Basketball Recap: Eastside Takes Loss Despite Strong Efforts from Emma Johnson and Laila Harvey

Eastside lost against James F. Byrnes back in December of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Eastside Eagles lost 59-34 to the James F. Byrnes Rebels. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 145th, while the Rebels are ranked 24th).

Laila Harvey and Emma Johnson certainly did their best on Friday to avoid the loss. Harvey posted 12 points along with seven boards and four blocks, while Johnson scored nine points.

James F. Byrnes was led to victory by Ashlyn Evans and Jaida Johnson. Evans dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Jaida dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 boards. The dominant performance also gave Johnson a new career-high in blocks (seven). Another player making a difference was Makayla Barnes, who put up seven points in addition to six rebounds and three steals.

This is the second loss in a row for Eastside and nudges their season record down to 4-12. As for James F. Byrnes, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Eastside will head out to square off against Gaffney at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Gaffney will roll in looking for their fifth straight victory, something Eastside surely won't give up without a fight. As for James F. Byrnes, they will take on Wade Hampton at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing isn't great for Wade Hampton: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while James F. Byrnes has snatched up three consecutive wins on the road.