BE boys’ basketball drop first game of the year

Girls’ squad wins 100th consecutive region game

When it comes to Bishop England basketball, recent conversations centered around winning streaks.

When the focus was on boys’ hoops, the Bishops’ 20-0 record was discussed and dissected, and the question was asked: Is this the best boys’ team in school history?

When attention surrounded the girls’ basketball program, talk revolved around the Bishops’ amazing conference winning streak: Would the girls ever lose a region game?

The streaks came to a head this past weekend.

The boys’ team, which entered a Jan. 25 matinee against rival Porter-Gaud at Father O’Brien Gymnasium, saw its perfect season come to an end as the Cyclones dominated early in a rivalry known as the Holy War. The Cyclones outscored the Bishops 26-14 in the first quarter and led 43-28 at halftime en route to an 81-59 victory.

The girls’ team, meanwhile, faced a big test the night before in a Region 8-AAA road trip against Manning, a team coach Paul Runey said was the favorite to win the conference. The result? Bishop England posted a 54-47 victory over the Monarchs to win their 100th consecutive region game.

The boys’ team had been slowed by colds and flu in the three games leading up to the clash against Porter-Gaud, and it resulted in some serious encounters of the close kind.

But Bishop England rallied from six points down in the final minutes of regulation against Waccamaw and forced overtime. The Bishops were in control in OT and came away with a 56-47 victory.

It was much the same the next game against Georgetown. The Bishops trailed the Bulldogs by four points entering the fourth period, but outscored the visitors 20-11 in the final 8 minutes to gain a 53-48 victory.

The Bishops pushed their record to 20-0 when Aidan McCool hit 11 consecutive free throws as Bishop England turned a 23-15 deficit against Manning into a 50-43 victory to remain undefeated in Region 8-AAA play.

“We had some real battles in region play,” said BE boys’ coach Bryan Grevey. “I think we expended so much energy.”

“Region games are much more important than non-conference games,” Grevey added. “When you have region games, it’s almost like life and death. When you follow it with a game, even against a rival, you can have a letdown.”

The Bishop girls recorded 100 consecutive region victories in a 54-47 victory against Manning as Lily Woods tallied 14 points while Ella Schar collected 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

The Bishops haven’t lost to a conference foe since Jan. 4, 2011, and have a 138-5 conference record since 2007.

However, the Bishops couldn’t continue the momentum the next night against Porter-Gaud as the Cyclones posted a 54-41 victory. Coach Runey said it was the first time in 15 years that Porter-Gaud beat the Bishops, and the first time the Cyclones picked up a victory at BE since the school moved to Daniel Island.

The Bishop girls’ team owned a 12-7 record, including 5-0 in region play heading into this week’s action.

Both the boys’ and girls’ teams had two region games scheduled for this week: Hanahan at home on Tuesday, and Waccamaw at home on Friday.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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