The Bainbridge High School Bearcats split a pair of Region 1-AAAA basketball games over the weekend.

Last Friday night they defeated the Dougherty High School Trojans 55-49 in Albany and Saturday night they lost to Albany’s Monroe High School Tornadoes 65-44 at home.

Leading the way for the Bearcats Friday were Tyree Crump with 19 points and Trevon Shaw with 16 points. David Quimby was high for the Trojans with 16.

Bearcats coach Rickety McCullough was pleased with his team’s play against Dougherty but was disappointed with their effort Saturday night against Monroe.

“If we keep playing like we did tonight it is going to be a quick season,” he said following Saturday night’s game. “I thought we played much better Friday night. The game was close all the way and we did a good job of rebounding, setting up in the half court and scoring.”

The Bearcats took an early 3-1 lead over the Tornadoes Saturday when Devontae Jones hit a 3-pointer from the right base line with 7:40 left in the first quarter.

The Tornadoes then went on an 11-0 scoring run to go up 12-3. Quimbly started the run with two free throws at the 6:27 mark and Charles Porter concluded it with a 3-pointer from the right side at the 3:50 mark. The Tornadoes led 14-5 at the conclusion of the first quarter.

Denote Young, the visitors leading scorer with 19 points and one of three Tornadoes in double figures, put them up 30-12 when he hit a jumper with 1:25 left in the second quarter. A 3-pointer, a field goal and a free throw by Tyree Crump, who led the Bearcats in scoring with Saturday night with 17 points, at the 1:10 and 50 seconds marks, cut the lead to 30-17 at halftime. The Tornadoes increased their advantage to 16, at 44-28, at the conclusion of the third quarter.

The Bearcats, who are 16-5 overall and 3-3 in Region 1-AAAA play, returned to Region 1-AAAA action Tuesday when they took on the Westover High School Patriots in Albany. They will host the Worth County High School Rams in a Region 1AAAA game Friday and travel to Thomas County Saturday for a Region 1AAAA game with the Thomas County Central High School Yellow Jackets.