BOYS
Gillison, Warriors rally past Dolphins with big fourth quarter
JaShawn Gillison put up 16 points, and Whale Branch’s defense dominated down the stretch Friday to top Battery Creek on the road, 48-36.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first half, as the Lowco rivals finished the first quarter tied at 10 before going into the locker rooms knotted at 22 points apiece. Battery Creek took control in the third quarter with a 34-31 advantage, but the Warriors rallied behind a stellar defensive effort, allowing just two points in the final eight minutes to pull out the 48-36 victory.
Antoine Singleton added 12 points for the Warriors, and Quaeshawn Fields tallied six. Noah Northway led the Dolphins with 13 points, and William White scored 10.
The Warriors opened the season with a solid road win Tuesday, topping Estill 57-50.
Singleton turned in a terrific performance to start his senior year, scoring 19 points to lead the Warriors. Keith Chisholm put up 13 points, and Quintillian Fields added 10.
Eagles still finding legs, fall to Green Wave
Beaufort High’s boys couldn’t hold down a solid Summerville offense Saturday, falling 64-43 on the road.
After competing on Thursday in the SCHSL 4A football state championship, the Dennison brothers took their stellar athleticism from the gridiron to the basketball court. James Dennison led the Eagles with a strong 20-point effort, while brother Michael added eight points.
Even without nearly half its roster and the entire starting lineup, Beaufort fought to the finish in a 46-44 loss to visiting Military Magnet to open the season Wednesday. The Eagles got off to a strong start and led 28-21 at halftime after holding Military Magnet to four points in the second quarter.
The visiting Eagles clawed back within one going to the fourth quarter, but the home Eagles widened the margin to 42-38 on a 3-pointer from Joseph Combs. Military Magnet surged ahead with a 5-0 spurt, but Arthur Singleton put Beaufort back on top 44-43 with a pair of free throws.
Beaufort couldn’t cash in down the stretch, though, and Geraldo Washington gave Military Magnet the lead with a bucket and added a free throw to help seal it.
Combs led Beaufort with 13 points, while Davis Willis collected nine points and six rebounds, and Singleton scored eight points.
BA knocks off Bobcats on road
Beaufort Academy boys basketball picked up an impressive win over a public school opponent Thursday night, winning 52-42 at Bluffton.
Freshman Amarion Wilson led a terrific team effort for the Eagles with 16 points and seven rebounds, and guards Braydon Dineen and Zeke Gonzalez both scored in double digits and made big contributions throughout the box score.
The Eagles got off to a slow start on the road, managing only four points in the first quarter to dig an eight-point hole, but they locked down on defense over the next two quarters, surging to a 21-20 halftime lead and widening the margin to eight points entering the fourth before holding off the Bobcats down the stretch.
Wilson was 6-of-11 from the field in another strong showing in the post, while Dineen scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting — including 3-of-4 from 3-point range — and was active on defense with three steals and five deflections. Zeke Gonzalez scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with six assists, five rebounds, three steals, and four deflections, and Sully Gay had a tough shooting night but scraped out nine points along with 10 boards, three assists, two steals, and three deflections.
BA held the Bobcats to 23.5 percent shooting, including 7-of-29 from 3-point range.
“Our goal every day is to be the hardest playing team on the court,” BA coach Nick Field said. “We don’t expect to win, we expect to deserve to win.”
Jaylin Linder led the Bobcats with 19 points, five rebounds, two steals, and four deflections. Nick Yanez added nine points, five boards, and five assists.
BA blasts Crown, Royal Live Oaks
Beaufort Academy’s boys tuned up for a showdown with Hilton Head High with another lopsided victory Monday, routing visiting Royal Live Oaks Academy 81-18.
The Eagles ran out to a 24-2 lead after one quarter and extended it to 49-7 at halftime before coasting to the finish with the reserves on the floor. BA shot 52.1 percent from the floor and locked down on defense, holding the Royal Knights to 26.7 percent shooting and scoring 53 points off 40 turnovers.
Sully Gay found his shot, going 6-for-9 for 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 16 minutes to lead BA, while Jaxen Porter added 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Gavin Midyette contributed 11 points, Timmy Horgan had nine points and three steals, and Brandon Trapp collected six points, five rebounds, six assists, and four steals for the Eagles.
On Saturday, the Eagles pulled their starters after the first quarter and gave everyone plenty of playing time but still ran away with a 93-7 win over visiting Crown Leadership Academy.
The Eagles raced out to a 35-1 lead after one quarter, and the second unit extended the lead to 64-1 at halftime. Crown didn’t manage a field goal until hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, finishing the night 2-for-39 from the field. BA scored 50 points off 37 Crown turnovers.
Reserves Porter and Gideon Watkins led the way for BA with 16 points each, while Porter added 13 rebounds, five steals, and three assists, and Watkins snagged six boards. Braydon Dineen scored 15 points to go with three rebounds, three assists, and five steals in one quarter of play, and Gay contributed eight points, five boards, two steals, and two assists in the first quarter.
Devin Fripp and Devonte Green also scored eight points each, and Green added five rebounds and three steals.
Bucs hold off late flurry from Mighty Lions for road win
Bridges Prep boys basketball held off a furious fourth-quarter charge from Holy Trinity to pick up a 39-35 road win Friday.
The Buccaneers dominated on defense for most of the night and led 22-9 at halftime and 28-11 through three quarters, but the Mighty Lions erupted for 24 points in the fourth quarter to narrow the gap before falling short.
Damien Bee scored 11 points to go along with five assists and five steals for Bridges, while Tony Jones added four points and 10 boards.
Levi Dyer scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds and two blocks to lead Holy Trinity, and Houston Wilson added 10 points and six rebounds.
Dyer’s big night fuels Mighty Lions to first win
Levi Dyer poured in 30 points as Holy Trinity boys basketball picked up its first win of the season Tuesday with a 45-30 home win over Step of Faith Academy.
The Mighty Lions leaned on a strong defense to hold the visitors to single digits in every quarter, racing out to a 29-15 halftime advantage and holding onto a comfortable lead the rest of the way.
Dyer was locked in all night, shooting 13-of-20 from the floor and knocking down a 3-pointer and 3 of 4 free throws. The junior also snagged nine rebounds, blocked three shots, and contributed two of the Mighty Lions’ nine steals.
Michael Andrade added 10 points, eight boards, five assists, and three steals in an excellent all-around showing.
GIRLS
BA rips past Royal Live Oaks
With a tough matchup with Hilton Head High looming a day later, Beaufort Academy’s girls didn’t get much of a test Monday, routing Royal Live Oaks Academy 67-2 at home.
Kamirah Freeman and Mike’ala Washington each had 14 points to lead the Eagles, while Aubrey Gogol finished with 10, and Tahleea Heyward added nine.
Coolers get hot to lead Mighty Lions to lopsided win
Holy Trinity girls basketball cruised to a 53-15 home win over crosstown opponent Bridges Prep on Friday.
The Mighty Lions played stifling defense all night, holding the Buccaneers in single digits in each quarter and leading 30-6 at halftime.
Lele Cooler scored 16 points to lead the Mighty Lions, while Lilly Cooler added nine points and eight rebounds. Mary Bozard had nine points, three assists, and four steals, Selah McGrew had seven points and nine rebounds, and Eliza Gaillard contributed six points and nine boards.
Gaillard’s double-double leads HT to big win
Holy Trinity girls basketball breezed to an easy home win Tuesday, beating Step of Faith 41-10.
Eliza Gaillard led a balanced offensive output for the Mighty Lions with 11 points and snagged 10 rebounds in an outstanding effort. Selah McGrew added eight points and seven boards to go with three steals, Lilly Cooler contributed eight points and four boards, and Lele Cooler swiped seven of Holy Trinity’s 17 steals.
