The Pike County Bulldogs trailed early but rallied late to beat Abbeville 67-60 send off seniors Ryshaun Hall and Jacquion Fuller with a win on Senior Night.

Both teams started the game hot from the field, but the Yellow Jackets used a bruising inside attack to take a 19-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Yellow Jackets stretched their lead to as many as nine in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs were able to keep it close and only trailed 29-36 at halftime.

The Bulldogs dominated the third quarter by forcing Abbeville in to turnovers with their full-court press and then converting easy transition buckets. Deshon Cowling had nine of the Bulldogs’ 21 third-quarter points and helped to give Pike County a 50-45 lead.

Abbeville made a 15-8 run to open the fourth quarter to take a 60-58 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game. The Bulldogs would not be denied the victory, however, as Pike County scored the last nine points of the game to seal the win in Brundidge.

Kamari Jackson led the Bulldogs with 20 points.

The win secures the Class 3A Area 4 third seed for the Bulldogs who finished 3-3 in the area. Pike County will play the Montgomery Catholic Knights in the area tournament at Barbour County.

Senior Ryshaun Hall said it was nice to win on Senior Night, but clinching the third seed was more fulfilling. “Winning tonight was a great way to close out my legacy,” Hall said. “But more importantly, we got the area win. Coach tells us that big players hit big shots. That’s what we did tonight.”

Pike County coach Doug Holland agreed with his senior. “This was a huge win considering how we played against Barbour County,” Holland said. “We were sluggish in the first half. We came out flat, but we found a way to win against a great team. That’s big.”