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The Eagles regrouped Friday after trailing early, using their size and depth in the second half to overcome a valiant individual effort and defeat rival Battery Creek 78-66.
Dolphins forward Justice Oliver led all scorers with 34 points, but that wasn't enough to top the humming Eagles, who were led by Tyrone Holmes' 21 points.
"We had to come in here and play hard," said Eagles big man Darrae Alston, who pitched in six points during a fourth-quarter run. "We're starting to learn each other and learn each other's game better."
The Eagles trailed by 10 early and were down a point at the half. But they talked about settling into their own pace and using their advantage inside. The fourth-quarter run pushed Beaufort High's lead to as many as 20.
"We just need to learn how to box out, rebound, know how to control the ball and just play the game," Oliver said. "Our chemistry is getting better the more games we keep playing."
Battery Creek coach Antoine Youmans said the Dolphins played better than they had during a loss to Whale Branch earlier in the week. His team committed less turnovers, and he thought it played hard before running out of gas during key stretches in the second half.
After facing the early deficit, Beaufort High chipped away at the free throw line.
"I think we shattered some of our momentum when we put them on the foul line in the first half," Youmans said. "That kind of gave them more confidence when we started putting them on the foul line. We helped them settle in a little bit."
And Beaufort High continued to grow more comfortable as the game wore on. After the Dolphins sliced the deficit to two early in the fourth quarter, a 19-1 Eagles' run crushed the home team's chances.
"I knew they were going to come out with a lot of intensity -- fast, rebounds," Beaufort High's Jordan Broussard said. "We got them beat underneath, so we went down to the big men and scored down low."
BEAUFORT HIGH (3-1) Tyrone Holmes 21, Jordan Broussard 18, Joey Chaplin 17, Thurston Milton 10, Darrae Alston 6, Henry Jenkins 6, Martin Washington 1
BATTERY CREEK (2-6) Justice Oliver 34, Teyvon Jennette 10, Michael Robinson 9, Leroy Jennette 7, Cleveland Hampton 2, Devontae Wilson 2, Tyrone Kelson 2
Beaufort High girls 41, Battery Creek 32
At this early point of the season, Beaufort High's girls team is working with what is available in hopes that depth will be firmed up by region play.
The group lost one of its top playmakers for the season when Mykalah Smalls injured her knee during volleyball season. Its top inside presence, Ebony Watson, has played limited minutes while recovering from an ankle injury. And the Eagles are bringing along eighth-grader Mattie Hibbs to help with the ball-handling duties.
But one constant early has been the scoring ability of guard Emani Gray. The sharpshooter led the way again Friday, scoring a game-high 16 points to help the Eagles to their second victory.
"She's stepped up when we've needed her to and gotten the job done," Beaufort High coach Lillian Keeler Aldred said. "She's shooting very well. She's able to hit the shot under pressure, too."
Beaufort High trailed by six midway through the third quarter but used a 9-0 run to regain control.
"We were sitting back and letting Creek do whatever they wanted to," Aldred said. "As soon as we decided to step it up a little bit and get back in our ball game, we were fine."
BEAUFORT HIGH (2-1) Emani Gray 16, Paris Smith 13, Veneshia Holmes 6, Ebony Watson 4, Kaitlyn Hamilton 2
BATTERY CREEK (0-5) Daisja Cannon 10, Alisha Varela 10, Kadijah Badger 8, Jasmine Wallace 2, Roneisha Stevenson 2
