loves basketball in the way that Meryl Streep loves acting. She exudes it. It is the heart of her being.

Moore will be back and better, but now is a time to dwell on what has just happened. I have some distant knowledge that a state championship is an event that dwells for a lifetime. The recent knowledge is about a sport that girls and women play quite well.

Here’s my story on the game at GoLaurens.

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