Gamecocks signee MiLaysia Fulwiley scores 3,000th point

MiLaysia Fulwiley capped off her final home game in style Friday night.

The Keenan High School guard and South Carolina signee received her McDonald’s All-American Game jersey at halftime and eclipsed 3,000 points in her career minutes later in helping the Raiders to a 92-47 win over Saluda in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.

Keenan will travel to Silver Bluff on Tuesday in the third round.

“I was just ready to get my 3,000-point ball and my McDonald’s jersey,” Fulwiley said after the game. “I was just ready to see all the goals I set out to accomplish come to light.”

Fuwiley said she spent time leading up to the game Friday thinking about the honor and milestone. Keenan had a half-day of school, which gave her more time to reflect on things.

Fulwiley has been the cornerstone of the program since being called up to the varsity before the playoffs as a seventh-grader.

“It was overwhelming a little bit, but I made sure I stayed focused and focused on the main goal, which was winning this game,” she said.

Fulwiley went into the game needing 21 points for 3,000. She spent much of the first quarter on the bench after picking up her second foul early. But the future Gamecock made up for it in the second quarter by scoring 14 points and putting the Raiders up 47-20.

The milestone moment came with 5:16 left in the third quarter as Fulwiley nailed a deep 3-pointer. After the shot, she raised her hands in the air and was mobbed by her teammates.

The game was briefly stopped and Fulwiley was awarded a commemorative ball for the milestone.

“We knew she was talented and had the possibility to score a lot of points for us. It kind of came into reality when she scored 1,000 points her freshman year,” Keenan coach Reggie McLain said. “It is special to score 3,000 points and be a McDonald’s All-American.”

Fulwiley finished with 26 points Friday and has 3,005 in her career. She sat out much of the fourth quarter with the Raiders up by a large margin.

Fulwiley became the eighth player in state history to go over the 3,000-point mark. East Clarendon’s Talaysia Cooper accomplished it last year, and the two will be teammates next year at South Carolina.

Camden junior Joyce Edwards projects to be the next one to hit the mark — with 2,875 career points and a whole year left.

“Welcome to the 3k gang! It’s only a hand full of us buckets that did this! Proud of you! Welcome to the Klub,” tweeted Khadijah Sessions, a former Myrtle Beach and USC standout and 3,000-point club member.

Fulwiley has one more accomplishment on her mind: another state championship. She has led the Raiders to five title appearances and four championships, including three straight.

Keenan is three wins away from its fourth title in a row.

“Me and my teammates are going to continue to keep working as hard as we have been all season and hopefully we can get it done,” Fulwiley said.