BROOKLET — Jenkins County survived a war of attrition as it defeated Southeast Bulloch by a count of 41-28 Tuesday evening in Brooklet.
    A total of 39 fouls were called in the game, but the Lady Eagles were able to utilize their advantage in depth to weather the storm and come out on top.
    “Those fouls really hurt us,” said SEB coach Ryan Lewis. “It really messed with our substitution patterns. The calls right before the half put us in a lot of foul trouble and made it hard to put our best lineup on the floor.”
    Neither team could capitalize on foul shots — both teams shot less than 50 percent from the free throw line — but Jenkins County forced SEB into 23 turnovers and built its lead off of points in transition.
    Ayana Walker led the way for the Eagles with 15 points with Zandra Lake right behind, chipping in 10 of her own.
    The Jackets held a small lead throughout much of the first quarter, but as fouls piled up and three SEB starters were forced to the bench, Jenkins County quickly took control and built a lead that the Jackets couldn’t overcome.
    Jenkins was never able to put together a large run, but small bursts enabled the Eagles to build a 26-17 lead at halftime and solid defense ensured that SEB couldn’t wager a comeback.
    While still searching for their first win of the young season, the Jackets remain optimistic. This year’s squad has been competitive in each of its first three games and Lewis believes it’s only a matter of time before his team finally turns the corner.
    “We’re more physically gifted this year,” said Lewis. “We just have to get there mentally. With some more hard work, I know we can get there.”
    Jasmine Roberts was impressive for SEB, racking up 13 points on the night.
    Another bright spot for the Jackets was their defensive play down low. Walker and Lake looked to drive into the lane all night, but Hannah Denmark and Effie Manahan combined to block eight Eagle shots and did a good job of hauling in defensive rebounds to prevent second chance points.
    The Lady Jackets will try to get in the win column Friday night as they host Claxton at 6 p.m.

Jenkins County 65, Southeast Bulloch 43
    Tyrone Brown recorded game highs in points and rebounds as Jenkins County powered its way to a 65-43 win over Southeast Bulloch Tuesday night in Brooklet.
    Brown (29 points, 12 rebounds) recorded a double-double just after halftime and was a dominant force inside the paint as he helped to send the Yellow Jackets to a season-opening loss.
    Jenkins came out firing on all cylinders. The Eagles connected on three of their first four shots and used their height advantage to control the boards and race out to a 19-4 lead in the opening minutes.
    SEB answered back with a 6-0 run of its own, but Jenkins turned up the defensive pressure to force turnover after turnover and the Jackets’ search to replace their three departed starters from last season became evident.
    “We were trying to figure out exactly what we had from an offensive standpoint,” said SEB coach John Page. “I felt that we executed our plan fairly well, but it wasn’t quite enough.”
    The Eagles put the game away in the third quarter as they recorded the first 11 points of the second half to take a commanding 37-14 lead.
    The Jackets rallied one more time and pulled within 43-33 early in the fourth quarter, but Brown silenced the crowd with a big dunk and the SEB comeback ran out of steam.
    “We played a little better when we started pushing the ball in transition,” said Page. “We were a little late in starting the comeback, but it was encouraging to see our kids keep playing hard.”
    SEB hits the floor again Friday as it hosts Claxton at 7:30 p.m.

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