The Cedartown Bulldogs fell on Tuesday night, losing 51-42 to the Central Lions.
Despite leading 24-21 at halftime, the Cedartown defense was not able to slow down an experienced Central bunch in the second half in the nine-point loss on the road.
The Lions came into the matchup looking for their first region win of the season, and found it against the Bulldogs. They capitalized on scoring opportunities in the second half, allowing them to pull away late in the fourth period.
Senior Elijah Pace led all scorers on the day with 10 points and 3 rebounds. Fellow Senior Zah Frazier finished with 9 points and 13 rebounds, falling one point short of recording his second double-double in the past three games. Brothers Jayden and Jeremiah Johnson both added 8 points.
They’ll look to bounce back on Thursday evening, as they will make the short drive on Highway 278 East to take on the Rockmart Yellow Jackets.
Cedartown, now 7-7 overall and 1-2 against Region 5-4A opponents, won the only previous meeting between the two Polk County squads back on Dec. 15. The game was called a few minutes early due to a brawl that broke out on the court involving fans and players.
At the time the fight broke out, the Bulldogs were leading 39-37, so by rule they were awarded the 2-point victory.
Since that game, both teams have went in somewhat similar directions: Rockmart has went 4-4, and Cedartown 2-4.
Both the Bulldogs and the Yellow Jackets will look to take a step closer to a winning season with a win on Thursday. The game at Rockmart High School will tip off at 7:30 pm on Thursday.