The defending region champions supplied pressure all night, but “The Firm” stood tall. Beaufort High boys basketball held off a strong fight from an inspired Hilton Head High team on Friday, but Michael Dennison and Zyrin Odom each posted double-doubles, and James Dennison fell just short of a third to keep the Eagles undefeated in Region 7-4A with a 66-59 home win.
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The home team asserted itself early, as the trio of Dennison, Dennison and Odom used its size and skill to score in the paint and build an eight-point lead after a quarter. But Hilton Head’s Karyce Campbell caught fire in the second quarter, scoring 13 of his team-high 18 points in the period to propel the Seahawks to a 26-point output as they cut the deficit to 36-32 at the break.
The Eagles are still lacking depth in the backcourt with Jake Alvarez on the shelf for another week, and a pair of questionable block calls against point guard Anderson Jones put Jeremy Huff’s team in a bind. Meanwhile, Jeremiah Stevens gave the Seahawks one of his best efforts of the year, finishing with 16 points and scoring five in the third to help keep HHIHS within striking distance.
A four-point Eagles lead ballooned to seven early in the fourth when McLeod Reichel drilled a 3-pointer to start the quarter, but every time Beaufort started to ease away, the Seahawks’ pressure defense delivered a turnover and an easy bucket.
Odom drove to the bucket to push it to 61-55 with just over a minute left, but a Jayden Gilliam putback and a Campbell finish off an Alex Smith steal pulled HHIHS back within a basket. After Odom hit the first of two free throws, the Seahawks had a look at a 3-pointer for the tie, but James Dennison ripped down the rebound and Reichel hit a pair at the line to seal it.
Michael Dennison finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds, James Dennison had 17 points and eight boards, and Odom collected 16 points and 11 boards to lead the Eagles. Campbell had 18, and Stevens added 16 for the Seahawks.
Beaufort (5-4, 2-0) hosts another region matchup Tuesday against Lucy Beckham, while HHIHS (10-6, 2-1) is back in action at home Tuesday against May River.
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