Basketball Recap: Harper Willis Key Part of a Team Effort in Buccaneers Win

McIntosh County Academy hadn't done well against Claxton recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers enjoyed a cozy 41-27 victory over the Claxton Tigers. That's two games straight that the Buccaneers have won by exactly 14 points.

Harper Willis

Points (Career)

02/05/25 vs Claxton	16
01/28/25 @ Emanuel County Institute	11
12/20/24 vs Hilton Head Prep	10
01/17/25 @ Groves	9
02/04/25 @ Savannah	8

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead McIntosh County Academy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Harper Willis, who went 6 for 12 on her way to 16 points and seven rebounds. The dominant performance gave Willis a new career-high in points. The team also got some help courtesy of Zione Bland, who posted seven points along with six boards and four steals.

When it comes to explaining why Claxton lost, don't look at Jayda Jordan. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 16 points and 18 rebounds. That was a full 59.3% of Claxton's points, marking the 21st time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Azariah Valentine was another key player, putting up five points and nine boards.

The win made it two in a row for McIntosh County Academy and bumps their season record up to 10-14. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to three-point shooting accuracy: their three-point shooting accuracy was 34.8% in those games and 21.2% outside of them. As for Claxton, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost seven of their last eight contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-16 record this season.

McIntosh County Academy wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next match, a 51-38 loss against Screven County on the 7th. As for Claxton, they have also already played their next game, a 63-30 defeat against Bryan County on the 7th.