Quitman’s Lady Bulldogs Autumn Cason and Annabelle Popek led the charge scoring 13 and 12 points respectively to lead the Bulldogs to a 40-32 win over Harmony on Friday, Jan. 26. 

Senior Addison Marcee scored first for the Lady Bulldogs, sinking a triple about halfway through the first quarter. The ladies battled a tough Harmony offense through the first quarter, but managed to lead 15-12 at the buzzer. 

The second quarter would be the only quarter that the Harmony Eagles outscored the Bulldogs, earning nine points to Quitman’s seven. Senior Kaylee Woods opened the quarter with an easy two points. The Bulldogs struggled as Harmony scored three baskets in a row. However, the Lady Bulldogs rallied and ended the half with a long pass from Allie Berry to Cason, who barely missed her shot, but Popek was there to rebound and scored for two. The Bulldogs managed to scrape by a 22-21 lead at halftime.

The Lady Bulldogs came back from halftime refreshed and never looked back. They dominated the second half, out-scoring Harmony 10-7 in the third quarter. Harmony ran out of steam during the fourth quarter, scoring only four points to Quitman’s eight, leading to the final 40-32 score. 

Coach Blake Hamrick was proud of the team and stated, “I thought we started slow and sluggish defensively and in our rebounding. But I was proud of how we played in the second half. We adjusted and executed on defense. On the offense, Annabelle and Autumn played great and made big baskets. Addi was all over the court and made some huge plays on offense. I’ve been really proud of our grit and willingness to accept a challenge head-on this season, even when things got tough and didn’t go our way.” 

Cason led the Bulldogs in scoring with 13 points and two rebounds. Popek scored 12 points and was on fire rebounding with four offensive rebounds and five defensive rebounds. 

The Lady Bulldogs will recognize their seniors on Friday, Feb. 2 at their last home game against Mt. Vernon before their last game against Winnsboro on Feb. 6.