<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><b>HIGH SCHOOL </b><b>BASKETBALL</b></span></p>
<b>Lady Eagles defeat John Paul II, 41-34 </b>

Beaufort Academy moved ahead early and held on late to defeat John Paul II 41-34 in a girls' high school basketball game on Jan. 6.

Beaufort Academy featured two scorers in double figures.

Amelia Huebel led Beaufort Academy with a game-high 16 points. Accompanying Huebel in double figures for the Lady Eagles, Mary Keane netted 12 points.

Finishing one field goal short of reaching double figures in the scoring column, Emily Ann Hiers posted eight points for the Beaufort Academy girls' basketball team in the victory.

The Lady Eagles played well as a unit, turning in a strong defensive performance.

Beaufort Academy dominated early, outscoring John Paul II 23-10 in the
initial quarter.

But John Paul II managed to battle back before falling short late. The Golden Warriors outscored Beaufort Academy 19-11 in the final quarter.

John Paul II didn't feature any scorers in double figures. Both Abigail Quinty and Mary Foster Guillard narrowly missed reaching double figures for the Golden Warriors, netting nine points apiece.

Foster helped to keep John Paul II in the game with a stout inside performance, claiming 12 rebounds.

Quinty chipped in eight rebounds for the Golden Warriors in the loss.

Jasmine Hamilton tossed in seven points and Lexie McIntosh posted six points for the Golden Warriors in the seven-point setback.

In other girls' basketball news:

The Beaufort Academy Lady Eagles fell behind early and couldn't recover from their slow start on the road at Thomas Heyward Academy on Wednesday, Jan. 4. Host Thomas Heyward Academy pulled away to beat Beaufort Academy 57-28.

Jamie Davis paced Thomas Heyward Academy with 22 points.

Ivy Bryan was the only other Thomas Heyward Academy player to reach double figures, chipping in 10 points in the winning effort.

Alayna Delong narrowly missed double figures, netting nine points for the Rebels.

Beaufort Academy was limited offensively and forced to play from behind throughout the contest.

<b>Beaufort High, May River split </b>

The Beaufort High and May River boys' basketball and girls' basketball teams split games on Jan. 7.

In a girls' basketball game, visiting Beaufort High beat May River 48-41.

Host May River managed to edge Beaufort High 55-53 on a buzzer-beater in the boys' game.

More on each Beaufort High-May basketball matchup follows.

Beaufort High 48, May River 41: Naijuia Moyd scored 21 points, grabbed six rebounds, recorded three steals and delivered a block to lead Beaufort High past May River 48-41 in a girls' high school basketball game on Saturday.

With the win, Beaufort High improved to 10-4.

May River dropped to 2-11 with the loss.

Shannah Stewart, a seventh grader, led May River with 14 points.

May River 55, Beaufort High 53: Qwailel Turner delivered a game-winning shot to send Beaufort High past May River 55-53 in a boys' basketball game.

May River improved to 8-5 overall with the win. With the loss, Beaufort High dropped to 6-5 overall.

Avern Montaque paced May River with 17 points, six rebounds, one steal and one block.

Jai Morrow delivered 12 points, one rebound and one steal for the Sharks in the victory.

Dajour Cleveland led Beaufort High with a game-high 25 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Cleveland excelled for the Eagles in each half of the contest.

Deron Robinson added eight points, four rebounds, three blocks and three steals for Beaufort High in the setback.

May River, a first-year team, continues to fare well on the hardwood.

<b>Eagles have emotional win for head coach </b>

The Beaufort Academy boys' basketball team pulled off an emotional win.

On a night when Head Coach Chip Dinkins was absent due to having emergency open heart surgery less than 14 hours before tip-off, Beaufort Academy outlasted familiar rival John Paul II 70-68 at home in an important region matchup.

Dinkins was definitely on the minds of players, fans and coaches throughout the night, with the packed gym chanting "Chip, Chip, Chip" throughout the contest. It was an emotional contest for the host boys' high school basketball program. Beaufort Academy assistant Coach Izell Sutton stepped up and filled Coach Dinkins' role on the Eagles' bench with Beaufort Academy Athletic Director Neal McCarty filling in as an assistant coach.

Three Beaufort Academy players reached double figures in the scoring column. Kevin Williams paced Beaufort Academy with a game-high 30 points in the triumph.

Joining Williams in double figures for the Eagles, Luke Harper contributed 14 points and Dawson Coleman posted 12 points as part of the victory.

With the win, Beaufort Academy improved to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the region.

At the conclusion of the game, following the final buzzer, both boys' high school basketball squads met at half court and formed a prayer circle for Dinkins.

McCarty confirmed that Dinkins was showing gradual improvement following his surgery.