1,000-point scorer
Richmond Hill High School’s Keeara Jackson scored her 1,000th career point early in the third period of the Lady Wildcats’ 43-23 win over Bradwell Institute on Friday at RHHS.
Jackson finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots for Richmond Hill, which is 9-3 overall and 3-1 in 3-AAAAA.
“Keeara only needed 11 points going into the game. You could kind of tell throughout the first half that we were all very anxious for her to get it,” said RHHS coach Sarah Brown, who is also a member of the 1,000-point club at the school. “Some of (Jackson’s) first shots rimmed in and out and I think that added a little more pressure.”
Once Jackson scored her 1,000th, though, “it was like a weight was lifted off of her,” Brown said. “She played more relaxed. We were all very excited for her because it is a great accomplishment.”
Despite a 48-38 loss to Class AAAA girls’ basketball power Statesboro on Saturday, the Lady Wildcats have been more than competitive in Brown’s first year at the helm.
The Lady Wildcats, who played host to Ware County on Tuesday night in a Region 3-AAAAA matchup, are finding success through teamwork, their coach said.
“I think we have had a great start to the season,” she said. “I think it is attributed to the team basketball we are playing right now. We have had four different leading scorers … with several of them being the leading scorers more than once. We are not having to depend on just one player. Any one of the girls can step up on any given night.”
Jackson is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 14.7 points a game. She’s also the Lady Wildcats’ top presence inside, pulling down about 8.5 boards a night and averaging 2.4 blocks on defense. Hannah Riley is contributing 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a night, while Kadijah Scriven is averaging 7.8 points and 2.8 steals a game and Kristen McCauley is scoring 7 points a game.
Brown also sees a team that is finding ways to improve.
“We are starting to get better at the little things, like taking care of the ball and hitting our free throws,” she said. “If we continue to do the little things correctly, I think we will continue to have a successful season.”
The Richmond Hill boys’ team, meanwhile, continues to struggle to find wins.
The Wildcats (2-10) fell 50-40 to visiting Statesboro (10-4) on Saturday after the Blue Devils went on a 12-3 third-quarter run to put some distance between themselves and their hosts.
The score was tied 21-21 at halftime.
Daniel Wilder led the Wildcats with 13 points. Sophomore Isaiah Hill added nine points and five assists for Richmond Hill, which played host to Ware County on Tuesday.

Lady Redskins top Saints
Bryan County High School improved to 7-6 overall and 5-3 in Region 2-AA with a 31-25 win over St. Vincent’s Academy in a girls’ basketball contest Saturday in Pembroke.
Julianne Brown led the way with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Brianna Smith added eight points and four steals for BCHS, which played host to Metter on Tuesday night.
“We did not play our best game, be we played hard in the fourth quarter to get the win,” BCHS coach Mario Mincey said. “This was a big subregion win for us and could mean a lot later in the season.”
In the boys’ game, the Redskins fell 64-62 to Benedictine in a hard-fought contest. The loss drops BCHS to 4-7 overall and 2-6 in Region 2-AA.
No individual stats were available.

Scott named All-State, again
Bryan County High School running back and safety Nick Scott was named to two All-State Teams. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had him as a first-team linebacker, while the Georgia Sportswriters Association named him a second-team running back. Coaches believe Scott is the school’s first ever first-team All-State football player. Scott also played in the East-West All-Star game over the break and was chosen as defensive MVP.

Hill leads SSU
Former Richmond Hill High School standout Jeremiah Hill scored 17 points to lead Savannah State to a 66-42 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Monday in the Tigers’ Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Opener.
Hill, a freshman, hit 3-of-6 3-point attempts and 5-of-11 field goal attempts for the Tigers, who improved to 3-11 overall.