It was a defensive struggle all night long, but Kierstin Clark scored her team’s final six points as the Hilton Head Prep girls pulled away late for a 28-23 win over crosstown rival Hilton Head High on Wednesday.
Both teams found some issues passing and hitting shots in the first half, and the Dolphins took a slim 14-13 advantage into the locker room.
The home team extended the lead to four points by the end of the third period, but the Seahawks rallied to take a lead on the hot shooting of Chyna Fields. After a pair of Seahawk free throws evened the game at 22, Kierstin Clark did the rest for the Dolphins, hitting all four of her free throws and knocking down a big jumper to give Prep the lead for good.
“I missed some free throws earlier in the game, so I knew I had to get it going from the line,” Clark said. “We do them every day in practice and I knew to make sure they went in.”
Haylee Hopman led the way for the Dolphins with eight points, including a pair of important 3-pointers to keep the pressure on the Seahawks. Kierstin Clark added a big seven and her sister Ella put up six.
Miley Ray led the Seahawks with 12 points.
“We warned our team about this being a trap game heading into the Bluffton game Friday,” HHIHS coach Sean Rochester said. “We knew Prep had been playing well and competing, but coming up short in their past few games. Credit to them, they simply outplayed us from start to finish and deserved to win.”
UP NEXT
Hilton Head Prep (9-10,1-5) hosts Thomas Heyward at 6 p.m. Friday.
Hilton Head High (11-10, 1-2) hosts Bluffton at 6 p.m. Friday.
Story by Wes Kerr / File photo by Bryce Smith
