Season tips off in Seabrook
By Justin Jarrett
LowcoSports.com
As has become a tradition in the Lowco, the high school basketball season tipped off this weekend at Whale Branch Early College High School with a number of area squads taking part in the annual Earl Campbell Preseason Tournament.
The host Whale Branch boys opened the season ranked third in Class 1A, but they faced a tough test in their first game out of the game, falling 61-40 to Hampton County, the No. 5 team in Class 2A in the preseason. Kevin Jenkins scored nine points and Bradford Thompson added eight for the Warriors, who were without dual-sport star KJ Chisholm for the opener.
The Warriors bounced back with a 76-22 rout of Royal Live Oaks on Monday behind 15 points each from Isaiah Evans and Aaron Fields, along with 13 points and 10 boards from Thompson.
Whale Branch was set to face Bridges Prep on Tuesday after the Bucs took care of Cross (82-20) and Royal Live Oaks (79-23) in their first two games.
The girls teams from Bluffton and Hilton Head Island rolled into Tuesday’s championship game, as the Bobcats routed Bridges Prep (55-21) and Beaufort High (67-17), while the Seahawks took down Hampton County (56-39) and Whale Branch (51-15) to reach the finals.
Beaufort lost its opener 62-22 to Orangeburg-Wilkinson, and Bridges fell 80-7 to Hampton County on Monday.
JPII girls start with tough tests
After an impressive 38-27 win over SCISA 4A Porter-Gaud on Thursday behind 25 points, 15 boards, and five steals from Brady Mahoney, John Paul II’s girls took two tough losses at the Battle of the Lowcountry in Charleston.
The Golden Warriors took a two-point lead to the fourth quarter against SCHSL Class 4A foe Lucy Beckham, but they came up short in a 50-47 defeat despite 24 points from Lily Termini.
In the third-place game on Sunday, JPII ran out of steam against Cathedral Academy, as the Generals jumped out to an early lead and held the Golden Warriors off in the second half. Termini and Mahoney had eight points each to lead JPII (1-2), which faces Cathedral and Charleston Collegiate at home next week.
JPII boys off to strong start
After winning only three games a year ago, JPII’s boys are closing in on that total already this season. JPII opened its season with a 46-29 win over St. John’s Christian Academy in the Battle of the Lowcountry tournament, then bounced back from a 61-45 loss to SCISA 4A power Pinewood Prep to beat Savannah Classical Academy 67-48 on Monday.
Christian Tilton poured in 23 points to go along with 15 from James Keefer and 14 from Nicholai Atkinson. Atkinson also had 14 in the loss to Pinewood Prep.
JPII (2-1) faces Cathedral and Charleston Collegiate at home next week.
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.
