Hilton Head High’s boys took some punches early, but Chane Brown’s lockdown defense came alive to soar the Seahawks past their Bridge Bowl rivals Friday night. Karyce Campbell shined for the second straight game with 19 points, and the Seahawks turned on a second-half surge to down Bluffton on the road 60-37.
Josh Hennum got the Seahawks started with a three-pointer on the game’s first possession, but Bluffton answered quickly to take control. Jaylin Linder and Tymaurion Brown found success driving to the rim, sparking a 6-0 run to give their team a 10-5 lead. Hilton Head fought back in the second period, as Alex Smith stole a pass and quickly dropped in a layup before a Matthew Larkby floater and two Nate Rohr free throws evened the game at 13.
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The Seahawks struggled from behind the arc, but a terrific defensive effort led to some solid looks on offense to shift the momentum as the first half ticked down. Campbell swiped the ball away and stormed to the hoop for an easy layup before scoring again on a feed from Jayden Gilliam to grab a 20-16 halftime lead.
Gilliam went straight to the rim on the first possession out of the break for a quick bucket, and the Seahawks’ terrific defense promptly got going, holding the ‘Cats off the scoreboard for the majority of the third quarter. Zac Morris provided Hilton Head’s spark on the other end, making a pair of layups while assisting on a Hennum triple to build a 13-point lead.
The Bobcats made a late push with Nic Yanez and DJ Aiken layups to get it back to 10, but the Seahawks rolled the rest of the way, turning their shutdown defense into offense led by the quick hands of Campbell and Smith. Hilton Head scored on six straight possessions including seven points from Morris as the Seahawks blitzed to a 27-14 fourth-quarter run.
Campbell was outstanding for the second consecutive game, dropping 19 points while making a major impact defensively. Morris put up 11 points, and Hennum scored nine on three triples. Linder and Aiken scored eight points apiece to lead the Bobcats.
Hilton Head High (6-3, 2-0) hosts Harlan County (KY) on Monday in the opening round of the Seahawk Holiday Classic. Bluffton (3-6, 0-2) plays at Wade Hampton on Saturday.
By Wes Kerr
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