For the first time since 2009, Pike County basketball is advancing to postseason play in Dothan.

Tuesday night, the Bulldogs overcame a four-point halftime deficit to defeat T.R. Miller 60-52 in the sub-regionals in Brundidge.

“I’m just happy to advance,” Pike County head coach Doug Holland said. “It’s been a while since we headed to Dothan, and I’m just proud of the guys and looking forward to who we match up with.”

Heading into halftime down 26-22, Pike County was slumping, shooting poorly from the field and having problems getting a rhythm going offensively and defensively.

But coming out of the break, the Bulldogs scored five-straight points to immediately wrestle back the lead.

After a T.R. Miller basket that saw the Tigers once again pull ahead 28-27, Pike County responded quickly, going on a 13-3 run to end the third quarter up 44-32.

“Just our attitude and energy level (changed in the second half),” Holland said. “We didn’t play that well in the first half. We had open looks and we shot the ball about as bad as you can shoot in the first half. In the second half, they (the team) did a good job of attacking and doing what we do.”

Up 12 to begin the fourth quarter, it seemed Pike County would coast to a comfortable win.

But the Tigers mounted a comeback of their own while the Bulldogs turned the ball over trying to break the T.R. Miller press.

Down 52-37, the Tigers went on a 7-0 run late in the fourth to narrow Pike County’s lead to 52-49.

Pike County held on to the lead, though, outscoring T.R. Miller 8-3 in the final three minutes on their way to the win.

“That’s the thing that we have to do is to learn to play with the lead,” Holland said. “You see we were struggling offensively. We were struggling to just try and kill some time and to try to get some starters back in the game and to gather ourselves.”

Deshon Cowling led Pike County with 15 points.

Stevie Smiley chipped in with 13 points before fouling out at the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

With the win, Pike County advances to play the winner of Daleville and Cottage Hill Chrstian at the Dothan Civic Center on Saturday.