The hot-handed Quitman Bulldogs stormed to a 26-6 first quarter lead on the way to a 66-47 win over Union Grove at Ballard Memorial Gym Friday night. 

Union Grove opened the scoring in the first quarter taking a 2-0 lead, but Quitman came right back on a bucket by Hunter Jacobs and back-to-back scoring drives from Brady Floyd to take a 6-2 lead. The Bulldogs did not lose the lead the rest of the game. With a 6-4 lead the Bulldogs went on a 19-2 scoring run to boost their advantage to 26-6.

The pace slowed in the second quarter with each team able to muster only 10 points, and the score at intermission was 36-16. In the third quarter both teams hit for 13 points and Quitman maintained a 49-29 edge. In the third quarter with the Bulldogs up 44-24, Justin Matthews had back-to-back buckets to extend the Quitman lead to 48-24.

Quitman’s Levi Thompson hit back-to-back triples in the first minute of the final quarter, and Floyd downed another trey followed by a Landon Richey free throw to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game at 59-31. Thompson hit another three-pointer with 1:48 making the final tally 66-47 over the Lions.

The Bulldogs are 6-9 on the season with games at Bonham Tuesday and at home against Grand Saline Friday.

District play for the Bulldogs begins Dec. 21 at home against Harmony.