The Statesboro boys basketball team is right in the thick of things midway through the season, but it ran into a brick wall against No. 6 Brunswick Friday night at the Devil’s Den.
    The Pirates (16-2, 7-0 Region 3-AAAAA) came out firing and never allowed the Blue Devils (10-8, 4-3) to catch up as they claimed a 57-48 victory Friday night.
    Brunswick connected on three of its first four shots from the field while its defense clamped down on a smaller Statesboro lineup. By the time SHS was able to regroup and find its offense, there was too much ground to make up.
    “We didn’t start quite like we wanted to,” SHS coach Lee Hill said. “When you do that against a good team, it’s always going to be tough to get back into the game. We fought hard and stayed close, but Brunswick showed why they’re winning so many games.”
    SHS did a good job of covering all of Brunswick’s scoring options early in the second quarter. But all of the Pirates’ offensive struggles were matched on the other end of the floor.
    An undersized Statesboro squad hasn’t had any scorers play with their back to the basket all season. With their outside shooting running cold, the Devils attempted to drive the lane, but were met time and time again by Kymani Dunham, who racked up five blocks while eliminating any easy scoring chances for Statesboro.
    “We had it where we stopped (Brunswick) on a bunch of possessions,” Hill said. “Our defense did its part, but we couldn’t get the shots to fall to get us back in the game.”
    The main culprit in taking Statesboro out of contention was Pirate guard Zachary Moore (24 points), who canned three 3-pointers in the first quarter to quickly stretch the Brunswick advantage.
    In the second quarter, Statesboro’s defense settled in and put a stop to Brunswick’s ability to generate quick and open shots. The Devils pulled within 24-17, but Moore struck from long range again with just seconds to go in the half, sending the Pirates to the locker room with a 27-17 edge.
    The defensive struggle continued into the second half as Moore was unable to get open looks, but Statesboro was unable to take advantage by scoring at the other end of the court.
    Roger Davis (17 points) slowly but surely allowed the Pirates to pull away late in the period. Davis hit three short jumpers in as many possessions and Brunswick sat at a comfortable 42-29 advantage after three quarters of action.
    Statesboro’s final gasp came halfway through the fourth quarter.
    Michael Salomon (16 points) connected on a pair of free throws and — after a defensive stop — hit a driving layup to cap a 9-0 run and pull within 45-40.
    But it was Davis coming up big once again for the Pirates to finally shut down Statesboro.
    Davis hit a free throw to end the SHS run and hit a turnaround jumper on the Pirates’ next possession to make it a three-possession contest. Moore hit on four consecutive free throws down the stretch to keep the Devils at bay as the clock ran out.

Lady Pirates 71, Lady Devils 42
    For a group of struggling Lady Blue Devils, a date with undefeated and region-leading Brunswick was exactly the opposite of what the doctor ordered.
    Statesboro (8-9, 0-6 Region 3-AAAAA) could never match the firepower of the Lady Pirates (16-0, 7-0), falling behind early and never gaining ground in a 71-42 defeat.
    “We didn’t do a whole lot of anything right,” SHS coach Jeff Seier said. “We didn’t execute like we wanted, but a lot of that is due to Brunswick being a solid team.
    “We’re in a tough spot right now, but any region win that we can get helps us. That has to be our focus looking ahead.
    Brunswick’s A’Kira Harris was quiet in the first period, but was the main factor in the Pirates’ ability to pull away throughout the game.
    Harris scored 10 of her game-high 22 points in the second quarter as Brunswick stormed to a 40-21 halftime advantage. Harris poured in eight more in the third quarter and the game was out of reach before the final period of play began.
    Harris was joined in double-digit scoring by teammates Brea Thomas (14) and Jamaiya Garner (12). A total of 11 Lady Pirates ended up on the score sheet as Brunswick emptied its bench throughout the final quarter.
    Statesboro was led by Tanice Johnson’s 12 points.
    Both Blue Devil squads hit the road tonight for a region doubleheader at Camden County.

    Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9408.