By Brackin Lambert
uscbathletics.com
Mahkayla Premo grabbed a loose-ball rebound and toed the baseline before drawing a foul with six-tenths of a second left, then knocked down both ends at the charity stripe to give USCB a 58-56 win over visiting Flagler on Saturday in The Cove.
The Saints had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but Premo tracked down the rebound after a missed shot and balanced on one foot along the baseline before falling out of bounds and drawing a whistle. After the Savannah native drained both free throws, Shaniya Rose picked off the inbounds pass to secure the victory, extending USCB’s winning streak to four games and ending the Sand Sharks’ first home season with an 8-6 record in The Cove.
Premo and Taniyah Bowman each dropped 15 points to lead Beaufort’s offense. Rose and Madison Self were forces on the glass, picking up a combined 22 rebounds for USCB.
The teams exchanged blows, both giving up and regaining the lead as the clock ticked down. Flagler hit a 3-pointer to take a 55-53 lead, but a loose-ball scramble ended with the Saints’ Jessica Dowdy fouling out and Bowman heading to the line for two with 40 seconds remaining. She went 1-for-2, but the Saints did the same with 30 seconds remaining.
On the next possession, Bowman chased down an offensive rebound in the corner and fed it to Self on the right block for the tying bucket. After Sharale McCormick’s miss and Premo’s rebound and clutch free throws, the Saints tried a baseball pass on the inbounds to take a shot a miracle 3-pointer, but Rose picked off the pass and the Sand Sharks flooded the court in victory.
USCB still has an outside chance at making the eight-team Peach Belt Conference Tournament, but the Sand Sharks (9-15, 5-11) will need to win at least one of their two remaining games at Columbus State on Wednesday or at Augusta on Saturday.
