The eighth-grade game between Southwest and South Junior High on Jan. 10 was a back-and-forth battle throughout, but the final 47 seconds proved to be the biggest stretch for the Bulldogs.

The Cougars, which trailed by four in the waning moments, not only came up empty on the offensive end on a late possession, but a player fouled out seconds later, which allowed Southwest to secure a 30-26 victory with free throws on the Cougars’ home court.

“We played really well defensively, but our shooting was not very good tonight,” Southwest coach David Schneider said. “We got real lucky with this win tonight.”

The Bulldogs held a small advantage the majority of the game with Nick Hassig putting Southwest on the scoreboard in the first quarter and, making sure the Bulldogs intensity was constant throughout.

“Nick is a 100-percent kid all the time,” Schneider said. “He made sure the team was doing well.”

With the Cougars trailing 11-4 after the first quarter, Michael McCabe gave South momentum and got his squad moving.

The short guard took command of the Cougars offensively by smoothly running up and down the court and dishing out guidance to teammates in addition to passes. McCabe’s leadership caught the Cougars up to within one point at the break.

With Cougar cheerleaders chanting out “Defense!” behind him, McCabe continued to challenge the Bulldogs. The guard found Sam Hird, who tallied two baskets in the quarter, while Scott Brenn swished a three-pointer.

But the Bulldogs answered the flurry with a trey of their own by Daniel Chance, while Drake DeBiasse added a two-point field goal.

The fourth quarter brought even more heady competition between the two teams, but less scoring.

Southwest's Daniel Chance dribbles around South defender Scott Brenn Jan. 10 at South Junior High. South and Southwest played a close game, but down the stretch South missed some opportunities to score and Southwest won the game, 30-26.

The Bulldogs maintained the lead early in the quarter thanks to a bucket by Jed Borovik, but the Cougars came back thanks to a deuce by Joey Baker and two field goals by McCabe.

Despite South’s late rally or the Bulldogs own ineffective shooting down the stretch, Southwest – aided by its strong ball-handling skills and aggressive defense – did just enough at the end to escape with the victory.

“We will be working on our shooting and how to really close the game out right in our next practices,” Schneider said.

South and Southwest will face-off again on Feb. 2.