It was a great basketball atmoshpere in the Hawks’ Nest Friday for the varsity boys of Blackville-Hilda High and Barnwell High to do battle.
The gymnasium was jam packed and the fans were focal for the season opening in-county brawl.
The performance on the court matched the setting as the teams raced up and down the court in a display of big plays.
However, on this particular night, most of the bounces went in the way of Blackville-Hilda as they held off Barnwell High for a 60-58 win.
With the game tied at 52-52 with 1:52 left to play, the Hawks went on a 6-0 run in a 52 second span to take a 58-52 lead. The Warhorses tried to rally in the closing seconds, but a three-pointer by Mark Riley at the buzzer was as close as they would get.  
BHHS prevailed in spite of its free throwing shooting as the team shot a dismal 11 of 28 from the line, including nine of 18 in the second half.
BHHS coach Michael Beasley said they overcame their mistakes to beat a good Barnwell team.
“We made things tough for ourselves by missing all those free throws,” Beasley said. “We had a chance to put them away, but Barnwell High is a scrappy team and they fought back and made a game of it late.”
Barnwell High led 31-29 with 5:46 left in the third quarter. However, the Warhorses missed 10 of their last 11 shots in the quarter and trailed 46-33 going into the fourth quarter.
Barnwell High coach Michael Highsmith said despite their ups and downs they still had a chance for victory.
“I have to give my players a lot of credit. They got down, but they didn’t stay down. We battled back in the fourth quarter and tied the game. At that point it was anybody’s game.”
For the Hawks, junior guard Darren Jones shot lights out from the field, especially beyond the three-point line. Jones finished nine of 12 shooting for 22 points, including five of seven from three-point range. He went six of seven from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
“Darren is a streaky shooter and he was on the mark tonight,” Beasley said. “He did a good job of creating space for our offense with his three-point shooting.”
Center Roderick Smith also had a strong game for the Hawks with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Others shining were Terrell Hayes and Roderick Kearse with six points each; Bobby Harley had eight rebounds and two points, and Julian Faust finished with six points.
Octavius Bayne was the Warhorses top offensive performer with 16 points. Bayne also did a good job on the boards with 13 rebounds. Several others played well for the Warhorses. Mark Riley had 14 points, including seven points in the fourth quarter.
Ferris Nickens and Phazhan Odom were productive in the paint. Nickens had nine points and 11 rebounds while Odom added eight points and 10 rebounds. Edward Johnson played well at the point guard position with eight points, seven steals and five assists.