The Pike County Lady Bulldogs picked up their first win of the season on Saturday when they defeated the Highland Home Flying Squadron 40-38 in the Goshen Holiday Tournament.

Although the Lady Bulldogs (1-3) didn’t finish the tournament they way they would have liked, the win was a confidence booster.

“You never know how big an early win for a team that is not used to winning can be,” said Bulldogs head coach Todd Reynolds. “To get that taste early and to make a connection between what we are doing and what we are telling them is such a tremendous step in the right direction.”

The game tested the makeup of the young basketball team.

The Bulldogs owned the first quarter jumping out to an 8-2 lead before Highland Home changed their defensive scheme to man-to-man. The full court press was enough to slow down the Bulldogs, enabling them to get back in the game and take a 20-12 lead with about 2:00 in the first half.

“Your thoughts were, ‘here we go again,’” Reynolds said. “I had given Shaquvia McKinney a breather and I brought her back in and we went on a 6-0 run.”

From there Bulldogs closed out the first half trailing the Flying Squadron 20-18.

The momentum helped the Bulldogs outscored the Flying Squadron in the third quarter 17-3, giving them a 35-23 lead.

The pendulum swung again in the fourth quarter, when Pike County tried to slow down the game. Highland Home started making shots and went on a 10-0 run to tie the game. With just nine seconds remaining,Precious Vasnaian was fouled putting her on the free throw line with a chance to take the lead. She made both, clinching the two-point win for the Lady Bulldogs.

“They’re going to be games that are going to go back-and-forth,” Reynolds said. “The good thing that I saw was that they didn’t let the game get away from them.”

McKinney finished the game with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Vasnaian finished the game with 11 points while eighth-grader Demetris Gilbert finished with eight points and six rebounds.

The Lady Trojans will hit the road to take on Bullock County on Tuesday evening.