Hilton Head High’s girls couldn’t complete a late comeback bid after losing star forward Lynda Young, falling 48-44 to Lucy Beckham at home Tuesday.
After the Seahawks opened a 6-5 lead in the first quarter, Young fell down at midcourt and was helped off into the locker room. Lucy Beckham surged ahead at the end of the period to go up 11-8, but the shorthanded Seahawks quickly fought back.
Chyna Fields and Janiya Ferebee converted a pair of buckets, and Deja Godsun knocked down a pair of free throws to even the contest at 14. Hilton Head’s guards found success driving to the rim and drawing fouls, as Ferebee and Godsun put their team on top before Alandria Kennedy drained a jumper off a Ferebee feed to go up 23-20 at the break.
But the Bengals quickly took the upper hand after halftime, scoring on three of their first four possessions of the second half to grab a three-point lead of their own. Godsun continued her strong play at point guard for Hilton Head High, finding Ferebee for an open 3-pointer before finishing a layup at the rim to cut the deficit to one.
Then Gianna Timko found her stroke from beyond the arc, draining a 3-pointer for a 31-29 Seahawk lead. But the offense went cold to start the fourth quarter and made several unforced errors, and the Bengals capitalized to grab a 40-33 advantage.
Timko kept Hilton Head alive with a sensational fourth quarter, scoring an impressive 10 points in the period. The senior cut the deficit to just two points twice with under a minute to play, but Lucy Beckham’s Virginia Byrd iced the game at the line, hitting four straight free throws to hold off the valiant comeback effort.
Ferebee led the Seahawks in their region opener, finishing the contest with 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Timko was terrific down the stretch, scoring 13 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and Godsun added nine points, three assists, and three steals.
Hilton Head High (4-4, 0-1) faces rival Bluffton on the road Friday.
By Wes Kerr
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