LowcoSports.com
Beaufort Academy girls basketball stepped up big at the defensive end Tuesday, forcing 30 turnovers and shutting down the flow of John Paul II’s offense in a 63-47 road win.
Mike’Ala Washington scored 17 points, Tahleea Heyward added 16, Mary Hanna Hiers contributed 14, and Kamirah Freeman scored nine in a balanced effort at the offensive end for BA, but the Eagles were even stronger on defense.
“It was a great team effort tonight,” BA coach Andrew Ienuso said. “Really proud of how we played on the defensive side of the ball. We forced a lot of turnovers and got out in transition, which led to a balanced scoring attack. Tremendous effort tonight in a key region game.”
The Eagles led 30-21 at halftime and eased away after the break despite JPII dominating the boards. Three Golden Warriors pulled down double-digit rebounds, as Maddie Heathcott collected 16 points and 12 rebounds, Savannah Trott added 14 points and 10 boards, and Brady Mahoney had 12 boards to go with five steals.
Washington had another big night Thursday to set herself up for an impending milestone, and BA ran its winning streak to four games with a convincing 64-16 home win over Thomas Heyward.
Washington poured in a game-high 32 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead the way for the Eagles and put her at 992 career points, meaning she is likely to hit the 1,000-point plateau next Friday at home against Holy Trinity.
Tahleea Heyward and Kamirah Freeman each added 12 points for the Eagles, while Brooke Smith scored five points to lead the Rebels.
