Basketball Recap: Hayden Johanson's Big Game Can't Quite Lead South Effingham over Statesboro

If South Effingham was feeling good fresh off their 66-31 takedown of Southeast Bulloch last Saturday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The South Effingham Mustangs took a 54-36 bruising from the Statesboro Blue Devils on Tuesday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Mustangs of the 41-30 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in January of 2023.

South Effingham lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Hayden Johanson, who went 5 for 12 on her way to 14 points in addition to eight boards and five steals. Johanson has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Savannah France, who posted seven points and seven rebounds.

Statesboro's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Gerziya Haggray led the charge by going 7 of 12 on her way to 18 points and three steals. Those 18 points gave Haggray a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Azziza Flowers, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten boards.

South Effingham's loss was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 6-10. As for Statesboro, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-8.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. South Effingham will host Glynn Academy at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Statesboro, they will look to defend their home court on Saturday against Effingham County at 5:00 p.m.