With his go-to guys gone from last year, head coach Chane Brown was searching for someone to give his Hilton Head Seahawks a second-half spark. It didn’t take long after the break to find his man.
Karyce Campbell rallied the Seahawks back from a five-point halftime deficit, and Hilton Head High held off a pesky Lucy Beckham squad 50-48 at home in its region opener Tuesday night.
“They fought hard,” Brown said. “We started out a little sluggish, missed a few assignments, but they corrected it in the second half, played better defense, and moved the ball a lot better on offense.”
After a back-and-forth first quarter ended tied at 11, the Bengals took control in the second period with a Jonah Mack three-pointer and a Malin Allard layup off a steal. The Seahawks were off their game offensively, committing several turnovers and going a disappointing 0-of-6 from the free-throw line in the quarter, but Campbell gave his group a jolt of energy heading into halftime, scoring a pair of buckets to trim the deficit to just five.
The senior standout showed his phenomenal grit and intensity, fighting for every rebound and excelling defensively to help his Seahawks quickly take control. Brown’s team came out of the break red-hot, scoring on its first four possessions including a Zac Morris triple, a dazzling Alex Smith layup, and a beautiful Campbell putback to take a 28-24 lead.
The Bengals quickly answered with a pair of buckets to tie it, but Campbell couldn’t be stopped on the offensive end, finding Josh Hennum for an open three before nailing a triple and layup of his own to carry a 40-35 lead into the final quarter.
Hilton Head’s offense sputtered to start the fourth, but Brown’s signature defensive intensity was on full display to keep the lead intact. After several highlight-reel plays on offense, Campbell got the crowd roaring on the other end, rejecting Allard’s shot at the rim before draining a corner three to swell the lead to eight points. The Bengals found a late lift from their shooters to cut it to 48-46 with 31.5 seconds remaining, but Campbell came to the rescue again, sinking a free throw before flying to the rim and converting a layup on a beautiful Matthew Larkby pass to all but seal the game.
Allard splashed a long two-pointer as time expired, but it wasn’t enough as the Seahawks grabbed the region-opening win.
“We just tried to pressure them, be in the passing lanes as much as possible, and make them put the ball on the floor,” Brown said. “We let them get a few threes at the end, but all in all a good effort.”
Campbell was sensational in the second half, scoring 13 of his team-high 17 points in the final two quarters. Smith put up an important eight points, Morris scored seven, and Larkby added six in a balanced effort.
Hilton Head High (3-2, 1-0) heads across the bridge to rival Bluffton on Friday.
By Wes Kerr
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