Quitman lost 70-58 at home against the Grand Saline Indians last Friday night, but the score doesn’t tell the complete story.

The Bulldogs took the court on a mission, opening the game with back-to-back 3-pointers from Logan Davis and Jonathan Hayes. After Grand Saline answered with a 3-pointer of their own, Klayton Meadows responded with a bucket to give Quitman an early 8-3 lead. Davis, Hayes, and Meadows each knocked out additional 3-pointers, while Matthew Moore added two of his own. Grand Saline matched Quitman nearly basket for basket, and the first quarter ended with the Bulldogs holding a slim lead over the Indians at 19-17.

Hayes opened the second quarter with another 3-pointer, followed by triples from Ty Harkness and Davis. Lucas Sandifer also contributed two points to keep the Bulldogs rolling. Once again, Grand Saline kept pace, tying the game at 35 before taking a brief 37-35 lead. A late technical foul on Grand Saline gave Meadows an opportunity at the line, and the teams went into halftime deadlocked in a 37-37 battle.

The momentum shifted toward Grand Saline in the third quarter, as they pulled away and scored 16 points while Quitman managed just eight. Hayes and Meadows each connected from beyond the arc, but the Indians were ahead 53-45 at the end of the third quarter.

Fueled by a deafeningly loud home crowd, Quitman began to claw its way back early in the fourth quarter. Sandifer sparked the rally with three points, followed by a 3-pointer from Taylor to cut the deficit to 53-51. After Grand Saline added three, Meadows answered immediately with a 3-pointer of his own, making it a 56-53 game.

Foul trouble proved costly in the last minutes of the game, however, as Grand Saline capitalized at the free-throw line to extend the lead to 59-53. Quitman still managed to pull within four at 59-55 with 1:40 remaining, but continued fouls in the final minute-and-a-half of the game allowed Grand Saline to widen the gap. Meadows hit a final 3-pointer in the closing seconds, but the Bulldogs were unable to overcome the late surge, eventually falling 70-58.