Dawgs beat Tigers 69-58

The Marianna Bulldogs took their 12th straight win Tuesday night in Malone, beating the Tigers 69-58 in Malone.

Kruize Pinkins scored 25 points to lead the Bulldogs, who improved to 22-2 with the win.

Malone fell to 19-5 with the loss, but the Tigers were far more competitive Tuesday than they were in their first matchup with the Bulldogs on Jan. 8, a game in which Malone trailed by as much as 30 points.

The Tigers found themselves in front by four with just over four minutes to play on Tuesday night. But the Bulldogs responded with six straight points to regain the lead, taking advantage of a pair of Malone turnovers.

The Bulldogs pulled away late with free throws and a pair of dunks by Pinkins. The win was the seventh straight for Marianna against Jackson County teams.

But Tuesday night’s victory was easily the most competitive of all.

“It was a great game if you’re a basketball fan,” Bulldogs coach Travis Blanton said after the game. “Malone and Marianna, it doesn’t get any better than that. It was a shame one team had to lose because both teams played their hearts out. We made a few shots late and picked it up on defense. I think that made the difference, our intensity on defense. Some of the shots that fell for them early weren’t falling at the end.”

Tre Jackson and Tre Long each added 12 points for MHS. LaDarius McElroy led Malone with 13 points, with Jean Littles and TJ Smith adding 11, and Chai Baker 10.

The game was tied at 33-33 at halftime, and the Bulldogs led 48-47 through three periods.

It was a far cry from the lopsided affair on Jan. 8.

“I thought it was a real good response considering how we played against them the first time,” Malone coach Steven Welch said after the game. “We played hard, played tough, and played well.”

Ultimately, Welch said that Marianna’s size on the inside was too much.

“Kruize was a beast on the offensive boards,” the coach said. “We shot it good enough,  but we couldn’t keep them off the offensive boards.

“I thought both teams played well. They did what they had to do to pull it out. We played well enough to win, but we just didn’t execute late. Against a team like that, you have to execute for 32 minutes.”

Marianna was coming off of a pair of 27-point wins over Graceville and Sneads. Blanton said he was pleased to see his team have to pull out a close game.

“You’ve got to appreciate how hard the Malone kids played and what they did to make us work to have a chance to win,” the coach said. “We needed that kind of game to hopefully wake us up.”

The Bulldogs can finish the regular season with a perfect record against county opponents, with a win in Cottondale tonight.

Blanton said that would be a special accomplishment for his players.

“At this point, the kids are still wanting to win because it’s county teams we’re playing,” the coach said. “They’ve wanted to go undefeated in the county. It’s a pride thing, and it’s something they can carry with them all their lives and talk about years from now, and maybe even brag about.

“But at this point, we’re just trying to get ready for next week and doing the things we have to do to have a chance to win the district tournament.”

The Bulldogs tip with the Hornets at 7 p.m. tonight, and host their district tournament beginning Feb. 8.