Around the State: Beaufort County

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Well, it's time to head back down to the [program_tooltip program_id='2078736' first='Lowcountry' last=''] and checkout Beaufort County. How is the talent this coming season down here in Beaufort County? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Schools in the County:</em></strong> Battery Creek HS, Beaufort HS, Beaufort Academy, Bluffton HS, Bridges Prep, Hilton Head HS, Hilton Head Christian, Hilton Head Prep, May River HS and Whale Branch HS </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Battery Creek HS </strong>- The Dolphins will look to improve on a rough season from a year ago. One of those players that could help will be Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2175522' first='Alizjah' last='Mathis']</strong>. Mathis really likes the ball in his hands with his ability to shake and bake to the basket. Alizjah can slash and get to the basket at times with his drives. Mathis recently played in the Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo. The Dolphins have some youngsters in the 2028 class that could step-up and only time will tell. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Beaufort HS </strong>- Who will replace [player_tooltip player_id='1172559' first='Sully' last='Gay'] on this roster? Gay transferred this off season to the Upstate. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1766185' first='Samari' last='Bonds']</strong> averaged 11.1 ppg a season ago for the Eagles. Bonds currently is leading the football team as a Quarterback this fall. The Eagles finished (12-12) last season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Beaufort Academy</strong> - The Eagles (19-9) lost last season in the 2nd Round of the SCISA Class 2A Playoffs to eventual champion ST John's Christian 68-53 to end the season. Who will else and step up this season to provide support in the Eagles lineup? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bluffton HS</strong> - The Bobcats finished (7-16) last season. Who will provide leadership and scoring this coming season? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1709925,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/E6AAB3B9-5933-4DAA-BC24-60F64EE82F93.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/E6AAB3B9-5933-4DAA-BC24-60F64EE82F93.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1709925" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bridges Prep (Beaufort) </strong>- The Buccaneers finished (13-11) in SCHSL Class 1A basketball. The Buccaneers have some good pieces back this season in forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1372628' first='Amarion' last='Wilson']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1711393' first='Quentin' last='Young']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2167071' first='Xavier' last='Butler']</strong>. Wilson a physical presence down on the block surely has no problems mixing it up or stepping out to the elbow for a simple jumper. Amarion averaged 12 ppg and 15.4 rebounds a season ago. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1555866' first='Te'Shaun' last='Heyward']</strong> is an added piece to the puzzle here for the Buccaneers. He transferred over this summer from Beaufort Academy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2174155,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/IMG_0523.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/IMG_0523.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2174155" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Young a guard averaged 12.6 ppg last season for the Buccaneers. Quentin can score the ball off the catch or look to attack the basket by slashing to the rack. Butler had a very solid showing at the recent Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo. Xavier really excels in an open floor game and getting out in transition. Can the Buccaneers sneak up on some teams this season in the Lowcountry? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hilton Head Island HS</strong> - The Seahawks finished through a tough (5-19) season last year. Shooting guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2634950' first='Reece' last='Stewart']</strong> averaged 13.6 ppg last season. Can the Seahawks turn the tide this season and move forward? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hilton Head Christian</strong> - The Eagles (24-5) have a lot of talent back to make a strong run in SCISA Class 3A. The Eagles lost in the SCISA Class 3A State Championship Game a year ago to rival Hilton Head Prep 39-21. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1755034,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/23853A92-8F5E-407D-8EAF-12ED80FE2C5C.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/23853A92-8F5E-407D-8EAF-12ED80FE2C5C.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1755034" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1265433' first='Qayden' last='Turner']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571363' first='Elijah' last='White']</strong> will provide the senior leadership. Turner recently picked up an offer from Lees-McRae (NC) - NCAA D2 program. Qayden brings versatility to the floor with his ability to handle the rock or simply knockdown jumpers on the perimeter. He rebounds the ball well from his position on the floor on both ends of the court. Qayden has the ability to be a stat-sheet stuffer at times. Turner averaged 12.3 ppg, 8.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1755036,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/C449CEFA-F09B-4F32-863E-538D497DA3F6.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/C449CEFA-F09B-4F32-863E-538D497DA3F6.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1755036" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>White provides leadership and crafty court vision from the point guard spot. Elijah has a good feel for the game and understands on how to dissect a defense at times. He averaged 9.8 ppg, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists a season ago. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1755033,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/9ABE64A0-29EF-4F8A-B2B0-BC23E667A276.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/9ABE64A0-29EF-4F8A-B2B0-BC23E667A276.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1755033" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1019805' first='Isaiah' last='Anderson']</strong> is a football player in the fall for the Eagles. Anderson a undersized post player sures likes to mix it up at times down low on the block with his back to the basket. Isaiah averaged 12.5 ppg and 8 rebounds a season ago. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2196855,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/IMG_0497.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/IMG_0497.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2196855" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1742053' first='Harrison' last='Skinner']</strong> brings plenty of confidence and swagger to the floor for his age. Skinner likes to play with the ball in his hands or off the ball at times. He plays every play like it's his last possession on the floor. Skinner averaged 8.8 ppg last season for the Eagles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1881594,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/F02BB8AA-B923-4357-87FA-85A98B8A4C96.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/F02BB8AA-B923-4357-87FA-85A98B8A4C96.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1881594" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hilton Head Prep</strong> - The Dolphins the reigning SCISA Class 3A State Champions and finished the year at (16-7) and on a 9-game winning streak. <strong>Sean Cusano</strong> and <strong>Kane</strong> <strong>Eanes </strong>have moved onto to college. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1266589' first='Jason' last='Britschge']</strong> will have to step up this season with senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1123415' first='Ben' last='Frey']</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1975208,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/902B915F-4E88-4B6C-A9E4-07AA1197E807.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/902B915F-4E88-4B6C-A9E4-07AA1197E807.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1975208" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>May River HS </strong>- The Sharks (10-11) will have to wait until after football season to get the services of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1414885' first='Tanner' last='Macy']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1972147' first='Gage' last='Duncan']</strong>. The Sharks lost in the opening round of the Class 4A Playoffs last season to West Florence HS 61-56. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Whale Branch HS</strong> - The Warriors had a good run last season at (17-7). The Warriors will have a committee of players that could step up to the table on any given game night. The Warriors lost to Scott's Branch HS in the 2nd Round of the Class 1A last year 78-65. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->