SCISA 3A Final: Hilton Head Christian vs. Hilton Head Prep 

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Could the first day of championship weekend at the Sumter Civic Center be colored blue and gold? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following the Hilton Head Christian girls successful matchup against Shannon Forest to win the 2022-23 3A girls SCISA championship, the boys hoped to do the same as they did battle against another Beaufort County school in Hilton Head Prep.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first boys basketball championship of this season's SCISA slate was won by Hilton Head Prep as they defeated Hilton Head Christian with the final score being 39-21.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Record-wise, the Dolphins conclude their season with a mark of 17-7 while the 2022-23 season finishes for the Eagles with a 24-6 mark.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>What Happened Last Time? </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading into Friday's rubber match, the Eagles and Dolphins split their first two contests this season as both are region rivals. Christian picked up the win by a tally of 57-47 in overtime on Jan. 20 while Prep came away with a 53-41 victory on Feb. 10. Both teams were won by the home team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>How Things Progressed? </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Points were coming at more of a premium than they were in the earlier girls matchup as defense ruled the roost in Friday's nightcap. Following one quarter of play, Prep held a five-point, 8-3 advantage over Christian.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second quarter was essentially a continuation of the first as the two defenses made every basket precious. As both teams entered into their respective locker rooms for halftime, it was 15-12 – advantage Dolphins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hilton Head Prep managed to extend its lead in the third quarter as they outscored Hilton Head Christian 11-3 in a contest that was low-scoring. One quarter to a state championship and the Dolphins were indeed eight minutes shy as they led 26-15.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midway through the fourth, Prep maintained a 10-point lead (29-19) and the Dolphins fans in attendance at the Sumter Civic Center began to feel that they would depart the Midlands with championship hardware. Prep did indeed do just that by virtue of its 18-point win over Christian.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Senior Act</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1816681,"width":348,"height":227,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_4487-crop-4032x2648-1677289667.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_4487-crop-4032x2648-1677289667.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1816681" width="348" height="227" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fittingly enough, a pair of Hilton Head Prep's star seniors closed out their high school careers with emphatic exclamation points. The first was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1189857' first='Sean' last='Cusano']</strong>. The Chattanooga commit led the way with an 18-point evening. He stands at 6-foot-9 and can play either as a guard or a forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1816683,"width":355,"height":232,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_4484-crop-3226x2118-1677289757.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_4484-crop-3226x2118-1677289757.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1816683" width="355" height="232" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other 2023 who will graduate from Prep with a memorable performance was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1108827' first='Kane' last='Eanes']</strong>. He added 12 points to the Dolphins' total. Eaves had a pair of made 3-pointers and also had six made free throws. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Zay Shows The Way</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1816694,"width":357,"height":233,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_4381-crop-2150x1412-1677289843.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_4381-crop-2150x1412-1677289843.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1816694" width="357" height="233" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christian as a team struggled offensively on Friday night but they did have a bright spot in the form of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1019805' first='Isaiah' last='Anderson']</strong>. The 6-foot-5 junior concluded his evening with 11 points. Anderson made plenty of plays near the basket and also connected on a number of free throw tries. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>So Long, Seniors</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ben Eddy</strong>, <strong>Wells Sharp</strong> and <strong>Brady Bagenstose</strong> are seniors calling it a career for the Eagles while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1136491' first='Andrew' last='Helms']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1189857' first='Sean' last='Cusano']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1108827' first='Kane' last='Eanes']</strong>, <strong>Jimmy Kuehler</strong>, <strong>Torin Hrobar</strong>, <strong>Thomas Dowling</strong> and <strong>Loncelle Daley</strong> will soon sport caps and gowns at Hilton Head Prep. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>All-Tournament Team</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1816703,"width":385,"height":252,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_4479-crop-3440x2259-1677290049.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/IMG_4479-crop-3440x2259-1677290049.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1816703" width="385" height="252" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1189857' first='Sean' last='Cusano']</strong> – Hilton Head Prep</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1108827' first='Kane' last='Eanes']</em></strong> <em>– Hilton Head Prep </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1136491' first='Andrew' last='Helms']</strong> – Hilton Head Prep </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1265433' first='Qayden' last='Turner']</strong> – Hilton Head Christian</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1019805' first='Isaiah' last='Anderson']</strong> – Hilton Head Christian</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1439787' first='Nolan' last='Paladugu']</strong> – Shannon Forest</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->