The Pleasant Home Eagles fought hard, but weren’t able to overcome a strong third period by the Brantley Bulldogs, in Friday’s 61-46 defeat in Brantley in the 1A area 2 championship match.

 

The Bulldogs jumped out front in the opening frame, but the Eagles rallied back to tie it 12-12 heading into the second period.  Troy Fantroy led the Eagles with 4 points in the first period. Robert Scott and Chase Gunter each knocked to triples to help the Eagles even the score.

 

Brandon Frazier led the charge for the Bulldogs with 6 points in the first period. Darian Jones had 5 points in the period.

 

The Bulldogs took a 23-18 lead into halftime thanks to a last second 3-pointer from Malcom Burnett. Jones added 6 more points to his total, and Malik Stough had 2 points.

 

The Eagles struggled heavily in the second period to make anything fall. The Bulldogs’ quick defense effectively, reduced the number of shots the Eagles got to take. Scott finished the second period with 4 points, and Fantroy chipped in 2 points.

 

The Eagles found better looks in the third period, but a 22-point outburst from the Bulldogs put the Eagles in a 45-31 hole heading into the final period. Burnett sizzled with three treys in the period. Kaisaun Nichola had a pair of 3-pointers, and finished the third period with 8 points. Jones notched 5 more points in the period.

 

The Eagles got another 3-ball from Scott in the period. Fantroy and Alex Myrick had 4 points each in the third.

 

The Eagles continued to battle in the fourth period, but couldn’t overcome the faced paced Bulldogs’ offense. Scott had a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth period, and Myrick had 4 more points. Walt Weaver went 3-for-6 from the free throw line, and Fantroy finished the fourth with 2 points.

 

Burnett led the Bulldogs in the final period with 7 points, and Jones ended the fourth with 4 points.

 

Jones led the Bulldogs with 20 points, and Burnett topped out with 19 points.

 

Scott led the Eagles with 16 points, and Fantroy totaled 12 points in the contest.

 

“We let the game slip away in the third quarter, but I’ve got to give Brantley credit,” Eagles coach Troy Turman said. “They went on a run of four 3-pointers in the third quarter. They outplayed us and out-hustled us. Our rebounds were solid, but we game them too many second chance shots and they took advantage of that. I’m really proud of our guys for competing at the level they did. We will play the winner of Chickasaw and Fruitdale. I’m definitely going to look at them, and see what we can do to pull out a win against them.”