By Justin Jarrett
LowcoSports.com
It’s already become a foregone conclusion that the Beaufort High girls basketball team is poised to run away with the Region 6-4A title, and the Eagles likely represent the area’s best chance at a deep run in the SCHSL girls playoffs.
The Eagles had a major bounce-back season a year ago on the strength of a talented young nucleus and a handful of veteran role players, and the addition of former Bluffton standout Amirah Brown as a secondary scoring threat to sophomore sensation Jania Hayward has elevated coach Reggie Jones’ team to a new level.
The Eagles (12-4) have won six straight since being humbled by Class 5A power Goose Creek, and they’ve rolled their first three region opponents by 28 points or more. The region slate won’t provide much of a test the rest of the way, and a region title would afford the Eagles a top-three seed in the Lower State bracket, making a deep run more realistic.
Creek boys start region strong
Region wins have been hard to come by for Battery Creek’s boys in recent years, and with powers Orangeburg-Wilkinson and Oceanside Collegiate in Region 6-3A along with North Charleston and Hanahan, every night figures to be a battle again this year.
But the Dolphins seem to be turning a corner.
Coach C.J. Brown’s squad knocked off Oceanside Collegiate 71-58 in triple overtime on Jan. 9 and held on for a 50-45 at Hanahan on Friday to start 2-0 in region and match last season’s region win total. The Dolphins were slated to host North Charleston on Tuesday and travel to Oceanside Collegaite for a rematch Jan. 27.
Beaufort boys stun Sharks
After dropping 11 of their first 12 games, many in lopsided fashion, Beaufort High’s boys stunned the region — and the state — on Friday, building a 21-point halftime lead and hanging on for a 64-62 home win over May River.
The Sharks won their first 17 games of the season and were ranked third in Class 4A by the S.C. Basketball Coaches Association before suffering their first defeat Tuesday against Hilton Head, and the Eagles made it two straight losses with Friday’s upset.
Freshman guard Keaton Layman scored 20 points to lead Beaufort, while the Eagles limited May River star KJ Ford to 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
Beaufort was back in action Tuesday at home against Bluffton before traveling to Hilton Head High on Friday.
