LowcoSports.com
The most successful season of Beaufort High girls basketball in at least two decades came to a close Monday night at South Florence, where the Eagles came up short in their bid to make the SCHSL Class 4A Lower State final, falling 47-37 after going toe-to-toe with the Bruins all night.
The Eagles’ strong defense kept them in the game, and they trailed by only four going to the fourth quarter, but the Bruins heated up and created some distance.
South Florence knocked down seven 3-pointers, including three each from Trevionne Hannah and Allyson Watson, and star freshman Harmony Bostick put up 19 points to help the Bruins hold off Beaufort.
The Eagles (21-5) lose three seniors who played significant roles — guard Zaria Coaxum and post players Allyson Dennison and Carson Crosby — but they return their top two scorers in all-state point guard Jania Hayward and wing Amirah Brown and should be poised for another strong campaign next season.
JPII girls make semis
After a first-round bye, the John Paul II girls chalked up an impressive win over Hammond School on Monday in Sumter, dominating the second half of a 49-30 victory to earn a trip to the SCISA 4A semifinals.
JPII trailed 13-11 at halftime of a defensive struggle, but the Golden Warriors found their offensive rhythm after the break and continued their lockdown defense. Evelyn Melnick ignited the turnaround with her defensive pressure, creating multiple turnovers that the Warriors were able to capitalize on, while Ellie Heathcott led the way with 19 points, and Lauren Majorkiewicz came up big down the stretch and finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, and seven steals.
Next up for the Golden Warriors (20-3) is a rematch with Northwood Academy (27-1). The Chargers pulled away in the second half to rout JPII 73-45, but that was on Nov. 25 in just the Golden Warriors’ second game of the season.
