After a few rebuilding years, Southeast Bulloch High School's girls basketball team looks to be on the upswing thanks in large part to the contributions of senior Nira Byrd.
    Tuesday night, Byrd scored 16 points as the Lady Yellow Jackets rolled to their second Region 3-AA wins in three tries this season.
    “That was a great example of Nira stepping up for us,” Southeast Bulloch head coach Ryan Lewis said. “We had a chance to get off to a good start in region play and she really helped us out.”
    As a senior, Byrd has been through some lean years with SEB, but is one of the main forces at work as the Lady Yellow Jackets try to get things turned around.
    “Nira is exactly what you think of when you talk about senior leadership,” Lewis said. “She is able to step up and be a big scorer for us, but she can do a lot of other things.
    "She’s unselfish and even when she isn’t a leader on the stat sheet, she’s doing the things that help the team.”
    Byrd and the rest of the Lady Yellow Jackets will try to keep up their hot streak Friday night when SEB travels to old rival Screven County for another region showdown.