Normally, three blowouts would require a tow truck. But at the Bryan County Tournament, it took a Colbert-Calera barnburner to break up the showcase of shellacking.

The nightcap of Thursday’s four-game set at Bloomer Sullivan Arena proved to be the best match-up of the card, as the Leopards battled back from an early deficit to make a game of it against the Calera Bulldogs. Calera emerged victorious 44-40 to advance to Saturday’s tournament championship against Caddo. The Bruins dismantled Boswell 74-48 in the earlier game.

On the girl’s side of the bracket, Silo cruised past Caddo 54-30 and Colbert more than doubled up on Calera, 67-31.

Game 1:

Girls

Colbert Lady Leopards 67-Calera Lady Bulldogs 31

Katherine Hair scored 18 points and Ginavee Mowles added 10 as the Lady Leopards blasted Calera in a 36-point spread. Tashona Robinson led the Lady Bulldogs with 11 points.

Calera kept pace with the Lady Leopards almost until halftime. Taylor Pickett hit from downtown at the buzzer ending the first quarter to end a 5-0 Lady Bulldog run. Good passing and a good job putting up screens helped Calera keep pace as the score was 23-22 in favor of Colbert late in the second. Then the Lady Leopards rattled off 18 unanswered points on either side of halftime. Robinson’s layup with less than two minutes in the third stopped the run, but the damage was done. Colbert (17-2) outscored Calera 38-9 in the second half.

Colbert scorers: K. Hair 18, G. Mowles 10, Taylor Lyons 8, Darian Bradford 8, Bailee Weger 6, Hayley Wilson 6, Morgan Wright 5, Logan Carbaugh 2, Kaitlyn Krob 2, Hannah Wilson 2. Calera scorers: T. Robinson 11, Taylor Pickett 8, Mariah Dunn 7, Ashlyn Cooper 3, Michaela Curtman 2.

Game 2:

Boys

Caddo Bruins 74- Boswell Scorpions 48

Caddo’s starting five all reached double figures as the Bruins took the bite out of the Boswell Scorpions on Thursday. Caddo improves to 11-3 with the win over the 10-10 Scorps.

The Bruins used their size and athleticism to take a 7-0 lead starting the game. But Boswell’s Aaron McAdams rattled off 13 points to help his team take control 21-20 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams went cold in the second, but Caddo made a run and outscored Boswell 14-6, taking a 34-27 lead into the locker room.

Markell Henderson and Marcus Jeffries hit threes to keep Boswell close, but Caddo scored eight unanswered and pulled ahead by 13 at the end of three (55-42). The Bruins outscored Boswell 19-6 in the decisive fourth quarter.

Henderson led all scorers with 17 points for the Scorps, as well as four blocks and a pile of rebounds. McAdams finished with 15, Jeffries and Tracy Brown had five each, Logan Dill scored four in the closing minutes, and Earl Williams came off the bench for two. Kolby Johnson and Peyton Joines led Caddo with 16 each, while Konar Hall, Ty Miller and Rylan Miller all had 12. Tanner Grace and Jacob Ross each scored three.

Game 3:

Girls

Silo Lady Rebels 54-Caddo Lady Bruins 30

The Lady Rebels’ dangerous tandem of Beth Loudermilk and Kenslie Stanley teamed up for 35 points, which was more than the Lady Bruins could handle. Silo improves to 17-2 on the season and advances to the tourney final against eighth-ranked Colbert (also 17-2) . Caddo drops to 12-5.

Silo ran up a 14-0 lead before Caroline Joines hit a three to get Caddo on the board. The score was 16-5 after one quarter. Stanley and Loudermilk scored eight apiece in the second quarter as Silo nearly matched the first quarter score at 16-7. In the third quarter, it was Rachel Grider who found her stroke for all eight of her points, helping Silo to a 48-21 lead. Caddo enjoyed a late surge as Joines and Toby Miller hit from downtown, but Silo always had an answer. The Lady Bruins did outscore the Lady Rebels 9-6 in the fourth.

Silo scorers: B. Loudermilk 19, K. Stanley 16, R. Grider 8, Brittney Burns 5, Torrie Wright 4, Kayti Townsend 2. Caddo scorers: C. Joines 8, Tobi Miller 7, Allison Joines 6, Ricki Braziell 4, Chelsey Pilkilton 3, Abby Percell 2.

Game 4:

Boys

Calera Bulldogs 44, Colbert Leopards 40

After Calera’s 16-5 first quarter, it appeared the Thursday night thumpings would be complete. But Colbert made a ferocious run to chip away at the lead and got within a single point of tying the game in the fourth. In the end, free throws helped Calera (12-5) pull away for the four-point win and a trip to the Bryan County Tournament championship.

Tanner Davis scored eight in the first quarter, while Colbert (12-7) only hit one shot, a three from Easton Cardenas. Keith Scruggs recorded his third foul well before halftime, and led the cold-shooting Leopards in scoring with his four free throws until a breakaway layup for Cardenas at 3:17. It was part of a 7-0 Colbert run which included Scruggs’s first basket of the game, cutting the Calera lead to 22-12. Scruggs hit a three at the halftime buzzer, but the Bulldogs still maintained a 26-17 lead.

Colbert won the third quarter 12-8, cutting the Bulldog lead to five points at 34-29. Scruggs continued the rally with a steal and layup to start the fourth, getting Colbert within three. Cardenas did the same thing on the next possession, and a 6-0 Leopard run had them on the brink of a full comeback with Calera up 34-33.

A critical steal by Steven Dudley led to a shot for Braxton Barton to push Calera back ahead by three. Late shots would not fall for Colbert, despite a pair of late threes for Scruggs. The Leopards were forced to put Calera at the line, and they scored eight of their 10 fourth quarter points from the charity stripe.

Scruggs led all scorers with 26 points to push his season average over the 20 mark. Easton Cardenas finished with nine points, while Preston Rice (3) and James Hair (2) also made the Colbert scorecard. Barton led Calera with 14; Tanner Davis hit three trifectas en route to 11 points; Cody Mullens scored 10; Preston Barkley added five; Steven Dudley finished with four.