The atmosphere inside The Tank was electric from before the start to the exciting finish Friday, as May River escaped with a 48-45 win over visiting Hilton Head High.
Raucous student sections from both schools turned out for the Lowco-on-Lowco clash, and the energy built throughout a game marked by wild momentum swings.
The teams went point for point in the first quarter and were tied at 15-15 going into the second quarter before the Sharks pushed ahead to extend the lead to 34-21 at halftime.
But something inside the locker room at halftime lit a spark inside the Seahawk offense, as they came out firing in the third quarter. Both student sections were roaring as the Seahawks slowly started to make a comeback.
Although Hilton Head High led for parts of the third and fourth quarters they found themselves down by three points with 2 seconds left. The strong Shark defense held off the Seahawk scoring effort and helped the Sharks collect a solid non-region win.
Assistant coach Russ Spicer led the Sharks with head coach Matt Whitmore out sick, and Spicer was able to settle down his players after the Seahawks’ second-half surge.
As for the Seahawks, their defense struggled throughout the game as their head coach Chane Brown emphasized.
“Because we (started off) flat and didn’t get back in transition, they jumped out to (a lead) in the first half,” Brown said, “We just couldn’t seal the deal at the end.”
May River will travel to the Bennie Bennett Holiday Classic on Dec. 27, while Hilton Head hosts the Seahawk Holiday Classic starting Dec. 21.
Story and photos by Brooke Simons
Brooke Simons is a student-athlete at Hilton Head Island High School and an aspiring journalist. She has a passion for photography and broadcasting.