SPORTS REPORT
After completing the team portion of the season, it’s time for high school wrestlers to get a little bit selfish and try to claim some individual accolades, and the SCISA wrestlers were up first in the quest for gold with the individual state championships on tap Saturday at Cardinal Newman in Columbia.
All four Lowco area private schools that field wrestling teams claimed at least one medal, including the first-year program at Patrick Henry Academy, which came out swinging with its first state champ in year one. Luke Sobey dominated the 165-pound bracket to bring home the gold, and he’s only a freshman, so the Patriots have a hammer to build around.
John Paul the 2nd followed up its run to the state championship dual match with a strong showing, as eight Golden Warriors claimed medals including runners-up Daniel Snyder, Brian Orta, and Jack Hannagan and fourth-place finishers Jase Reynolds, Jude Witkowski, Brandyn Horton, Chris Orta, and Renzo Cedeno. Colleton Prep’s Carter Sims placed third at 157, and Thomas Heyward’s Jovani Rodriguez was fourth at 126.
The public school wrestlers continue their journey to the state finals at the Lower State qualifiers on Saturday, and we’ll fill you in on all the action on a new episode of the Lowco Grind presented by Reverence Wrestling Club on Sunday night.
And if we’re crowning state champions, that means we’re crossing over into a new season – and this time of year, that means the USCB Sand Sharks are hitting the diamonds. The Sand Shark softball team kept rolling, racking up two more run-rule wins in a sweep of Savannah State, as Cierra Kinlaw tossed a five-inning no-hitter with five strikeouts in a 9-0 win in the opener, and Mariah Stephens blasted her third home run in a 10-1 rout in game 2. USCB in 7-1 and averaging nearly 10 runs per game.
The baseball team took on a huge challenge over the weekend, traveling to North Greenville for a three-game set with the No. 2 team in NCAA Division II. The Crusaders took all three games, but Josh Patterson gave USCB another strong start in game 1 and the Sand Sharks fell just short in an 8-7 loss in game 2.
The Sand Shark basketball teams will be back in The Cove on Wednesday looking to turn things around after losing at Georgia Southwestern on Saturday, but first, we’ll have high school hoops playoff action on Tuesday, including home games for the Bluffton girls and Hampton County boys, who ran through their regions with undefeated records and have high hopes for the postseason.
The Bobcats ran their winning streak to 18 games with a 52-24 road win over May River, and the boys made it a sweep with a thrilling 39-37 win in the Deep End, as Jamari Stewart-Manning poured in 18 points to close out the season on a high note for the Bobcats.
The girls from Hilton Head Christian Academy are hitting high gear as they prepare to make a run at a sixth consecutive state title, and Mya Hutchinson put on a show on senior night against John Paul the 2nd, collecting 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and six steals to lead the Eagles to a 49-35 win and another undefeated run through their region.
The HHCA boys were fighting uphill for much of the night against a scrappy, young JPII team, but the Eagles rallied in the fourth quarter and pulled out a 56-45 victory behind 16 from senior Isaiah Anderson and 13 from freshman Ethan Foster, plus an emphatic exclamation mark slam from senior Elijah White in the final seconds.
Patrick Henry’s girls got 31 points from Lillian Lucas in a big win over Colleton Prep and former coach Belinda McCoy, while the boys completed the sweep to claim a share of the region title with Bethesda Academy.
The Cross Schools girls blew out Thomas Heyward, but the Rebels earned a split in the boys contest and Tony O’Banner became the latest of a rash of Lowco standouts to join the 1,000-point club – and he’s only a sophomore … and football is his primary sport. You heard me.
Justin Jarrett, Lowco Sports
Last Night in the LowCo
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WHHI Daily News Anchor: Bob Stevens
February 2024
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