Belgreen dominates foes in 2 wins
It was a week of absolute authority for the Belgreen Bulldogs, as both the varsity boys and girls programs secured statement wins over county rival Tharptown before the Lady Bulldogs continued their tear with a blowout victory over Covenant Christian.
In a tale of two halves, the Belgreen Lady Bulldogs turned a close rivalry game into a runaway 71-35 victory over the Tharptown Wildcats.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with Tharptown actually holding a slim 26-24 lead at the break. However, the second half belonged entirely to Belgreen. The Lady Bulldogs emerged from the locker room and dismantled the Wildcats with a 25-2 third-quarter run, followed by a 22-7 final frame.
Makenna Fisher led the charge for Belgreen with 15 points, 10 of which came during the tight first half. In the third-quarter surge it was Randi Terry who took over, scoring 11 of her 13 points in that period alone.
The depth of the Belgreen roster was on full display as 10 different players found the hoop, including sixpoint efforts from Lily Green, Alexa Gault, and Isabella Tate. Lillianna Willingham, Mackinley Hogan, and Jemma Moore each added five points, while Marlie Terry (4), Alayna Tate (3), and Carson Hovater (3) rounded out the scoring.
Tharptown’s effort was led by Carley Cason, who paced all scorers with 16 points, followed by Cadence Kennedy with seven, and six points each from Raeleigh Harrell and Allie Gann.
The Lady Bulldogs carried that momentum into their next matchup, a 56-25 thumping of Covenant Christian. Fisher was unstoppable, pouring in 24 points, while Willingham added 13. Alayna Tate (6), Gault (4), Terry (3), Isabella Tate (3), and Green (1) all contributed to the lopsided scoreline.
The Belgreen boys used a suffocating defensive performance to ground the Tharptown Wildcats in a 43-23 area win. The Bulldogs allowed just seven points in the entire first half — three in the first quarter and four in the second — effectively neutralizing the Tharptown attack.
The story of the night, however, was the return of Braycen Johnson. In his first game back following a long injury-induced absence, Johnson showed no signs of rust, draining three three-pointers and finishing with 11 points.
While Johnson provided the emotional spark, Jake Dill provided the firepower. Dill led the Bulldogs with 15 points, including four three-pointers which stretched the Tharptown defense. Jonathan Mendoza was the third Bulldog in double figures, adding a steady 12 points. Chris Bentley added three, Miguel Cruz Perea two, and Gabe Estrada one point.
A massive 21-point third quarter mirrored the girls’ performance, blowing the game open after a lowscoring 16-7 first half.
Tharptown’s Evin Lawson battled for 13 points, while Zack Riley added four. Jackson Knighten, Cesar Rueda, and Joshua Bahena each chipped in two points in the loss.
