For the second consecutive night, the Bulloch Academy boys had an aggressive, physical battle on their hands.
But unlike Friday night, the Gators came up on the short end as Pinewood Christian Academy senior Jeb Brannen poured in 28 points to lead the Patriots over the Gators, 46-28.
In the opener, the Lady Gators stayed strong but the undefeated Lady Patriots were just too much for them as PCA rolled 45-27.
In the finale, the guys tested each other in the opening eight minutes. PCA (10-2) took a 7-3 lead at the end of the first. Both teams were also cold from the field as neither could seemingly buy a basket.
Bulloch’s quick lineup seemed to frustrate the Patriots in the second, but Pinewood’s muscle in the lane emerged. Still, Bulloch sophomore Dartavious Brown hit two free throws at the 2:06 mark to pull the Gators to within five, 14-9. But PCA scored four unanswered points to take an 18-9 halftime lead.
The Gators (6-9) had two quick baskets to start off the third from senior Wil Hall and junior Will Powell to trim the PCA lead to five, 18-13. Hall had six on the night while Powell had three. A nearly-packed gym with spirited fans helped fuel both squads.
But Brannen’s penetrations into the lane were often met with hard fouls. In the third, he hit 10 of 11 from the free-throw line. For the game, he was 16 of 20 from the charity stripe. Still, Bulloch stayed in reach as the quarter ended with Pinewood holding a 32-21 lead. BA junior Mark Rocker had four of his team-high seven points in the quarter.
Rocker buried a three-pointer to open the fourth to cut the Patriot lead to eight, 32-24. But PCA big men Garrett Blaxton and Dustin Baker seemed to take over the middle in the fourth and helped Pinewood outscore Bulloch 14-7 for the win.
In the girls’ game, the Lady Patriots (16-0) came out strong and took a 9-0 lead late in the opening quarter and a 15-6 advantage at the end of the eight minutes.
The Bulloch girls didn’t back down as they ran stride for stride with the girls from Bellville. Unfortunately, the Lady Gators couldn’t get their shots to fall. They were patient and deliberate on offense but the layups or short jumpers banged off the backboard or clanged off the rim.
If Bulloch’s shooting was cold in the first quarter, it was downright frigid in the second. The Lady Gators scored just one point while the Lady Patriots doubled their point total and took a 30-7 halftime lead.
PCA senior Jenny Young had four of her game-high 13 in the quarter as the Pinewood offense used sharp, crisp passes to move the BA offense from side to side, then swing the ball quickly back to the open player. Senior Kelly Durrence added 10 in the win.
For the Lady Gators, Kacie Lanier had 10 points, while freshman Kaylee Dennard added eight.
Bulloch (8-9) outscored the Lady Patriots 12-7 in the third quarter and tied them 8-8 in the fourth, but too much damage had been done.
But unlike Friday night, the Gators came up on the short end as Pinewood Christian Academy senior Jeb Brannen poured in 28 points to lead the Patriots over the Gators, 46-28.
In the opener, the Lady Gators stayed strong but the undefeated Lady Patriots were just too much for them as PCA rolled 45-27.
In the finale, the guys tested each other in the opening eight minutes. PCA (10-2) took a 7-3 lead at the end of the first. Both teams were also cold from the field as neither could seemingly buy a basket.
Bulloch’s quick lineup seemed to frustrate the Patriots in the second, but Pinewood’s muscle in the lane emerged. Still, Bulloch sophomore Dartavious Brown hit two free throws at the 2:06 mark to pull the Gators to within five, 14-9. But PCA scored four unanswered points to take an 18-9 halftime lead.
The Gators (6-9) had two quick baskets to start off the third from senior Wil Hall and junior Will Powell to trim the PCA lead to five, 18-13. Hall had six on the night while Powell had three. A nearly-packed gym with spirited fans helped fuel both squads.
But Brannen’s penetrations into the lane were often met with hard fouls. In the third, he hit 10 of 11 from the free-throw line. For the game, he was 16 of 20 from the charity stripe. Still, Bulloch stayed in reach as the quarter ended with Pinewood holding a 32-21 lead. BA junior Mark Rocker had four of his team-high seven points in the quarter.
Rocker buried a three-pointer to open the fourth to cut the Patriot lead to eight, 32-24. But PCA big men Garrett Blaxton and Dustin Baker seemed to take over the middle in the fourth and helped Pinewood outscore Bulloch 14-7 for the win.
In the girls’ game, the Lady Patriots (16-0) came out strong and took a 9-0 lead late in the opening quarter and a 15-6 advantage at the end of the eight minutes.
The Bulloch girls didn’t back down as they ran stride for stride with the girls from Bellville. Unfortunately, the Lady Gators couldn’t get their shots to fall. They were patient and deliberate on offense but the layups or short jumpers banged off the backboard or clanged off the rim.
If Bulloch’s shooting was cold in the first quarter, it was downright frigid in the second. The Lady Gators scored just one point while the Lady Patriots doubled their point total and took a 30-7 halftime lead.
PCA senior Jenny Young had four of her game-high 13 in the quarter as the Pinewood offense used sharp, crisp passes to move the BA offense from side to side, then swing the ball quickly back to the open player. Senior Kelly Durrence added 10 in the win.
For the Lady Gators, Kacie Lanier had 10 points, while freshman Kaylee Dennard added eight.
Bulloch (8-9) outscored the Lady Patriots 12-7 in the third quarter and tied them 8-8 in the fourth, but too much damage had been done.
