SPORTS REPORT
And if you haven’t hopped on the bandwagon for the USCB men’s basketball team, you better get in while there’s still room.
The Sand Sharks are packing out The Cove this winter with everyone wanting to get a glimpse of Ron Fudala’s high-octane team that is turning heads with each heart-pumping win.
Ronnie’s boys picked up two more Peach Belt Conference wins this week in The Cove, holding off Georgia College 97-90 on Wednesday before erasing an eight-point deficit in the second half of an 83-80 win over No. 22 North Georgia on Saturday — the program’s first win over a top-25 program.
Hudson Norton led four Sand Sharks in double-digits with 18 points against the Bobcats, and the kid from Cincinnati scored nine of his 12 against North Georgia in the final five minutes, including the clinching free throws down the stretch, while “El General” Alejandro Ralat had the magic touch with 18 points and four assists against the Nighthawks.
The Sand Sharks are in a three-way tie atop the Peach Belt standings and very well could crack the top 25 in NCAA Division II this week. USCB is at USC Aiken on Wednesday before returning to The Cove to face Flagler on Saturday.
You can catch up on all things USCB Athletics on Sand Shark Rewind, every Sunday on the Lowco Media Network. Last night we were joined by WHHI’s own Kevin Libby and Tony “Red” Bruin, who was my partner on the call for Saturday’s big win on the Sand Shark Gameday Network.
We have a surprise contender who has popped up at the high school level, too, as May River’s boys are still unbeaten in region play after two impressive wins this week. First-year coach Kyle Bennett has the Sharks playing terrific team-first basketball, and May River went into The Nest on Tuesday night and took down Hilton Head High before blowing out Beaufort High on Friday in The Tank.
The Bluffton Bobcats slipped up last week against the Seahawks, but the Cats got their footing this week, blowing out Colleton County at home on Tuesday and cruising past Bishop England on Friday to set up a crosstown showdown between the region’s top two teams when the Bobcats visit The Tank on Friday.
The boys from Hampton County and Bridges Prep are both undefeated in Region 5-2A and poised for a head-to-head matchup Tuesday night in Beaufort, but we’ll have to see what the weather has to say about that. Looks like we might get a couple days off the grind.
The Beaufort High girls have been grinding all season, biting off an ambitious non-region schedule that has helped them take hold of the No. 2 spot in Region 6-4A. Reggie Jones and the Eagles bounced back from a 56-45 loss to frontrunner Bishop England on Tuesday to win 32-28 at May River on Friday behind another 17 points from Nia Heyward. The freshman has scored fewer than nine points only twice in 17 games this season.
Heyward was one of about a dozen elite girls hoopers from the Lowco and Savannah who were in the gym getting in extra work Sunday afternoon for the One Lowco Foundation’s Sunday Skills in The Ville training session at Hardeeville Junior Senior High School. We also had about a dozen up-and-coming middle school players from the region out sharpening their skills with some of the area’s best coaches. Look out for more from One Lowco as we continue to build bridges and build a blueprint for our kids to reach their full potential. Find out more by following One Lowco on Facebook and Instagram or visiting onelowco.org.
Beaufort High’s wrestling team is having a strong season, and the Eagles took down the host team in the championship match at the John Paul II Warrior Duals on Saturday. Undefeated days for Antonio McKnight, Olesya Mullins, Jaden Priester, Santino Communale, Jessob Paris, Chase Richardson, and Colton Freeman.
Plus 8 junior varsity wrestlers from the Lowco along with 10 middle schools wrestlers qualified for Carolina Invitational state tournament next weekend.
We’re taking tonight off to watch Jaylen Sneed and Notre Dame take on Ohio State in the national championship, but we’ll be back for the LowcoSports Lowdown on Tuesday to get you caught up on all the latest LOCAL sports news.
Justin Jarrett, Lowco Sports
Last Night in the LowCo
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WHHI Daily News Anchor: Bob Stevens
January 2025
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