Bruins end Eagles’ playoff push
By Wes Kerr
LowcoSports.com
After an incredible run of nine straight victories to reach the Elite Eight in Class 3A, Beaufort High’s boys basketball team ran into a buzzsaw Monday night, falling 61-39 to second-ranked Orangeburg-Wilkinson in the Lower State semifinals.
The Eagles found success inside with Michael Dennison and hit a pair of big 3-pointers to take a 29-25 lead into halftime, and Guerin Willis’ second 3-pointer of the game put Beaufort up 35-33 midway through the third quarter before the Bruins cranked up the defensive intensity.
O-W’s full-court pressure rattled the Eagles, who were plagued by 28 turnovers against a tenacious Bruins defense. Jeremiah Jacques had 17 points and six steals, and Horaces Jacques collected 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals to lead the Bruins.
Dennison wrapped up his terrific career for the Eagles (12-12) with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Sully Gay added nine points and eight boards, and Samari Bonds had eight points.
Eagles edge Lake City to reach Elite 8
By Wes Kerr
LowcoSports.com
As the missed layups and frustration mounted in the fourth quarter, Beaufort High’s sudden hopes of a stunning playoff win began to dwindle. But Samari Bonds’ quick hands came through in the clutch, and added a new chapter in another storybook Eagle postseason run.
Bonds came up with a steal and dunk to give Beaufort the lead, then converted another steal for a layup as the final seconds ticked down in The Nest on Friday night to seal a 58-55 victory over Lake City and a spot in the SCHSL 3A Elite Eight.
“We didn’t give up,” Beaufort head coach Jeremy Huff said. “All 11 guys in this game fought until the end. When we lost to West Florence in the second round last year, we knew that defense was we had to work on. Our defensive effort has just been unbelievable.”
The Eagles fed off the home crowd’s energy early and surged to a 17-10 lead in the opening quarter sparked by strong shooting from beyond the arc. Senior guard Arthur Singleton was red-hot from distance, sinking three triples in just the first quarter including two in a row to finish the period with a 23-17 edge. The Eagles quickly stretched the lead to double digits behind some marvelous ball movement and active hands on defense.
Singleton stayed dialed-in from distance with his fourth three off a textbook screen from Michael Dennison, and Sully Gay poked the ball away and scored at the other end to swell the home advantage to 28-17. But the potent Panthers began to press and disrupt the Eagle offense, tipping passes and forcing miscues to set up a wide-open Mykel Croker 3-pointer to cap off a 7-0 Lake City run.
Bonds had the answer with another Beaufort triple, but 6-foot-6 Amare Adams and the Panthers went right back to work to even the contest at 33 while flustering the Eagles as they brought the ball up the floor. Gay made one of two from the line to take a one-point lead into the locker room.
The intensity was raised to another level in the second half, as the Eagles came out and took back control with Singleton’s fifth 3-pointer of the contest before Dennison’s strength on the glass paid off with a beautiful putback for a 47-42 Beaufort lead. The electric matchup between Dennison and Adams continued throughout the quarter as both sides scrapped for every loose ball and possession.
Lake City found a second wind near the end of the third period in the form of senior guard AJ Graham. With his high school career on the line, Graham left it all on the court, weaving and driving to the rim for five key points in the quarter to cut the lead back to one. Huff preached defense to his group down the stretch, and the Eagles responded with a string of gutsy stops to open the fourth.
But things started to go sideways as the game hit the final minutes. A string of missed layups began to add up, and Beaufort suddenly found itself down three with under four to play. But the Eagles were more than ready to rewrite the script again. Just seconds after Dennison rose up for a tough jumper over Adams to cut it to one, Bonds stole a pass across the top of the key and jammed it through for the lead.
The Kirkland Krazies were feeling it.
It was up to the defense to lock in the rest of the way, and the Eagles rose to the challenge, forcing a pass out of bounds with a minute left on the clock. Beaufort worked its offense flawlessly as Dennison found Gay in the paint, but a pair of misses at the line gave Lake City a chance down a point. Beaufort’s swarming defense forced a Panther timeout with eight ticks left as the nervous Eagle faithful looked on. But with one swift swipe from Bonds, the nervousness turned into elation. The sophomore quarterback of the state championship football team stripped the ball from Qualiek Washington and calmly finished the layup to advance the Eagles to the state’s final eight.
Singleton led the way with an astounding performance from beyond the arc, hitting six 3-pointers for 18 points. Dennison displayed his mettle on both ends and added some timely buckets for 11 points on the night. Bonds added nine including the go-ahead and game-sealing baskets in the fourth, and Gay tallied nine to put him over the career 1,000-point mark.
Back in December, Huff’s Eagles dropped their first six games of the hoops season. But the hard work and winning mentality of this squad has brought them in a flash to improbable heights.
“It’s hard to put into words what these guys have accomplished these last couple months,” Huff said. “A lot of people have counted us out, and their grit and determination has shown day in and day out.”
