Boys basketball coach Sean Sweeney saw the makings of the dreaded Savannah Country Day scoring drought in the first half of the home game Friday night against rival Savannah Christian.
“We have these spells when we can’t score for a while,” Sweeney said. “(The Raiders) do a good job on defense.”
The Hornets scored only eight points in the second quarter to trail the Raiders 30-18 at halftime.
Savannah Country Day, however, flipped the script in the second half, limiting Savannah Christian to single digits each quarter and rallying for a 51-41 victory.
“Being down 12 at half, we came out and battled, man,” said Sweeney, whose squad won its third consecutive game and improved to 13-7, 3-4 in Region 3-A Division 1. “It was so much fun.”
Not so fun for the Raiders (15-5, 3-4 region), who lost their third in a row, all in region contests. Head coach Zach Darling noted that his team, after a solid first half, was outscored 33-11 in the second half.
“You’re not going to beat anybody doing that,” Darling said. “It was the tale of two halves. We played good team basketball, played good defense, sound defense, took them out of what they wanted to do in the first half. In the second half, we were selfish and undisciplined. When we play that way, we’re going to lose every game.”
Country Day, which started five 12th-graders on Senior Night, was led in scoring by sophomore Peyton Bean with 14 off the bench. Starting senior Stone Wells, who attended Savannah Christian in middle school, scored 13 points, including a putback of his own miss with 1:11 left in the game for a 48-41 advantage.
Savannah Christian senior standout Ty Byrd paced the Raiders with 12 points – 10 in the first half – and junior Cam Yeldell contributed 11.
The Hornets, who have seven seniors on their roster and play 10 to 11 players each game, use that depth to apply a full-court press after each score to create turnovers and spur the offense. Sweeney said the Hornets have tried pressing opponents even after missed shots, but a packed stretch of the schedule led him to scale back after he determined players’ legs were getting a bit heavy.
“We just try to wear you out; that’s our mindset,” Sweeney said. “We want to play 94 feet.”
The Raiders know this, having beaten the visiting Hornets 61-52 on Jan. 6 as the 6-foot-5 Byrd drained five 3-pointers en route to 22 points and Yeldell added 17. Savannah Christian also swept three meetings last season, so Country Day was even more hyped by Friday’s outcome.
“They do a good job,” Darling said of the Hornets’ system. “When you play a well-coached team and you don’t grind out a win and play consistently all the way through, you’re going to lose.”
The Raiders play only six players and don’t have comparative depth on an overall young roster. But they had early command after weathering the Hornets' opening the game with a couple of 3-pointers and forging an 8-2 lead.
Savannah Christian responded by taking a 13-10 advantage after one quarter, then building on that with a 17-8 second quarter.
Byrd grabbed a loose ball in the lane and went right up with a short jumper for the second quarter’s initial points. He then tipped in a teammate’s missed layup for 17-10.
A sequence starting with four minutes left showed Byrd’s all-around game. He was fouled on an offensive rebound and sank both free throws. He two-hand blocked a Hornet’s drive to the hoop, then tipped in another teammate’s miss – all in about 45 seconds on the clock for a 21-13 SCPS lead.
Yeldell stole the ball and drove three-fourths of the court for a lay-in and a foul, converting the three-point play for 26-15 with 1:38 left. Yeldell followed that with a fast-break layup, and the Raiders went on to lead 30-18 at the half. It was an opportunity for Sweeney to make a motivational speech at halftime.
“I said, ‘Fellas, play basketball,’ ” Sweeney recalled. “ ‘We’re not getting shots. The shots we’re getting aren’t very good. Take great shots and live with the results.”
The common-sense approach worked, as the Hornets came out fast from the break, as Nolan Watson and Curren Pace Cargile made buckets. Country Day found a rhythm with shots from inside and out, aided by the press creating turnovers and decreasing half-court possessions for SCPS.
Sweeney later noted that his team fared better on the defensive boards, preventing second-chance shots for the Raiders.
Down just 36-34 after three quarters, the Hornets took their first lead since the first quarter when Devin Trawick recorded his only points of the game from beyond the arc for 37-36 about 25 seconds into the fourth.
Savannah Christian’s deficit quickly became five after William Sparks’ driving layup and Bean’s jumper from the left baseline.
Darling said the Raiders’ style is long possessions in the halfcourt game to generate high-quality shots, and on defense to lock down opponents and force them to rush shots to beat the clock. Instead, he said, his squad was rushing and turning the ball over.
Country Day’s lead was 46-41 when SCPS called a timeout with 2:31 left in the fourth. Two plays, however, undermined a rally. A charging call on a fast-break layup took away a basket, and a steal with open court ahead was wasted by a traveling violation.
After Wells’ basket, SCPS had to foul, and Bean made one free throw and Sparks two in the final seconds for the 10-point difference.
Darling didn’t think his squad got fatigued in the second half, saying the players are well-conditioned.
“We focused on that, especially going into this year with knowing what the depth situation was,” Darling said. “I think that would be an excuse and that’s not going to cut it. We’ve done it against other really good basketball teams and sustained it and finished strong. We just got to get back to that and, hopefully, peak at the right time going into the region tournament.”
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Savannah Country Day 51, Savannah Christian 41 |
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| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| SCPS | 13 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 41 |
| SCDS | 10 | 8 | 16 | 17 | 51 |
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SAVANNAH CHRISTIAN (41) |
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Cam Yeldell 11, Johnson 6, Eckhart 4, Schmucker 8, Ty Byrd 12. |
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SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY (51) |
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Bosch 4, Watson 4, Trawick 3, Stone Wells 13, Sparks 5, Clements 3, Hartley 1, Cargile 2, Wallace 2, Peyton Bean 14. |
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Records—Savannah Christian 15-5, 3-4 Region 3-A D1; Savannah Country Day 13-7, 3-4 region. |
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GIRLS BASKETBALL
Savannah Country Day 52, Savannah Christian 17
On Senior Night, senior Molly Hildebrandt scored 11 points and junior Madison Bueno tallied 13 as the Hornets won their third straight game, sixth of their last seven, and ninth of 11.
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Savannah Country Day 52, Savannah Christian 17 |
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| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| SCPS | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 17 |
| SCDS | 16 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 52 |
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SAVANNAH CHRISTIAN (17) |
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Heavener 4, Kelley 2, Ringham 3, N. Phillips 3, Miller 2, Stewart 3. |
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SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY (52) |
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Watson 3, Wynn 2, Castillo 5, Molly Hildebrandt 11, Sussman 2, Barrow 2, Gilpin 8, Madison Bueno 13, Myers 4, Baker 3. |
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Records—Savannah Christian 5-16, 0-8 Region 3-A D1; Savannah Country Day 13-8, 6-2 region. |
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Savannah Area High School Basketball Final Scores for Friday Night
With region races tightening and postseason positioning on the line, Savannah-area teams are set for a full slate of girls and boys basketball action Friday night across multiple classifications.
GIRLS — Friday Night Schedule
GHSA Class 6A – Region 1
Colquitt County 49, Richmond Hill 37
GHSA Class 5A – Region 1
Greenbrier 66, Effingham County 39
GHSA Class 3A – Region 3
Liberty County 53, Groves 40
Long County 75, Calvary Day 30
Windsor Forest 65, Southeast Bulloch 15
Beach 58, Islands 8
Jenkins 57, Johnson 22
GHSA Class A Division I – Region 3
Savannah Country Day 52, Savannah Christian 17
Vidalia 56, St. Vincent’s 36
GHSA Class A Division II – Region 3
Bryan County 43, Emanuel County Institute 33
Jenkins County 38, Savannah 37
GIAA AAAA/AAA – District 2
St. Andrew’s 55, Pinewood Christian 23
GIAA Class A – Region 6
RTCA 39, Memorial Day 37
BOYS — Friday Night Schedule
GHSA Class 6A – Region 1
Richmond Hill 49, Colquitt County 38
GHSA Class 5A – Region 1
Effingham County 59, Greenbrier 49
GHSA Class 4A – Region 1
Ware County 56, Benedictine 49
Warner Robbins 64, New Hampstead 39
GHSA Class 3A – Region 3
Liberty County 59, Groves 55
Long County 51, Calvary Day 45
Windsor Forest 71, Southeast Bulloch 57
Beach 64, Islands 46
Jenkins 57, Johnson 52
GHSA Class A Division I – Region 3
Savannah Country Day 51, Savannah Christian 41
GHSA Class A Division II – Region 3
Bryan County 64, Emanuel County Institute 62
Savannah 68, Jenkins County 47
GIAA AAAA/AAA – District 2
St. Andrew’s 90, Pinewood Christian 46
GIAA Class A – Region 6
RTCA 49, Memorial Day 44
GAPPS
Habersham School 55, Veritas 39
SCISA AA – Region III
Bethesda Academy 63, Cross School 52
Note: All scores that are posted on MaxPreps.com and the school’s texts.
Photo credit: Courtesy Savannah Country Day Schools Instagram page
Follow the Prep Sports Report on X @PrepSav and Instagram @savannahsportsreport.
To share scores, stories, or corrections, email kdemasi@prepsportsreport.com or text 912-507-9158.
Optim Orthopedics powers basketball coverage, supporting local athletes’ health with expert physicians and a focus on safe return to play.
Optim Orthopedics is committed to keeping Savannah’s basketball athletes healthy and ready to compete all season.
Optim Orthopedics team physicians: Dr. Don Aaron (Bryan County), Dr. David Sedory (Benedictine, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County), Dr. David Palmer (Calvary Day, Richmond Hill, South Effingham), Dr. Thomas Alexander(Savannah Country Day, St. Vincent’s Academy).
Optim Orthopedics is dedicated to supporting safe recovery and peak performance for local athletes.
