<strong>LowcoSports.com</strong>

It took some time to put away a pesky Bluffton team, but Beaufort High’s boys remained undefeated and opened Region 7-4A play with a 69-44 road win over the Bobcats on Tuesday.

The Eagles hit the Bobcats with a quick blitz out of the gate, then held off multiple surges in the second and third quarters before pulling away in the final period with a barrage of breakaways and free throws.

Rush Riley poured in 19 points to lead the way for Beaufort, draining a trio of 3-pointers, while Oliver Holmes added 16 for a lethal Eagles backcourt. Beaufort did a beautiful job of moving the ball on offense, creating open looks all over the court as Zyrin Odom (12 points, 10 rebounds) and James Dennison (10 points) joined the backcourt due in double figures.

The Bobcats showed some mettle in the second and third periods to keep it close, aided by key 3-pointers from Edwin Graham and Eric Eastham in the second quarter and third-quarter treys from Trevon Brown and Adrian Ransburg, but the Eagles just kept coming at them.

The defensive pressure became too much for the Bobcats as they wore down, and Holmes helped close it out with seven fourth-quarter points while the Eagles went 7-for-8 from the foul line down the stretch.

Brown scored 14 points and Ransburg added 12 for the Bobcats, but Beaufort took Eastham out of the game, holding Bluffton’s leading scorer and top returner to just one field goal before he fouled out.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

The Eagles (3-0, 1-0) travel to Savannah Country Day for a non-region matchup Friday, while the Bobcats (1-1, 0-1) travel to Hilton Head High on Friday to continue region play.

<em>Beaufort High’s Rush Riley goes up for a layup during the Eagles’ 69-44 win at Bluffton to open Region 7-4A play on Tuesday. Riley scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Eagles. Photo by Justin Jarrett / LowcoSports.com</em>