Bluffton girls basketball survived a defensive scrap to stay perfect in region play Saturday, holding off visiting Beaufort High 28-20 to remain unbeaten in region play since 2019.
The Bobcats found a big early spark from forward Ja’laina Mosley, opening up the scoring with a three-pointer before converting a layup to grab an 8-4 lead. But a scrappy Beaufort High squad fought back, as electric guard Quinn Wilson rattled in all six of her team’s points in the first quarter to cut it to a pair.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR FULL GALLERY AND PURCHASE DIGITAL DOWNLOADS OR PRINTS!
Beaufort’s defense held a potent Bluffton attack in check, packing the paint and double-teaming standout forward Madi Washington as the Bobcat guards struggled to hit from deep. Bluffton finally got back on track with a Tacoya Heyward layup before a technical foul swung the momentum back to the home side, but a resilient Eagles squad finished off the half on the right footing to make it just a 13-10 contest at halftime.
The Bobcats got back to their game after the intermission, as sophomore Katie Rodney sent a beautiful bounce pass to Keira Lewis for a layup before Rodney took a steal to the other end to push the lead to seven. Bluffton’s defense stepped it up even further in the third quarter, creating havoc in the backcourt and forcing miscues to limit the Eagles to just four points in the frame and build a 23-14 advantage. Bluffton’s offense couldn’t find its rhythm down the stretch, but the Eagles failed to capitalize on some late looks as the Bobcats held on for an eight-point win.
It was a day where scoring was hard to come by, but Washington battled through a tough first half to pace Bluffton with a team-high nine points. Heyward and Mosley tallied a key six points each, and Rodney added four.
Wilson impressed in a strong Beaufort High effort, pacing her squad with eight points.
Bluffton (14-1, 7-0) heads across the bridge Tuesday for a rematch with Hilton Head High. Beaufort High (2-11, 0-5) is back in action Friday in a home matchup with James Island.
By Wes Kerr
Some local sports content that is not sponsored is now available only to LowcoSports.com’s Patreon supporters. Pledge your monthly support here for as little as $1 per month to ensure you have access to all of our grassroots LOCAL sports coverage!