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Holiday hoops to keep ECHS boys busy
Joseph Polite
Effingham County forward Joseph Polite (No. 13) goes baseline for a layup attempt as Statesboro's Muhammad Shareef (No. 14) tries to defend Saturday night. The host Rebels struggled to mount an offense and lost to the Blue Devils 48-33. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald


SPRINGFIELD – The holidays are nearing and Effingham County’s boys’ basketball team knows what it will be getting during a nine-day stretch before Christmas – six basketball games.

The ‘Ho-Ho-Ho’ hooping started Dec. 13 and will conclude with three games on consecutive days – Thursday, Dec. 19 at home against Trinity Christian from Deltona, Florida, before playing games against Southeast Bulloch and Savannah Christian in the Savannah Christian Holiday Classic on Friday (Dec. 20) and Saturday (Dec. 21).

“If you’re a competitor and love this game, it shouldn’t matter,” ECHS coach Tremaine Aaron said. “You do whatever you have to do to prepare your body.”

Last Saturday night, the Rebels (3-4) didn’t handle the stifling defense of Statesboro High during a 48-33 loss. It was the second game of a back-to-back and didn’t bode well for what’s ahead.

ECHS beat Glynn Academy 51-46 on Friday night, but 24 hours later the Rebels scored just eight points in the first half and trailed by double-digits for the final 2 ½ quarters.

Leading scorers Braxton Hixson and Jordan Drayton each had six points.

“I don’t want to make excuses,” Aaron said. “We didn’t make any shots and (the Blue Devils) took advantage of us early defensively with their length.”

The Rebels trailed 29-11 with less than three minutes to go in the third quarter.

“There’s not too much to say about it. We tried to speed up the game. We pressed. We tried to change up the tempo as much as we could,” Aaron said.

Fueled by two 3-pointers from Hixson, ECHS clipped Statesboro’s lead to 10, 29-19, heading into the fourth quarter, but the Blue Devils opened the fourth quarter on an 8-2 spurt and the Rebels never got closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Aaron tried to look at the positives. ECHS has four more back-to-back games to play – the holiday tournament games of Dec. 19-21, then Pope and Walton (Jan 3-4), Greenbrier and Statesboro (Jan. 10-11) and Evan and South Effingham (Jan. 24-25).

And it’s possible ECHS could be playing on consecutive nights in the region tournament in February.

“It’s a chance to get a taste of what we’ll face down the road,” Aaron said.

Kyjana Jordan
Rebel guard Kyjana Jordan (No. 10) drives to the basket as Statesboro's Gerziya Haggray (No. 1) gets in position to harass the shot in a girls basketball game Saturday night at Effingham County. ECHS took a lead into the third quarter but lost 46-34. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)
ECHS girls fall short in upset bid

The Effingham County girls had a lead midway through the third quarter against Statesboro, but couldn’t finish the upset bid Saturday night.

The visiting Blue Devils posted a big rally and defeated the Rebels, 46-34.

Statesboro entered the game with 12 straight wins against ECHS – 63-16 and 57-38 during the 2021-22 season, 72-13 and 91-12 during the 2020-21 season and 70-12 and 71-19 during the 2019-20 season.

But Saturday, the Rebels held a 27-21 advantage with 4:43 to go in the third quarter before the Blue Devils went on a 19-2 run.

ECHS (1-6) dropped its fifth straight game.