Hilton Head Prep's win without Polk could be a good sign for rest of season

If Friday night is a taste of how the next couple of weeks go for the Hilton Head Prep boys basketball team, head coach Jerry Faulkner would have to be pleased.

The Dolphins led from horn to horn in a 60-32 win at home over Thomas Heyward Academy.

The win pushed Prep's record to 4-6, but more importantly, a perfect 3-0 in region play.

But if Prep had fallen Friday, it would have been no surprise. Not like the surprise the Dolphins got Thursday, when Josh Polk, one of the team's best players and a senior leader, tore a ligament in his right ankle.

"We had to play a lot of players out of position ...," Faulkner said. "We had no time to say 'What adjustments can we make?' We'll work it out. We're very young. We'll adapt."

Polk was averaging roughly 11 points and eight rebounds for the season, but those numbers had steadily risen as the season moved on, Faulkner said.

But on Friday, the Dolphins all stepped up. Prep was led by Ben Jackson's 16 points, while sophomore Mac Orie had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Sophomore guard Trace Lowther led the Rebels with 17 points.

Faulkner said senior Preston MacTavish had his finest game as a rebounder. He led the team with nine.

"We played smart," MacTavish said. "We played team basketball. We shared the ball. We ran the floor well. We got into our offense consistently."

Senior guard King Wu didn't light up the scoreboard, but he had two huge shots in the first half.

With the Dolphins up 9-0 late in the first quarter, he hit a 3-pointer as time expired. Then, he hit another on his very next shot on the first possession of the second quarter to push the Prep lead to 15-0, getting the Dolphins' crowd into the game.

"That's what's fun about basketball," Wu said.

Polk will have treatment on his ankle twice a day and said doctors said he can return in two to three weeks, depending on his pain tolerance.

Polk's absence means some players who may not have seen quite as much playing time will see the floor a little more.

Despite the prospect of added experience for a young Dolphins roster that has seven freshman and sophomores, Faulkner said he's "devastated."

"I'm devastated any time a senior doesn't get to play," Faulkner said. "I'm nothing but disappointed for him. There's nothing like being on a basketball team. And we all know, once it's over, it's over."

"It's not about playing time," MacTavish said. "It's about life more than basketball."

This story was originally published January 9, 2016 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Hilton Head Prep's win without Polk could be a good sign for rest of season."