BOYS BASKETBALL
Beaufort High opens 7-4A schedule with win over Bluffton
Beaufort High’s ferocious frontcourt duo of Zyrin Odom and James Dennison posted double-doubles on Tuesday to power the Eagles to a 67-49 home win over Bluffton to open Region 7-4A play.
Coming off a run to the Class 4A football state championship, most of Beaufort’s key players were late to the party this season, and they’re still working their way into basketball shape. But the bigs were in complete control Tuesday, as Odom racked up 26 points and 12 rebounds, James Dennison added 24 points and 10 boards, and Michael Dennison contributed eight points for the Eagles.
The Bobcats got off to a red-hot start and led 17-15 after one quarter, but the Eagles locked in and surged to a 33-22 halftime advantage. They pushed the margin to 15 entering the final period and coasted to the finish.
Jaylin Linder scored 21 points, and DJ Aiken added seven to lead the Bobcats.
Beaufort High 70, Battery Creek 55
“The Firm” of Dennison, Dennison and Odom brought its closing arguments in Beaufort High’s crosstown rivalry with Battery Creek on Friday, combining for 50 points, 37 rebounds, and 14 steals as the Eagles completed a season sweep of the Dolphins with a 70-55 home win on Kirkland Court.
James Dennison continued his torrid start with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and five steals, while Michael Dennison racked up 19 points, eight boards, and four steals, and Zyrin Odom collected nine points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and five steals to lead a Beaufort team that had 12 different players reach the scoring column.
Will White posted a double-double for Creek with 28 points and 10 boards, and Noah Northway contributed 17 points.
After an opening basket from White, the Eagles went on a 14-2 run over the next six-plus minutes. Creek’s offense struggled to put together runs and the Eagles took a 21-6 lead after the first quarter. The Dolphins fared better in the second quarter putting up 12 points, but the Eagles matched that point total and went into the break up 15.
Beaufort caught fire during the opening minutes of the second half, scoring 17 points in just over five minutes. Northway scored six points during a 14-point quarter for the Dolphins, but Creek found itself down by 24 going to the final period. White and Northway found their groove in the fourth, but Beaufort easily held on.
Whale Branch 54, Palmetto Scholars 33
Whale Branch remained undefeated with a 54-33 home win over Region 7-1A opponent Palmetto Scholars on Friday.
AJ Singleton and Jashaun Gillison led the Warriors’ balanced output with 16 points each, while Quaeshawn Fields added 11, and Keith Chisholm and Quintillion Fields scored six each.
Dezmon Mathis scored 14 points to lead the Phoenix.
Beaufort High 59, Wando 39
Once again led by a dominant effort from “The Firm,” Beaufort High pulled away late for a 59-39 home win over Wando on Saturday.
The Eagles’ imposing frontcourt of Dennison, Dennison and Odom combined for 47 of the Eagles’ 59 points to go along with 32 rebounds to power Beaufort to its fourth straight.
James Dennison continued his torrid start to the season with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting along with 15 boards, while his brother Michael Dennison added 16 points and nine rebounds, and Zyrin Odom collected 12 points, eight boards, and five assists.
The Warriors led by four at halftime and still held a two-point margin entering the fourth quarter before Beaufort outscored Wando 26-4 in the final period.
Calhoun Falls Charter 63, Whale Branch 42
Whale Branch gave a sluggish effort in the Warriors’ fourth game in six days Monday, falling 63-42 to Calhoun Falls Charter in the Class 1A Showcase in Hemingway.
It was a matchup of unbeaten teams, as each squad came in with a 6-0 mark, but only the Blue Flashes left with perfection intact.
AJ Singleton scored 17 points and Jashaun Gillison added 16 for the Warriors, who won’t get to rest any time soon. They play the next two days, meaning they will have played five games in six days at the conclusion of the tournament.
Pinewood Prep 62, Beaufort High 59
Beaufort High had a big lead early and had its chances late, but too many costly turnovers came back to haunt the Eagles in a 62-59 loss to Pinewood Prep on the first day of the Pro Skills Basketball Showcase in Goose Creek.
The Eagles opened up a 19-4 lead after scoring the first bucket of the second quarter, but the Panthers rattled off a 16-4 run to pull even at 26, draining four 3-pointers during the stretch. Each team hit nine triples in the contest.
Beaufort scored the final six points of the half to take a 32-26 lead into the break and extended it to nine early in the third, but Pinewood clawed back within 46-42 heading to the fourth.
The Panthers surged ahead by four with a 7-0 run before Beaufort scored four straight to tie it at 54, but Pinewood rattled off five straight points and the Eagles couldn’t dig out.
Beaufort’s frontcourt trio had another terrific outing, as Zyrin Odom collected 25 points and 11 rebounds, James Dennison had 23 points and seven boards, and Michael Dennison added eight points and 10 rebounds.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Bluffton 40, Beaufort High 35
An upstart Beaufort High squad gave them all they wanted Tuesday night, but Bluffton’s sensational sophomore class came through to help the Bobcats secure a 40-35 road win and remain undefeated.
Sophomores Tacoya Heyward, Madi Washington, and Jaalina Mosley combined for 31 of the Bobcats’ 40 points — 38 of which came from sophomores — to help Bluffton overcome 12-point nights from Beaufort’s Quinn Wilson and Riley Brozek.
The Eagles came out strong, holding Heyward scoreless in the first half and taking a 16-15 advantage into halftime, but the Bobcats’ star point guard got on track with a 3-pointer in the third quarter as Bluffton stayed within one going to the fourth, and she put up eight points in the final frame to spark the comeback victory.
Heyward finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with seven steals and four assists, while her classmates also put up big lines. Washington had 10 points, seven boards, and three steals, Mosley added eight points and five rebounds, and Katie Rodney had five points, seven boards, five assists, and three steals.
Wilson scored 12 points for the Eagles, and Brozek hit four 3-pointers — one in each quarter.
Battery Creek 38, Beaufort High 25
Sophia Felix knocked down three clutch triples and Battery Creek went 4-for-5 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach as the Dolphins defeated archrival Beaufort High 38-25 Friday night on Kirkland Court.
Battery Creek’s offense started off with a bang as Felix knocked down two triples early, and the Wilson sisters both connected with 12-footers to put Creek up 11-6 after one quarter. The two teams remained scoreless through the first two-plus minutes of the second quarter before Kiara Wilson found Ashante Shaw with a sweet pass under the basket for two.
The Dolphins’ defense continued to keep Beaufort at bay, causing a number of missed shots. Creek shot 26 percent from the field in the first half while holding Beaufort to just 19 percent and opening an 18-10 lead at halftime.
Creek opened the second half on a 5-0 run as Felix sank a three from the wing and then laid one off the glass to force Beaufort to burn a timeout less than two minutes into the half. The Dolphins attacked the offensive boards in the third quarter scoring, four points off of offensive rebounds.
Beaufort trimmed Creek’s 10-point lead to seven with just under four minutes to play, but the Dolphins pushed the pace in the final four minutes, attacking the Eagles in the paint and drawing fouls. BC shot 80 percent from the charity stripe in the fourth to secure the victory.
Felix and Kiara Wilson each scored 11 points to lead the Dolphins, while Shaw added eight, including five in the fourth quarter. Quinn Wilson scored 14 points to lead the Eagles.
Wando 56, Beaufort High 39
The Eagles struggled to get going on offense in the first half and couldn’t dig out Saturday at home against Wando.
The Warriors raced to a 19-7 lead after one quarter and locked down on defense to hold Beaufort to two points in the second period, taking a 28-9 halftime lead. Beaufort played Wando even in the third quarter and outscored the Warriors in the fourth, but the deficit was too large to overcome.
Holy Trinity 49, Faith Christian 18
Holy Trinity cruised to its third straight win Friday at home, blasting visiting Faith Christian 49-18.
The Mighty Lions got off to a slow start at the offensive end, but they buckled down on defense to open up a 17-12 halftime lead, then shut out the Knights in the third quarter to balloon the margin to 17. Holy Trinity outscored Faith Christian 20-6 in the fourth to close it out.
Eliza Gaillard had a huge night with 18 points on 9-of-18 shooting along with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Lilly Cooler added 14 points and seven rebounds, and Selah McGrew contributed five points and 10 boards for the Mighty Lions.
Holy Trinity (9-1) hosts Charleston Collegiate on Jan. 4.
WRESTLING
Eagles sweep double dual; Warriors split
Beaufort High wrestling swept a double dual at home Wednesday, beating North Charleston and Whale Branch, while the Warriors picked up a win over the Cougars in a match that came down to a tiebreaker.
The Eagles rolled past the Cougars (66-6) and Warriors (60-18) as Antonion McKnight, Jack Miller, Ryan Brozek, Peter Adam Burvenich, and Colton Phares all pinned both of their opponents. Andrew Legree and Tayriq Legree also picked up one win by pin for Beaufort.
Whale Branch’s Darrell Cummings won by pin against Beaufort and by forfeit against North Charleston, and Jayden Marzett claimed two forfeit wins to go 2-0. King Kight also picked up a forfeit against the Eagles.
The Warriors claimed a 31-30 win over the Cougars in a match that finished tied at 30. Whale Branch earned the tiebreaker point by virtue of having fewer forfeited weight classes. Delante Hills and Zaire Polite earned pins against North Charleston, while Freddie Lawton, Cummings, and Marzett won by forfeit.
Beaufort (3-2) will be back in action Dec. 29-30 at the May River Shark Invitational. Whale Branch’s next action is a double dual with John Paul II at Bridges Prep on Jan. 6.
JPII sweeps Colleton Prep, Bridges Prep
John Paul II wrestling racked up 16 pins in 17 contested matches while sweeping a pair of duals from Colleton Prep and Bridges Prep at home Saturday.
The Golden Warriors piled up eight pins in a 66-12 win over Bridges, amassing a 66-0 lead before the Buccaneers won the final two weights by forfeit. JPII was just as dominant against the War Hawks, again notching eight pins and dropping just one weight class as Colleton Prep’s Carter Simms earned a pin at 145 pounds.
Daniel Snyder, Archer Dewig, William Rooney, Jack Brock, and Kohl Woodham each recorded two pins for JPII, while Oliver Witkowski, Ephrain Jimenez, and Noah Snyder each had a pin and a forfeit, and Peter Torinese won both of his matches by forfeit. Chris Orta and Jase Reynolds also recorded pins for JPI
