Bluffton’s terrific sophomore trio was too much for its rivals across the bridge Friday, as the Bobcats topped Hilton Head High 39-34 at home thanks to a stellar performance from Madi Washington.
The two schools traded a pair of threes to start the contest, as Hilton Head’s Chyna Fields drained a triple before Tacoya Heyward kicked off her night with an answer from deep. The dynamic point guard then found fellow sophomore Katie Rodney on a dazzling pass to the corner for a three, and Washington added a layup to build a 6-0 run and a 13-8 lead.
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The Bobcats extended their edge with their terrific rebounding and interior defense, as Washington scored four more points in the second quarter including an impressive layup over a defender in the post to go up 21-15 at halftime.
Bluffton kept the momentum going after the break, scoring on four of its first five possessions to push the lead to 10 points. Heyward started it off with a pretty layup, and Rodney followed by splashing a corner three. But the Seahawks’ Anna Genova delivered on both ends to keep her team in it, scoring four points in the third quarter and adding a block before Gianna Timko buried a triple to cut the margin to 31-25.
Hilton Head continued to draw closer several times, but a few unforced errors and key Bluffton defensive stands kept a sizable Bobcat lead intact. The Seahawks cut it to four on a Deja Godsun layup, but a pair of Washington and Jaalina Mosley layups put the game away.
Washington led the charge with a dominant showing in the paint, scoring a game-high 11 points. Heyward and Rodney notched eight points apiece, and Fields added six.
Timko scored eight points for the Seahawks with a pair of three-pointers, and Ferebee also knocked down two triples for six points.
Bluffton (6-0, 2-0) travels to Wade Hampton on Saturday. Hilton Head (4-5, 0-2) begins its Seahawk Holiday Classic run on Monday against Spring Mills (WV).
By Wes Kerr
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