Coach Heath Maxwell’s Bainbridge Middle School eighth-grade Bearcats defeated the Pelham Middle School eighth-grade Hornets, 37-32, Thursday at the Decatur County Memorial Coliseum, giving the school’s eighth-grade teams a split for the day.

In the opening game, coach Latoya Ross’s Bainbridge Middle School eighth-grade Lady Cats lost 37-13 to the Lady Hornets. They were led by Asia Gordon with eight points.

The boys game was close all the way. The Bearcats led by just three, 16-13, at halftime. Their first double-digit lead did not come until early in the third quarter, when Jontavious Jeanty put them up 31-21 with a driving layup off the right glass with 4:38 left.

Alan Close’s driving layup off the right glass with 4:12 remaining in the third kept the Bearcats up by 10, at 33-23, entering the fourth quarter.

After the game, Maxwell said he was particularly pleased with his team’s defensive effort against the Hornets.

“We finally played some good defense,” he said. “Pelham has a good team so we had to play good defense to win.”

Tyree Crump led the Bearcats in scoring with 18 points. Alan Close was also in double figures, with 12.

Rounding out the Bearcats scoring column were Myles Thomas with three and Jontavious Jeanty and Russell Wheeler with two apiece.