Calera claimed early leads but needed decisive second half flurries to fight off Rock Creek in a Bryan County Conference showdown to open the 2025 schedule.
In girls action, the Class 2A ninth-rated Lady Bulldogs needed a big fourth quarter spark to shake off the Lady Mustangs for a 61-48 triumph.
Calera’s boys, meanwhile, pushed to an edge before intermission and then broke it open in the third stanza on the way to the 54-42 verdict.
Rock Creek has dates scheduled with Wilson and Tushka later this week with Calera’s next outing slated in next week’s Bryan County Tournament.
Girls
It was a Calera scoring flurry in the opening period with seven points from Carlaysia Brown to lead the charge for a 16-10 edge. Taylynn Conder added seven in the second frame as well, spurring a 17-14 scoring advantage to carry the margin to nine (33-24) at the break.
Rock Creek battled back behind the one-two punch of Laynie Knight and Maddie Williams, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 14-11 in the third stanza.
Conder took control in the paint over the final frame, pumping in another eight points as Calera pulled away with a 17-10 offensive burst in the closing eight minutes.
For the game, Conder piled up 25 points to fuel the Lady Bulldog offensive charge that also included double figures from Brown with 12.
Emma Daniel and Taibree Melton tossed in eight points apiece, Amariah McLaughlin scored six and Jeslyn O’Dell had two.
The Lady Mustangs got 14 each from Knight and Williams along with double digits from Audrey Knight as she posted 10 points. Macy Weaver and Macey Weger contributed five each.
Boys
After a toe-to-toe battle through one period, Calera carried a slim 12-10 edge to the second on the strength of eight early points by Logan Bumgarner.
The Bulldogs then turned up the defense and managed more offensive rhythm over the middle two stanzas to outslug Rock Creek 14-8 in the second frame and then 15-8 during the third quarter.
Down 41-26 heading into the fourth, the Mustangs tried to rally behind three final frame three pointers from Jarret Barfield but were held off down the stretch.
Bumgarner tallied a gamehigh 25 points as the Calera offensive catalyst. Lex Carlton chipped in 11 with seven more from Zaiden Craige. Talon Rose scored six and Gavin Chaffin had five.
Finishing with 11 points, Barfield was the lone Mustang to notch double figures. Anthony Nichols pitched in eight, Cameron Brown and J.W. Edelen each scored six, Kenneth Ashby had five, B.J. Lyles added four with Weston Flowers rounding out the total with two points.