Hilton Head Island girls get more late heroics to wrap up region title

Kamryn Jackson scored 27 points, including a corner 3-pointer that sent the game into overtime, completing Hilton Head Island’s journey from a winless season to the Region 8-4A girls’ basketball crown with a 57-54 triumph Thursday night over Beaufort.

The Seahawks (15-9) scored just two points in the opening quarter and trailed by 12 at halftime before producing second-half magic once again for their ninth straight victory.

Hilton Head whittled the deficit to three in the final minute, only to see Beaufort with a chance to seal the game at the free-throw line. Naijuia Moyd’s attempt with 12 seconds left missed, with Da’Nesha Miller grabbing the rebound. She passed to Austin Seelbach, who found Jackson in the corner for the tying 3-pointer.

Miley Ray scored the Seahawks’ only basket in the overtime, and six Hilton Head free throws kept the Eagles at bay.

“You couldn’t script a better ending on Senior Night,” coach Sean Rochester said, noting the final sequence in regulation. “Those three seniors made the play to keep our hope alive.”

Jackson’s 27 points included three 3-pointers and a 14-for-15 performance from the free-throw line. Ray finished with 13 points and Jasmine Campbell added eight. The Seahawks went 0-23 last season and stood just 6-9 after losing their region opener.

“It’s such a great story,” Rochester said. “We lost our first region game up at Berkeley and had a team meeting the next day to fix a lot of things on and off the court. From that day forward, there was something different about this team.”

Moyd poured in 33 points to pace the Eagles (13-11, 3-7). Imari Smalls added eight points, while Terrayah Williams tallied six points and 12 rebounds.

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Hilton Head Island girls get more late heroics to wrap up region title."