In area junior varsity basketball, the Jefferson Davis Academy boys came from behind to defeat Clarendon Hall Academy 26-22 Friday in Blackville.
It took a while for the Jefferson Davis Academy to get started. The Raiders missed all 10 of their shots in the first quarter and trailed 6-0.
The Raiders, however, started to click in the second quarter behind the shooting of Austin Whittle and Colton Pritchard. Whittle scored four points and Pritchard rattled in a three-pointer as the Raiders narrowed the lead to 12-7 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Raiders continued on the comeback trail. Alton Atkins took over the offense for the team. Atkins scored on two s jumpers then added a layup to make the score 17-14.
Down 18-14 with 5:29 left to play, Adam Gee got into the scoring mix for the Raiders. Gee led a 12-4 run with seven points, including a three-pointer to close out the game. Gee finished with a game high 13 points. Atkins had eight points.
In other boys' action, the Williston-Elko Blue Devils grounded the Hawks of Blackville-Hilda 34-29 Friday in the Hawks' Nest.
The Blue Devils trailed 14-9 after two quarters, but got the best of their rivals in the second half.
Sparked by the plays of Nathaniel Cunningham and Zalair Knowles, the Blue Devils outscored the Hawks 25-15 the rest of the way.
Cunningham scored eight of his 11 points in the third quarter. Knowles had eight points in the second half on four of six shooting. Others scoring were Steven Ansley with seven points, including a three-pointer and Teldric Toney added two points.
The Hawks were led by Antonio Izler with 11 points. Nicholas Sanders and William Ferguson each scored five points.
"I was really proud of our players. We got down in the first half, but we never paniced," Williston-Elko High coach Ronnie Tobin said.
In girls action, Jefferson Davis Academy overcame a sluggish start to beat Clarendon Hall Academy 27-21 Friday in Blackville.
The Lady Raiders opened the game turning the ball over eight times on their first 12 possessions.
To make matters worse, the Lady Raiders lost their team leader and point guard Blakney Johnson to a knee injury in the second quarter.
Down 16-12, the team overcame adversity and fought back with a strong second half. Makenzie Eidson got the troops fired up. Eidson, who was held scoreless in the first half, erupted for 12 points.
"Everyone felt really bad when Blakney went down with the injury," JDA coach Roxanne Still said. "The girls wanted to win this game for her and they went out and played like champions in the second half."
Two others shining for JDA. Caroline Polston had 11 points and 12 rebounds. Abby Baltzegar added two points, seven steals and four assists.