By Justin Jarrett
LowcoSports.com
After bolting to a 7-1 start before Christmas, John Paul II’s girls basketball team took almost four weeks off to catch its breath. But when the Golden Warriors hit the court January 5 with a tough loss at Beaufort Academy, they hit it running.
And running, and running.
Since that 41-37 defeat at BA, JPII reeled off six wins in an 11-day span, including three in as many days (and five in the span of a week).
Whew.
JPII passed one of its biggest tests of the early season with a 61-46 home win over Palmetto Christian on Tuesday, took care of a pesky Patrick Henry team on Friday, and sandwiched in blowouts of St. Andrew’s and Thomas Heyward (twice).
There’s no rest for the weary, either, because the Golden Warriors were set to host Hilton Head Prep to open region play Wednesday before traveling to perennial powerhouse Hilton Head Christian Academy for a showdown Friday.
JPII (13-2) has a star in Brady Mahoney, whose streak of 10 straight double-doubles was snapped with a 23-point, 9-rebound effort against St. Andrew’s – but she started a new streak with 12 points, 10 boards, and five steals in Monday’s 44-14 win over the Rebels.
Emily O’Sullivan also has emerged as a reliable scorer and rebounder, and Cayce Graves, Lily Termini, Camryn Michael, Savannah Trott, Gracie Henderson, and Lauren Majorkiewicz form a supporting cast with the ability to take on a lead role any given night.
The Golden Warriors know they’ll need all of them to carry the team deep into the playoffs.
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
