Alycin Pearcy took over the girls game late, and the junior high Lady Bearcats opened Conference 3A-4 play with a 27-25 win over Cedarville at home Monday night.
The Lady Bearcats stay unbeaten on the season at 7-0.
On his way to 30 points, Drake Brackney took over the boys game from the tip, and got help during a 13-0 run that gave the Bearcats (5-2, 1-0) a cushion they would build upon the rest of the way in a 56-34 over the Pirates.
Lady Bearcats 27 Cedarville 25
Rallying themselves from down 8, Cedarville took a 27-25 with 1:25 to go in the game.
Out of a time out Pearcy went inside and took a pass from post player Evelyn Rogers and got a game tying basket with 28 seconds to play.
Pearcy stole the ball on Cedarville’s next possession and won a race to the goal for the go-ahead layup with 7 seconds to play.
Pearcy was not finished. After a timeout she intercepted another pass and was leveled with a single second to go, preventing a potential tying or winning shot.
The Lady Bearcats were down by one starting the second half and trailed 16-13 a minute into the second half before running off 11 unanswered points.
Sophie Shaffer, Trinity Martinez and Pearcy accounted for the points. Each had scored after a defensive steal with Rogers assisting Pearcy on a runout toss.
Pearcy finished with a game-high 12 points and Shaffer and Martinez combined for another dozen.
Bearcats 56 Cedarville 34
In the boys game it was Brackney scoring 14 of his team’s first 16 points but Cedarville was able to keep pace, trailing only 12-11 and 16-13 through the first five minutes.
Ayden Rhinehart started what would be the 13-0 run 48 seconds before the opening quarter ended. Rhinehart contributed a second bucket and Brackney had two baskets during the run that made it 29-13 with 3:48 left in the half.
Cedarville was able to get within 30-20 by halftime but the Bearcats scored the first 7 points of the second half and it was no closer than 11 the rest of the night.
With the Bearcats topping the 50-point mark for the fourth time this season, the lead would be as much as 27 with 2:16 to play before Cedarville closed the game with the final 5 points.
Both the Bearcats and Lady Bearcats are scheduled to play in a tournament in Waldron tomorrow with the girls playing at 4 and the boys at 5:15. Both will face Mansfield.
PEARCY, BRACKNEY LEAD JUNIOR HIGH TEAMS TO CONFERENCE OPENING WINS
