Bearcats down Lee, Cairo
Published 3:41 pm Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Bainbridge High School’s boys basketball team completed a successful weekend Saturday with a 65-48 victory over the Cairo High School Syrupmakers.
The Cats opened the weekend with an impressive 80-49 Region 1-AAAA victory over the Lee County High School Trojans in Leesburg.
Trailing 18-17 after the initial 12 minutes of the first half, the Bearcats went on an 18-3 scoring run to build a 37-22 halftime lead.
They were led by James Lodman Jr. and Marquis Williams with 14 points apiece, and by John Taylor with 12. Lee County was led by Sanford Seay with 16 and Donte Smith with 11.
The Bearcats jumped out front early Saturday night against Cairo. Antroine Williford hit a layup off the left glass with 3:52 left in the first quarter to give them an early 9-2 lead.
Terrell Bryant got the Syrupmakers to within five, at 11-6, when he hit a jumper from the left side at the 2:26 mark of the first quarter.
A three-pointer from the right side by John Taylor with 2:15 left increased the Bearcats’ lead to eight, at 14-6. They were up by four, 15-11, at the end of the first quarter.
Up by just five, 22-17, with 4:06 left in the first half, the Bearcats scored the final 10 points of the second quarter to take a 32-17 halftime lead.
Key buckets in the 10-0 run were a three-pointer by Melzie Johnson at the 3-minute mark to make it 27-17 and a layup off the right glass by Eric Vickers at the 2-minute mark to make it 29-17.
Lodman’s three-pointer from the right baseline with 1:22 left concluded the run and the first-half scoring.
The Bearcats featured a balanced scoring attack Saturday with four men hitting in double figures. Lodman and Taylor led the way with 14 apiece, Davario Thomas scored 12 and Williford scored 11.
Kentrail Brown scored 17 to lead the Syrupmakers. Jemonta Baker added 10.
“We really played well Friday and Saturday,” McCullough said following the Cairo win. “We moved the ball well, shot well, and played good defense.”
The Bearcats took a 17-3 overall record and 3-0 region mark into Tuesday’s Region 1-AAAA game with the Americus-Sumter County High School Panthers in Americus. They will host the Thomas County Central High School Yellow Jackets in a region game Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Coliseum. They will take on the East Gadsden High School Jaguars Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Quincy, Fla.