By Bart Moss / For the FCT

It was just one of those nights for the Belgreen Bulldogs. Nothing seemed to go their way. From the very start of the first quarter to the later stages of the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs just seemed out of sorts, losing to Holy Spirit 58-33.

Holy Spirit’s pressure defense forced 42 Belgreen turnovers and never gave the Bulldogs, normally proficient shooters, any good looks at the basket. Belgreen shot just 16 percent from the field in the first half and 30 percent in the second half.

Belgreen coach Chad Green wasn’t about to let the disappointment of the night cloud what his team had accomplished this year.

“I just want everyone to know what a great group of girls this is,” said Green, “from our one senior (Jasmine Martin) down to our ninth-graders. We had a 20-win season and finished runner-up in the county and area tournament, losing in both to two of the best teams in the state, Phil Campbell and Phillips.

“From where we were at the beginning of the season in terms of rebounding and taking care of the basketball, we have improved so much,” Green continued. “I have no doubt we will learn from this experience and be back next year.”

Green has many reasons to feel optimistic about the future of the Belgreen program, but Friday night on the floor of Tom Drake Coliseum, the Bulldogs struggled mightily.

Belgreen committed five turnovers before the Bulldogs could get off their first shot attempt and didn’t score until the three-minute mark when Ansley Tate hit a layup. By then it was 10-2 Holy Spirit. The Titans led 15-5 at the end of the quarter.

Holy Spirit extended their lead to 16 points, 25-9, late in the second quarter, but Belgreen went on a 7-1 run to close out the half and cut the lead to 26-16.

The game stayed well within reach during the third quarter, and a 6-0 run by the Bulldogs to close out the quarter made it a seven-point game, 33-26.

The fourth quarter, however, was all Holy Spirit, as the Titans outscored the Bulldogs 25-7 to close out the game.

Gabbie Moore and Tate led the Bulldogs, scoring 11 points and 10 points respectively. Katie Dempsey added seven points, Martin four points, and Emma Dempsey was limited to just one point.