The Lady Bulldogs welcomed the Santa Fe Lady Wildcats to Cornersville on Thursday night to celebrate 2020 Homecoming for the home end of the two-game regular season series.

The Lady Bulldogs, who had suffered a 50-40 loss at Santa Fe on December 20, gained a split of the series and in the process broke an eight-game losing streak with a 39-36 win.

The Lady Bulldogs were led by Alicia Polk’s 13 points, who had been slowed in recent games recovering from the effects of the flu.

“She (Polk) has been slowed but she told me tonight she felt better,” Cornersville coach Martha Jane McMasters said.

The Lady Wildcats controlled the tip, but were called for traveling, but Cornersville returned the favor by giving up the ball on a double-dribble infraction.

The Lady Bulldogs began to press the ball handler and it resulted in another Santa Fe turnover, but the Lady Bulldogs could not take advantage.

Santa Fe’s Gracie Mills broke the scoring ice with a free throw and Polk then swished the net with a short jump shot to put the Lady Bulldogs in the lead 2-1.

Ally Warf banged home a 3-pointer to reclaim the lead for Santa Fe and Elise Adkison then stretched the lead to 6-2 with a soft jump shot in the lane, but Gracie Turner scored down low to make the score 6-4.

The score would stay the same until the horn sounded to end the first quarter.

The second quarter saw the action heat up and Polk continued to show the way for the Lady Bulldogs.

Polk scored 10 of her 13 points in the quarter and Meri Hannah Walker added two points.

Turner contributed a free-throw to push the Lady Bulldogs to a 17-15 lead at halftime.

Santa Fe would be hampered by the exit of Laci Warf with a back injury after suffering a fall under the basket.

Mills found the range for Santa Fe with a basket to start the third quarter to tie the score at 17.

Abbie Woodard scored on a put-back to put Cornersville back in the lead 19-17.

Anniston Slaughter sank a free-throw to cut the Cornersville lead to one point at 19-18, but Turner stretched the lead for the Lady Bulldogs to three points with a basket down low.

Adkison sank a free throw, but a 3-point bomb by eighth-grader Jayli Childress opened the lead for Cornersville to six-points at 24-18.

Lexi Warren got the hot-hand as she scored two baskets and after being fouled on 3-point effort, sank all three free throws.

A Grayson Riner bucket for the Lady Bulldogs finished off a 12-point run and they led at the end of three quarters 34-19.

“When we went on that big run, we had two freshmen and two eighth-graders on the floor,” McMasters said.

The fourth quarter saw Santa Fe forge a comeback.

After a free throw by Slaughter and a Woodard basket, Emmy Bates went on a scoring spree.

On two consecutive trips down court she nailed 3-pointers and on the third trip scored two more points to cut the lead to 36-28 with 3:10 left in the game.

After Woodard sank a free-throw, Adkison and Warf made baskets to cut the lead to 37-32.

“We didn’t handle it well, but we will get better,” McMasters said about the Santa Fe press.

With 46.5 seconds left in the game free throws by Polk and Turner helped fend off the Lady Wildcats, who struggled at the free throw line as time wound down.

When the horn sounded to end the game the Lady Bulldogs had held on and broken their eight-game losing streak and brought some smiles to their faces.

“Tonight I saw some smiles on their faces that I haven’t seen in a while,” McMasters said. “They had fun tonight.”

Santa Fe 6 9 4 17 – 36

Cornersville 4 13 17 5 – 39

Santa Fe (36): Emmy Bates 12, Aniston Slaughter 9, Ally Warf 7, Elise Adkison 3, Gracie Mills 3, Gracy Bates 2.

Three-Point Goals (4): Bates 3, Slaughter.

Free Throws (11-for-25): Bates 3-for-6, Slaughter 4-for-8, Mills 1-for-4, Adkison 1-for-5, A. Warf 2-for-2.

Cornersville (39): Alicia Polk 13, Lexie Warren 7, Gracie Turner 7, Abbie Woodard 5, Jayli Childress 3, Gracie Riner 2, MerriHannah Walker 2.

Free Throws (14-for-24): Polk 7-for-10, Woodard 2-for-3, Turner 4-for-6, Walker 2-for-2, Riner 0-for-2, Salsman 0-for-1.

Halftime Score: Cornersville 17, Santa Fe 15.