For a brief moment Saturday night, it seemed rivals Bluffton and May River might play a boys basketball game that didn’t go down to the wire. Psshh.
The host Sharks made a spirited fourth-quarter run to erase most of a 13-point deficit, but the Bobcats held on for a 52-50 victory — their sixth in a row against their crosstown rivals.
Bluffton has swept the season series from the Sharks in each of the past three seasons, but none of those games was decided by more than four points and the average margin has been 2.17 points.
“We had a workable lead, but I’ve learned that when you’re dealing with high school kids, you just never really know what you’re gonna get,” Bluffton coach Michael Tew said. “To paraphrase Forrest Gump.”
Like many of the previous meetings, this one was prone to wild momentum swings. Tyler Rice drilled a deep 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to put the Bobcats up 17-10, but the Sharks opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run sparked by James Layman. Bluffton’s Jayden Chance hit back-to-back 3s to give the Bobcats a 23-20 lead, but May River responded to take a 26-25 halftime advantage.
Rice went off for nine of his game-high 22 points in the third quarter to lead the Bobcats to a 13-0 run spanning the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth, breaking open a tied game and taking a 45-32 lead.
Once again, though, May River responded with a 10-0 run to pull within 45-42, and they got within one when Harry Cash (15 points) scored in the paint with 46 seconds left. After the Bobcats went 3-for-4 at the foul line, May River freshman Gavin Blocker hit his second 3-pointer of the fourth quarter to pull the Sharks within 51-50 with 18.5 seconds left.
The Sharks had the ball with a chance to take the lead, but the Bobcats were able to tie up Cash inside and take advantage of the possession arrow, allowing Tre’von Brown to hit one of two free throws, and Layman’s desperate heave at the buzzer was just offline.
“They’re good at playing from behind, and they fight hard,” Rice said. “We just know we have to stay composed and not give the game to them.”
UP NEXT
May River (4-5) travels to Ridgeland-Hardeeville at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Bluffton (8-6) hosts Hilton Head at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Story and photos by Justin Jarrett
