BROOKLET — Southeast Bulloch missed out on two chances to put Claxton away in their first meeting this season, suffering a double-overtime loss.
    The Yellow Jackets trailed for much of Saturday’s rematch, but rattled off an 18-5 run in the fourth quarter to claim a 53-48 victory.
    Lamont Ballard led Southeast Bulloch (10-7) with 16 points while Preston Smith scored 14 and netted six in the final quarter as the Jackets stormed ahead.
    “It’s been a few years since we’ve beaten Claxton,” SEB coach John Page said. “We know that we’re always going to be in for a tough game against them. Late in the game, we were finally able to start executing our game plan a little better and things started working out for us.”
    Claxton (9-9) carried a slim lead into the final period, but Cole Carter gathered in a defensive rebound and ran the length of the floor to pull the Jackets even with his only points of the contest.
    Kaelin Jones (six points) hit a pair of free throws at the 3:17 to give the Jackets their first lead of the second half and hit a pair of inside jumpers to help complete the rally.
    Cornelius Taylor led all scorers with 22 points for Claxton. With his team trailing 51-48 in the waning seconds, Taylor was able to put up a contested 3-pointer, but the attempt fell short and Ballard hit a pair of free throws to put the win on ice.
    “I’m very proud of our guys,” Page said. “Lamont hit a few shots early on to keep us in the game and then came up big again at the end. Overall, I felt like everyone just did their part to win a tough game.”
    Long range shooting has been a calling card for the Jackets this season, but things weren’t going their way from long distance for much of Saturday night. Ballard Matthew McBride were able to match Taylors three first half 3-pointers, but the rest of the Jackets weren’t connecting.
    Sheldon Hendrix had a rare off night, scoring just two points, but hit a tough floater in the lane to give SEB the lead for good.

Lady Tigers 54, Lady Jackets 42
    The Claxton girls improved their most recent winning streak to three games, defeating Southeast Bulloch 54-42 Saturday evening.
    Claxton’s three-headed scoring threat of Jazmine Price, Keri Brown and Devonna Brewton was firing on all cylinders as they scored 20, 15, and 12 points, respectively.
    The Lady Tigers (15-3) never pulled away, but gained a lead early in the second half and never relented as the Lady Jackets (11-6) couldn’t pull even.
    While Southeast Bulloch’s loss won’t affect its seeding in the upcoming Region 1-AAA tournament, Claxton’s win over an opponent from a bigger classification is a big help.
    A Region 3-A championship will guarantee the Tigers a spot in the state playoffs. Otherwise, the Class A power poll — which awards plenty of credit for wins over bigger schools — will be the deciding factor.
    “It’s huge for us to get this win,” Claxton coach Laura Aziz said. “We really can’t take a night off. We know that all of these games over the last few weeks are going to determine where we end up.”
    Both Claxton and Southeast Bulloch dive back into their respective region schedules Tuesday evening. The Tigers travel to Savannah Christian while the Yellow Jackets host Islands.

    Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9404.