Southeast Bulloch’s Markel Ming and Islands’ Hugh Durham had a bit of a three-point shooting contest Friday night in a region 1-AAA matchup.
    The two combined for 11 made three-point shots but In the end, the Sharks would get the better of SEB in a 75-59 victory.    
    Southeast Bulloch (10-12, 3-6 Region) head coach John Page said h
    “I thought we played hard and Islands is well disciplined and can shoot the ball. That created a lot of problems for us,” Page said. “I felt like our kids played hard and at halftime we scored some baskets here and there, but then we had some communications problems and left some people open and they knocked them down.”
    One of the Islands players “knocking them down,” was Durham, who finished with 21 points and six of his team’s 12 made three-point shots.
    Ming had 21 points as well for SEB while Brandon Tremble scored 15 points. Joseph Anderson had a big game from the low post, scoring 12 points. The Yellow Jackets were shorthanded Friday night, missing a few players from the lineup.
    “If we could have had a couple more numbers I think we could have put a little more pressure on them,” Page said after the game. “But we couldn’t sustain it with the people we had. I was proud of the way our guys kept fighting and I know a few things didn’t go our way.”
    At halftime, Islands led SEB 38-30. The Sharks started to pull away in the third quarter, going on an 11-2 run after the half.
    Bryan County is next on the schedule for Southeast Bulloch. The Yellow Jackets will try to snap their two-game losing streak today against the Redskins.

Lady Sharks 49, Lady Jackets 28

            In the first meeting Between Islands and Southeast Bulloch, Dec. 1, Islands High School defeated SEB handedly, 49-28.
    The second meeting, however, was a different story Friday night at Southeast Bulloch High School as the Lady Yellow Jackets (4-16, 2-7 Region 1-AAA) gave Islands a run for their money.
    It was a back-and-forth matchup, but the Lady Sharks would pull away in the last two minutes of the game to defeat SEB 46-37.
    Cole Robertson and Aaliyah Sandifer had breakout games for the Lady Yellow Jackets, scoring 10 points each. Sara Howard added five points and two blocks against the Lady Sharks.
    In the days of practice leading up to Friday’s game, SEB head girls basketball coach Kristen Barnhill said her team turned up the intensity, leading to a better outcome against the Lady Sharks.
    “I think in previous games we would come out and get slapped in the face and we aren’t used to teams playing like that, but this week me and coach (Ronnesha Smith) have really been pushing them,” Barnhill said after her team’s loss. “Today, I feel like they were more calm because that’s what we’ve been doing all week. We executed so much better.”
    One aspect of the game the Lady Yellow Jackets couldn’t quite nip in the bud Friday was late-game turnovers. In the last 2:30 of the game Islands (11-10, 6-5 Region) went on a 7-2 run to move above .500 in the region.
    “We came out and played hard. It was one of our most complete performances,” Barnhill said. “We still made mistakes at crucial times, but that just comes with experience. I’ve got three players that played varsity last year. Everyone else is just coming along.”
    The Lady Yellow Jackets started the game hitting shots early, going on a 7-2 run. SEB maintained a 16-13 lead until the 3:41 mark in the second quarter.
    Coming off the bench and trailing by six in the third quarter, SEB’s Krystyn Turner, who finished the game with 10 points, helped her team claw back into the contest. She hit three shots, all from the right elbow of the court.
    “She’s really been working on her shot all week. She knows we believe in her and she did a great job for us,” Barnhill said.
    Tonight, the Lady Yellow Jackets will take on Bryan County on the road. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.