By Justin Jarrett
LowcoSports.com
With the Bridges Prep gym packed shoulder-to-shoulder, the Buccaneers had a chance to finish off a hard-fought win in a key Region 7-1A matchup with crosstown rival Whale Branch on Monday.
Then the signature pressure defense that made Jeremiah Faber’s teams in Ridgeland such a nightmare to face caused the Bucs to unravel, and the Warriors escaped with a 60-59 stunner.
The lead changed hands throughout a chippy game that included numerous technical fouls and plenty of chatter, and Bridges regained control after a Matthew Torres 3-pointer and Amarion Wilson putback put the Bucs up by one with just over two minutes left.
Wilson scored again to make it 59-56 with 45 seconds left, and the Warriors misfired from 3-point range but swiped the ball right back for an easy layup before coming up with another steal to produce a chance for the lead. Whale Branch had two shots for the lead, but both were off the mark and the ball went out of bounds to the Bucs, who just needed break the press and run out the clock – or seal it at the line.
Easier said than done against a Faber-coached team with the Warriors’ personnel. Whale Branch produced another steal and an outlet pass to KJ Chisholm for the go-ahead layup, and a long heave up the court from Wilson was intercepted to give the Warriors a gritty road win.
The win moved Whale Branch (11-8, 5-1) into second place in Region 7-1A heading into Wednesday’s game against struggling Allendale-Fairfax. Bridges (11-3, 3-2) was tied for third prior to Wednesday’s trip to first-place Bethune-Bowman.
WB girls surging
After dropping 12 of their first 13 games, the Whale Branch girls have turned a corner in region play, and Monday’s 50-25 blowout at Bridges gave the Warriors three wins in their last four games.
The Warriors’ defensive effort has been exceptional, holding opponents to just 35 points in the three wins. Whale Branch (4-13, 3-3) is solidly in fourth place in Region 7-1A but faces a tough stretch against the top three teams beginning Wednesday against Allendale-Fairfax. Bridges (2-8, 1-4) faces two tough road trips at Bethune-Bowman on Wednesday and Bamberg-Ehrhardt on Friday.
Justin Jarrett is the sports editor of The Island News and the founder of LowcoSports.com. He was the sports editor of the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette for 6½ years. He has a passion for sports and community journalism and a questionable sense of humor.
