SPORTS REPORT
The winter sports season is off and running, and we had plenty of high school basketball and wrestling action on tap last week and over the weekend, including some great Lowco-on-Lowco matchups on the hardwood and the Lowcountry Championships on the mats at Hilton Head High.
Sifting through the hoops headlines this week, you’ll find the May River girls are still unbeaten, sitting at 5-0 after wins over Hilton Head Christian Academy and St. Vincent’s last week with a matchup against John Paul II looming Tuesday. The Golden Warriors are off to a 5-1 start with their only loss coming against crosstown rival Cross Schools. The Stingrays appear to be the area’s top girls squad, sitting at 5-2 with wins over JPII, HHCA and Hilton Head Prep and close losses to large-school powers Irmo and Liberty County.
It’s a youth movement on the girls side North of the Broad, as young talents have taken on the load at Battery Creek, Beaufort High, and Whale Branch and the trio of rivals are in the middle of an entertaining round robin that continues this week.
Beaufort and Battery Creek both squeaked out close wins over a scrappy Whale Branch squad, and the Dolphins and Eagles hook up Tuesday before a Whale Branch vs. Battery Creek rematch Friday and round 2 of Beaufort-Creek at the Palace in Burton on Saturday.
Battery Creek’s boys have emerged as a team to watch after two head-turning wins last week. CJ Brown’s Dolphins dominated former region nemesis Bishop England 69-41 and walloped Whale Branch 65-38, and they have their sites on archrival Beaufort High on Tuesday.
Bluffton’s boys were off to a red-hot start before running into two-time defending SCISA 3A champion Hilton Head Prep on Saturday in Sea Pines. Ty Harpring poured in 27 points for the Dolphins, while Brendan Moore added 13 and Connor Campbell dished out six assists in a 54-42 win. Prep has won four straight since a 47-46 loss to John Paul II, including a 58-42 victory over the Golden Warriors in the rematch, so Richard Barron has another strong squad in Sea Pines.
Among other teams boys to keep an eye on, May River blew out HHCA 70-38 in coach Kyle Bennett’s debut, and Hampton County is off to a 3-0 start with blowout wins over Hardeeville, Allendale-Fairfax, and Colleton County. The Canes are reloaded under new coach Jay James.
Of course, we have college hoops in the Lowco now, too, and the USCB Sand Shark men continued their torrid start with a 94-84 win at Indiana University of Pennsylvania last Monday, beating coach Ron Fudala’s old team to improve to 8-1 heading into Peach Belt Conference play. Six Sand Sharks in double digits scoring led by Hudson Norton, Krishen Atwal, and Alejandro Ralat with 14 each.
The Sand Shark women opened league play Saturday at Augusta, falling 72-50 despite 17 points and six rebounds from Lydia Gattozzi.
Next home games are Jan. 4 at The Cove against Clayton State.
Both gyms at Hilton Head High were filled with wrestlers on Friday and Saturday with the second annual Lowcountry Championships bringing the area’s growing number of programs together to crown the Lowco champs, and the May River Sharks are still the biggest fish in the pond.
Coach Ashley Powell’s powerhouse program had wrestlers in the finals at nine of the 14 weight classes and claimed six individual titles to cruise to the team title with 222 points, while Bluffton edged Beaufort and Hilton Head for second with Bridges Prep right behind the Seahawks. The 2nd-5th place teams were separated by only 10 points.
We have more wrestling on tap this week along with a full slate of high school hoops, including some great Lowco-on-Lowco matchups and rematches with Battery Creek at Beaufort on Tuesday, Hilton Head High at Hilton Head Prep on Wednesday, Whale Branch at Battery Creek and Hilton Head Prep at HHCA on Friday, and Beaufort at Creek and Whale Branch at Bluffton on Saturday.
We’ll talk more about all of this LOCAL sports news and set the stage for another busy tonight for the LowcoSports Lowdown. Tune in to the Lowco Media YouTube channel for all the LOCAL sports news you need.
Justin Jarrett, Lowco Sports
Last Night in the LowCo
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WHHI Daily News Anchor: Bob Stevens
December 2024
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