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The Bobcats wanted to prove they could compete at a high level with future region foe Beaufort High, which Bluffton will be joining next season in Region 8-AAAA.
The Bobcats weren't disappointed.
Bluffton throttled the Eagles, 64-32, for the school's first-ever win over Beaufort High. The Bobcats will be making the jump to Class 4-A for the 2012-13 school year after spending the last eight years at the 3-A level.
"We're aware. We're ready," Bluffton guard CJ Frazier said. "We want people to know that we're going to be just as good next year as we are this year. Moving up to 4-A won't make a difference."
Frazier notched a game-high 19 points for Bluffton, 12 of which came in the first half. The Bobcats raced out to an early 13-point lead with six minutes to play before halftime and cruised from there. The lead ballooned to 27 entering the final period, as Bluffton's defense allowed just four points in the third period, all of which came from Beaufort's Tyrone Holmes.
"We were awesome defensively," head coach Brett Macy said. "... We really kept them out of the paint and forced them to take jump shots."
Macy wanted to use his deep bench to get the best of Beaufort High (10-5), as both teams were playing on consecutive nights. Bluffton knocked off Cane Bay on Friday while the Eagles bested Ashley Ridge.
"We're a really deep team. Probably as deep a team as there is in the state," Macy said. "Back-to-back nights like that, I thought we could push the ball. I wanted to press them.
"We sped them up and I think we kind of wore them down. They were pretty tired."
That was apparent at the conclusion, as the Bobcats ended the game on a 13-4 run to clinch the 32-point win.
"People thought we had a soft schedule and 3-A is not 4-A, but you know what? I think we sent a message tonight that we're pretty good," Macy said.
Bluffton boys 64, Beaufort High 32
Bluffton (10-2) -- CJ Frazier 19, Bryson Bell 10, Bo Strimpfel 8, Dimitri Lowry 8, Jeremy Scott 5, BJ Hill 4, Michael Grant 4, Demetrius Smalls 4, Harlan Kendrick 2
Beaufort High (10-5) -- Tyrone Holmes 11, Jordan Broussard 7, Joey Chaplin 6, Henry Jenkins 4, Darrae Alston 2, Skykeem Gardner 2
Bluffton girls 67, Beaufort High 47
What the Bluffton girls basketball team lacks in size, they make up for with speed.
That's what head coach Lonnie Roberts was preaching to his Bobcats on Saturday night as they entered the final period tied at 43 with Beaufort High. Roberts knew Bluffton's tempo had to increase in order for the Bobcats to come out on top.
They did just that.
Bluffton dominated the final eight minutes against the Eagles, turning what had been a nailbiter into a 67-47 blowout. Beaufort scored just four points in the final period while Bluffton's Shakeria Kitty helped put the game away with 11 points.
Kitty finished with 21 points and eight rebounds. Bluffton's Jennifer Giles led all scorers with 25 points.
"I thought that our defensive strategy was changing," Roberts said of the final period. "I thought that we just picked up the tempo of the game. That's the one issue that we have when we don't have size. We've got to get a fast-paced tempo."
Beaufort's trio of Emani Gray, Ebony Watson and Jordan Fields helped keep the Eagles within striking distance entering the final period. But the trio -- which had combined for 30 points through the first three periods -- was held scoreless over the final eight minutes.
"We've got to go out and make our presence known defensively," Roberts said. "That's the one thing we're going to have to strive on."
Bluffton (11-3) -- Jennifer Giles 25, Shakeria Kitty 21, Tibra Wheeler 10, Monique Bryant 9, Alex Bailey 2
Beaufort High (5-8) -- Emani Gray 10, Ebony Watson 10, Jordan Fields 10, Paris Smith 7, Veneshia Holmes 6, Stephanie Pollock 2, Kaitlyn Hamilton 2
