1/10 Beaufort Area Weekly Roundup

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following a highly competitive matchup between the girls' Bobcats and Seahawks squads that ended in a 50-45 victory for Bluffton, the boys had a tough act to follow.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For two frames, it appeared as if both teams would indeed successfully follow that act, but as the game wore on, it became clearer and clearer that a Seahawks victory was in sight.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That did indeed happen as Hilton Head Island finished with a 61-43 victory over Bluffton. The matchup increased the Seahawks' record to 3-8, but 2-0 in region play. As for the Bobcats, they were 5-9 following Tuesday evening but have dropped their first two games in Region 7-AAAA.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>How Things Progressed</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Seahawks may be three games sub-.500 but many of those defeats were relatively close against teams such as Hilton Head Christian, Aiken (twice), Wade Hampton and Jenkins County out of Georgia. They showed that through the first quarter when the Seahawks concluded the frame leading 11-6.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When halftime arrived, it was a 26-22 advantage for Hilton Head Island. When both teams emerged from their respective locker rooms for the third quarter, the 8-0 run the Seahawks embarked on proved to be a tone setter for the remainder of the game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hilton Head Island's lead grew to 45-32 at the end of the third and eventually settled at 61-43 when the final buzzer sounded.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>What Happened Last Time? </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Seahawks earned two victories over their region rivals from last season, albeit by larger margins than on Tuesday night. On Dec. 17, Hilton Head Island traveled to Bluffton and claimed a 60-37 win on the Bobcats' home court. The result was even more lopsided when both teams took to the court at the Seahawks' nest. On Jan. 25, it was a 73-29 victory for Hilton Head Island.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Primetime Performers</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1748070,"width":442,"height":290,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_7417-crop-3819x2508-1673790816.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_7417-crop-3819x2508-1673790816.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1748070" width="442" height="290" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pair of sophomores powered the Hilton Head Island attack in Tuesday's win. One was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2634950' first='Reece' last='Stewart']</strong>, who put 16 points on the board and proved, once again to be an effective shooter from both 3-point range and at the free throw line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1748073,"width":452,"height":297,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_7421-crop-3226x2118-1673791042.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_7421-crop-3226x2118-1673791042.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1748073" width="452" height="297" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other was <strong>Kyrice Bowman</strong>. He put 15 points on the board and was also effective in terms of converting on high-percentage shot opportunities. Opposing teams also have to game plan for what he can do from distance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1748044,"width":459,"height":301,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_7358-crop-3275x2150-1673790511.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_7358-crop-3275x2150-1673790511.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1748044" width="459" height="301" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With 20 points, <strong>Brandon Bryant</strong> led the charge for Bluffton. He is a dual-sport athlete who also partakes in football along with what he gets accomplished on the court. Bryant was particularly effective in converting on fastbreak layups. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1748060,"width":396,"height":260,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_7364-crop-2221x1459-1673790669.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/IMG_7364-crop-2221x1459-1673790669.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1748060" width="396" height="260" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1045479' first='Jaylin' last='Linder']</strong>, a senior at 6-foot-4, added 11 points to the Bobcats' efforts. Linder can contribute effective minutes as either a two or a three. He also is a dual-sport athlete who plays football alongside basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Up Next…</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Region play continued for both teams on Friday. The Seahawks remained home to host Lucy Beckham in a game that resulted in a 78-65 victory for the Bengals. The road trip continued for the Bobcats as they traveled to the Charleston area to face James Island. That game concluded in a 73-32 blowout for the Trojans. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Other 1/10 Area Results</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Beaufort def. Battery Creek 46-27</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Lucy Beckham def. May River 55-33</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Whale Branch def. Bamberg-Ehrhardt 77-57</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Wade Hampton def. Ridgeland-Hardeeville 60-58</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Estill def. Bridges Prep 79-78 (2 OT)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Patrick Henry Academy def. Thomas Hayward Academy 65-56</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->