Hilton Head High’s girls knew their best shot at the playoffs was taking the air out of the ball, which they did masterfully Tuesday night. They just couldn’t put it in the basket.
The Seahawks executed their strategy to keep the score low in hopes of winning a three-team tiebreaker at the end of the night, but they couldn’t execute on their handful of offensive opportunities, falling 7-2 at Colleton County to end their season.
Hilton Head entered the night needing not only a win, but assuming a Beaufort High loss to Bluffton, the Seahawks knew they would also need either to beat the Cougars by at least 14 points or hold them under 26 points to win the tiebreaker and earn a playoff spot.
“I spoke to my assistant coach and two seniors ahead of Monday’s practice and we unanimously agreed to slow the game down and try to win while holding them below 26 points,” HHIHS coach Sean Rochester said.
The Seahawks’ plan hit an immediate snag when the Cougars banked in a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game, but HHIHS stayed the course and held the ball for the remainder of the quarter before missing a pair of free throws. The Seahawks repeated the strategy in the second quarter but again failed to capitalize at the line, going to halftime down 3-0.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the Seahawks got on the board early in the fourth, as Anna Genova hit a jumper to make it a one-point game. It was their only basket of the night, though, and Colleton County held on in a bizarre game.
“The outcome was disappointing but we met as a team and presented the scenarios,” Rochester said. “We played to make the playoffs and our best path was to make the game unwatchable. I credit our kids for taking a game plan from practice and executing it in a game tonight. Some people won’t like it, but my job is to put our kids in the best position to win and advance.”