After Friday night’s disappointing performances in a nip-and-tuck, four-point win, Bulloch Academy head coach Chandler Dennard didn’t know what to expect from his Gators in Saturday night’s final regular-season home contest.
    He didn’t have to worry.
    “It’s tough for a high-school kid to get motivated to play some nights,” said Dennard. “Last night, we came out flat. Tonight, we had a good start, got into a good rhythm and it was all downhill from there.”
    Bulloch Academy had six players in double figures and netted an incredible 42 first-quarter points as the Gators blasted non-region foe Citizens Christian Academy 102-56 on Senior Night.
    Darion Carter led BA with 14 points while Mark Rocker scored 13, Arne Bencker added 12, Will Powell and Paul Son had 11 each and Zach Altany had 10.
    The Gators (16-7 overall) got in their last tune-up before defending their GISA Region 2-AA crown next weekend. Bulloch (7-1 in region play) captured the top seed for the region tournament and gets a first-round bye. On Friday, Bulloch plays the winner of Tuesday night’s Trinity Christian-Edmund Burke at 5:30 p.m.
    Saturday night, the Patriots (12-13) put up a fight early but the senior-laden Gators were just too strong as they came out with a vengeance. Bulloch went on a 10-0 run early in the opening quarter for a 19-6 lead and never looked back.
    Dennard then dropped the reins from his stallions and they responded by putting on a show as they racing up and down the floor on the fast break to a record point total.
    Bulloch went on an 11-4 run to take a 30-10 lead with a little over three minutes left. Both Carter and Rocker notched eight points each in the first eight minutes while Walker had six and Altany had five. The Gators added another 12 points to take a 42-19 lead by the buzzer.
    Things quieted down in the second quarter as Bulloch outpointed CCA 23-14 for a 65-33 halftime lead. CCA’s Jordan Johnson had seven of his game-high 15 points in the quarter. Johnson had torched Bulloch for 43 earlier in the season,
    The Gators roared out of the locker room after intermission and went off, both on offense and defense.
    The nimble Carter, who was the king of the paint whenever he was in the game, ran the floor on the fast break while the trap and man defense befuddled the CCA players. Bencker put up a driving layup with 3:45 left to put Bulloch up 79-38. Bulloch’s bench came on and went on an 8-0 run to put the Gators on top 87-38 after three as BA outscored CCA 22-5.
    Bulloch’s first five didn’t touch the floor in the fourth quarter until the seniors were ceremoniously put in and taken back out to a thunderous round of applause.
    Dennard’s second five started but the third five played the majority of the quarter. Even though the Pats outscored BA 18-15, Bulloch still hit the century mark for the second time in a week.

Lady Gators 67, Lady Patriots 30
    Addie Reddick notched 16 points and Kaylee Lanier had 12 as the Bulloch girls routed the Lady Patriots.
    The Lady Gators (14-11) will meet Frederica Academy next Friday night in the girls’ portion of the GISA Region 2-AA tournament.
    On Saturday night, Reddick nailed Bulloch’s first five points of the night as the Gator girls looked to put the game away early. A tight backcourt trap and an even tighter man defense strangled the young Lady Patriots.
    Lanier’s layup with 2:15 left in the first quarter put the Lady Gators (14-11) up 14-4. Bulloch then went on a 5-0 run to take a 19-4 advantage at the end of the quarter.
    Coach Paul Webb’s girls then put on their own show in the second quarter, putting up 23 points and holding CCA to just 10 for a 42-14 halftime lead. CCA turnovers were quickly cashed in for Bulloch points. In the quarter, Reddick had seven while Lanier, Kate Anna Akins and Heaven Hinton had four each.
    Webb’s first five played sparingly in the second half. The bench did an outstanding job, outscoring CCA 17-11 in the third for an insurmountable 59-25 lead.
    CCA’s Kira Liles scored a game-high 17 points.

Winter Sports Athletes honored
    Bulloch Academy recognized its winter sports athletes between the varsity games.
    Honored were boys’ basketball players Darion Carter, Will Powell, Mark Rocker and Jordan Walker, girls’ basketball player Abi Foy, varsity cheerleaders Nicole Fowler, Katy Howard, Allison Smith, Chelsea Williams and wrestler Michael Kimbrell.

BA 55, CCA 22 (Boys’ B-Team)
    Zach Altany pumped in 17 points while Win Lee and Ellis Lane added nine each as the Bulloch B-Team got the rout wagon rolling in earlier action.
    After a tense 13-11 first quarter, the Gators outscored the Patriots 15-2 in the second quarter for a 28-3 halftime lead.