SATURDAY NIGHT PREP ROUNDUP: Herald No. 3 Bearcats nip Cairo; No. 1 girls win, too

Danny Aller

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CAIRO — One of the biggest games of the season — in terms of a rivalry — ended up being a relatively easy pair of wins for Bainbridge boys and girls Saturday night.

The Herald No. 3 Bearcats ended up in a close game at the end against Cairo, winning, 66-59, despite leading by double-digits for a good portion of the game.

“It was back and forth there for a bit and we were even tied at 25-25 at the half,” said Bainbridge coach Rickey McCullough, whose team improved to 17-4 with the win. “DeVario Thomas, though, has really come on late and is playing like I hoped he would.”

Thomas, who scored 22 on Friday in a win against Lee County, dropped in 10 on Saturday, right behind leading scorer Devon Baulkmon, who posted a double-double with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Justin Harris added 20.

The Bearcats, who are 3-0 in Region 1-AAAA play, pick back up Tuesday with a slew of important games, beginning with Americus-Sumter.

As for The Herald No. 1 Lady Bearcats, they routed Cairo, 66-42, behind another big game from star Alexis Burke.

“I didn’t get a chance to tally the final scorers, but there’s no doubt she led us,” said Bainbridge girls coach Latreisha Moon, whose team improved to 19-2. “(Once we got ahead), I put in a lot of my little girls and they led us the rest of the way.”

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EARLY COUNTY BOYS, GIRLS BOTH BEAT COOK:

The Bobcats, behind a season-high 25 points from junior Chevious Williams, nipped Region 1-AA foe Cook on Saturday, 69-65.

“Chevious had a great game,” Early coach Randy Isom said. “We were in a hole for a while with some key guys hurt, so it’s nice to see Chevious come back and play like he did.”

Williams was not alone Saturday, however, as the Bobcats also got big games from Antwain Thornton (14 points) and Ladonis Yarbrough (12).

The girls, meanwhile, also beat Cook, but no other details were available at press time.

The Bobcats pick back up Friday when they face neighboring Class A foe Calhoun County.