Bulloch Academy head coach Chandler Dennard substituted early and often as his Gators rolled over Trinity Christian School from Dublin 58-20 in GISA Region 4-AAA basketball action Saturday.
Twelve of the squad’s14 players scored and all of BA’s bench personnel saw considerable playing time.
The Gators outscored TCS 14-3 in the second while playing ‘stop-ball’ defense and turning numerous steals in to easy transition baskets. Junior Themba Twala scored six of his game-high 14 points.
Bulloch (11-2, 2-0) took a 24-8 halftime lead.
The Gators built a 40-8 lead by the 4:11 mark. Subs and a six-minute quarter with a liberal clock were the makeup of the fourth quarter. Sophomore Bill Sheppard notched eight of the Gators’ 10 points.
Bulloch 44, Trinity 34
The Lady Gators (15-1, 2-0) held a comfortable 40-20 lead with 4:47 left in the fourth quarter when Webb pulled his most of his regulars. At the 2:51 mark and with a 41-25 advantage, he pulled them all for a new five.
The girls from Dublin put on a smothering backcourt trap and man defense which hardly allowed Bulloch to inbound the ball or cross half court. TCS freshman Sydney Bozeman led the charge along with senior point guard Kailey Belote. Trinity went on a 7-0 run and cut the BA lead to 41-32 with 1:02 left in the game.
Webb inserted a couple of his starters to help end the game.
Freshman Ashley Burke started an 11-0 run with a three-pointer. Collins, who verbally committed to Furman University for a softball scholarship earlier in the day, snuck in the back door for four points while Newton got going and netted five. Bulloch had a 24-15 lead at half time.
Bulloch performed even better on both offense and defense in the third. Senior Haley Burke led off the third with a three-pointer and Newton got her magic back, scoring eight points. The Lady Gators had a 36-20 lead when the buzzer sounded.
In the fourth, a short jumper by Collins at the 4:47 mark gave BA the 20-point lead.
Newton led Bulloch with 17 points while Haley Burke added 12 and Collins had 10. For Trinity, Belote had 17 of her own and Bozeman had 11.