Hilton Head Prep boys come back strong after break

It was only natural for Rich Basirico to worry that his Hilton Head Prep team would show signs of rust Saturday against Colleton Prep. Consider the factors: an afternoon game following the holiday break, a team that hadn't played a game in two weeks and the start of the region season looming in six days.

But those signs never appeared for the Dolphins, who raced out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter and went on to defeat Colleton Prep, 69-48.

"I was very pleased with us, especially that first quarter, to come out and play like we did," Basirico said. "We say this new year is a whole new season for us. And that was a good start."

The Dolphins' good start Saturday afternoon came despite a scoreless first quarter from leading scorer Dominic DiGenova, who attempted just one shot in the first eight-plus minutes.

Matt Layman and Patrick Andrews combined for 14 points in that time span during an 18-5 run in which the Dolphins forced 11 turnovers and scored 10 fast-break points off a 1-3-1 press that featured Andrews' 6-foot-4 frame at the top of the halfcourt trap.

"We ran the floor really well in the beginning," said Andrews, who finished with 14 points. "That made the difference. If you put five guys running the floor hard, you'll find the defense has one or two guys lagging behind and that's how you take advantage."

The transition game then opened things up for DiGenova. The Dolphins' guard poured in the first eight points of the second quarter to give Prep an insurmountable 21-point lead. He finished with 22 points and added seven rebounds and six assists.

Layman was also in double figures with 13 points.

"Without a doubt, (DiGenova) opens it up for us," Basirico said. "When you have someone that scores like he does, it definitely opens everything up. But Patrick gives us a presence inside and Matt gets inside also. ... To have those three guys do that, along with the rest of our balance, that's tough to defend."

The Warhawks (8-4) couldn't find the same balance. Robert Howard scored 23, but he was one of only four Warhawks to score in the game, resulting in Colleton Prep's six-game winning streak being snapped.

"Usually we have a tendency after the (holiday) break to come out and not play well," Warhawks coach Neil Minton said. "But you want to use this to learn and get better for the region, so I think the game served its purpose."

The Dolphins will have one more tune-up for their region season. They'll host Australian-based Kookaburras on Tuesday night before traveling to Pinewood Prep for their SCISAA Region 3-AAA opener on Friday.

"Now it's the big season, because region play is coming," Basirico said. "We want to be better with every practice and every game. ... I thought we got better today."

COLLETON PREP (8-4) -- Robert Howard 23, Tye Richardson 12, Garrett Hall 6, Cole Hogan 5.

HILTON HEAD PREP (9-3) -- Dominic DiGenova 22, Patrick Andrews 14, Matt Layman 13, Tyler Bowman 6, Alex Orford 6, Danny Maggard 4, DeAnte Scott 2, Bo Strimpfel 2.