BULLARD — Bullard's Taylor Frederick accounted for some indoor fireworks on New Year's Eve afternoon.

A Frederick rocket from outside the arc late in the fourth quarter proved to be the game winning shot as Bullard rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit at halftime to upend Athens 54-52  in a non-district game that was played at Panther Gymnasium.

Athens’ Demi Cumby led all scorers in the game with 21 points, but a defensive change at the half by Bullard slowed Cumby down, while Lady Panther three-pointers turned up big in the comeback win.

The Lady Panthers led after the opening stanza, 14-11 but went cold from the field while Cumby and the Lady Hornets scored 20-points in the quarter for the 15-point halftime cushion. Cumby scored 10 of her 21 in the second period.

Bridgette Taylor made the going tough defensively for the Lady Hornets and Cumby in particular while knocking down two of her four treys in the game as Bullard crept back into the game, out-pointing Athens 18-10 in the period and a 41-34, Athens lead beginning to shrink.

The fourth quarter was all Taylor Frederick, scoring all 10 of her points in the final period and knocking down one of her three-pointers for the final Bullard lead.  

Lexi Kirgan had a big game for Bullard with a double-double, scoring 12 points and snagging 11 rebounds to aid the win.

“We came out and played like a team coming back from Christmas break,” Bullard first-year head coach, Barry Gill said. “Both teams did not really play that badly in the first half, we just could not get a shot to fall for us.

“We made a few adjustments at the half, and Bridgette (Taylor) did a great defensive job on Athens best player was one big difference in the win, and Taylor (Frederick) had struggled earlier but had the confidence to keep making things happen on defense and finally came up big scoring in the last quarter.”

The Lady Panthers were missing starter, Lexi Abercrombie, but improves to 17-9 for the year, and 3-0 in league play.

Bullard 54, Athens 52

Athens      11    20    10    11   -   52

Bullard     14      2    18    20   -   54  

ATHENS -  McNeese, 2; Cain, 10; Barker, 6; Aguillar, 9; Sims, 4; Cumby, 21.

BULLARD – Bridgette Taylor, 17; Taylor Frederick, 10; Nikki Johnson, 2; Lexi Kirgan, 12; Maddy Slayter, 9; Brittany Hitton 4.

THREE-POINT GOALS – A: Cain. B: Taylor 4, Frederick 3.

RECORDS – Bullard 17-9; 3-0.  

NEXT UP – Bullard at Gladewater, Fri., 6 p.m.