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Jacobien Lewis wasn't ready for his season to end.聽

Lewis, or "Grim" as he is known around Loris, had what felt like the eyes of the entire town of Loris on him in Monday night's third-round boys basketball game against Fox Creek.聽

When the moment was the biggest, Lewis shined the brightest.

Loris defeated Fox Creek, 57-52, to advance to Friday's Class 3A Lower State championship game, the first appearance in the lower state finals in the history of the Loris program.聽

Had it not been for the standout play of Lewis, the Lions might not be preparing for the biggest boys basketball game in school history.

Fox Creek looked to be on its way to punching its ticket to the game, capturing momentum throughout much of the second half and pulling out to a multi-possession lead late. Loris struggled to make free throws, and even as Fox Creek racked up some foul trouble, the Predators made a strong push to end the Lions' season at Loris High School on Monday.

But Lewis had other plans.聽

The game inched closer as time ticked down, and Loris was able to get the game within one score with less than two minutes to go. With about 1:40 left, Lewis hit a go-ahead shot that sent the volume inside the Lions' Den through the roof. That bucket made it 53-52, but that wasn't the night's top shining moment.

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Just about a minute later, Loris regained possession and put the ball into the hands of Lewis, who made it count. He drove to the rim with a spin-and-score bucket to put Loris up, 55-52 with 40 seconds left. After another defensive stop, it became clear that the Lions weren't done just yet.

Lewis ended with 19 points, including the four that mattered most in crunch time.

"He's a gamer. He's a gamer. He's just a gamer," Loris head coach Andrew Eads said after the game. "He can do whatever you want. At the end of the day, you have to put the ball in the hands of your gamer. And he's a gamer."

In the hallway outside of the Lions' celebratory locker room after the win, Lewis heard a voice shouting from the far end of the walkway.

"Grim! Way to go!"

It was Loris head football coach Greg Mance, who coached Lewis as a standout member of the Lions' football program, which also made it to the Class 3A Lower State finals this season.聽

Lewis smiled, thanking his coach and everyone who came up to him after the win to celebrate the night that was.

"I wanted to do what I can do, because I know my teammates trust me," Lewis said after the win. "This feels great. I get to go out with my team for another week. We're getting to achieve something that no other Loris team in history has."

The Lions have lost just one game since Christmas. They went a perfect 10-0 to win Region V-3A and have now rattled off three wins in the state playoffs to keep their hopes of winning a state championship alive.

Eads, in his first year as the team's head coach, says his team has turned it on when it matters most. Now, the journey continues.

"We have a chance to keep writing this chapter even further," Eads said. "You can't ask for more than that. We need to come ready to do what we do."

The Lions will face Keenan in the Lower State finals. The Raiders knocked off Oceanside on Monday, 50-36. The game is set for 4:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at the Florence Center.

"This is real fun for us because we've been playing together since we were in elementary school," Lewis said of this year's Loris team. "We have a good chemistry and good connection because we've been doing this together since we were little. This is just fun."