Bulldogs net road victory for coach

When rival Thomson comes to town, the Harlem Bulldogs need no further motivation to play.

However, the girls received an added incentive earlier in the week when Harlem coach Kim Chambers lost a relative and had to miss Friday night's region games to attend a funeral in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"I felt sorry for him because he had to go to a funeral," Harlem senior Shontale Wells said. "We wanted to win it for him."

The Lady Bulldogs (13-4, 5-2) did just that with a 49-41 win over Thomson Friday night in Harlem.

The Region 3-AAA win, Harlem's fifth of the year, kept the girls' seven-game win streak alive but didn't come without a little drama.

Thomson (3-10, 0-7) lost to Harlem by 12 in the two teams' previous meeting in December, but the visiting Lady Bulldogs led 33-30 after three quarters of play Friday night.

"It seemed like we were just scared to take the lead," Harlem assistant coach Jonathan Holley, who took over for Chambers, said. "I was proud of the way we kept our cool tonight."

Harlem came within three points of taking the lead five different times in the third quarter, but Thomson guard Domonique Reese's six 3-pointers, two in the third quarter, helped maintain the visitor's advantage.

"She's a good shooter, and she's just starting to play consistently," Thomson head coach Eric Rogers said. "We're still a young team, but we got some good experience tonight."

Thomson's three-point lead after three quarters quickly dissolved as Harlem freshman Nicole Wells scored six points in a Harlem 11-0 run to start the fourth quarter.

Senior April Woodard led Harlem with 15 points on four 3-pointers while sisters Nicole and Shontale Wells had 10 each. .

- In the boy's game, Harlem senior Sean Hackshaw sank two free throws in the game's final minute to seal a 66-65 come-from-behind win over Thomson.

Harlem senior Ajay Miller led the way with a game-high 28 points in the Bulldogs' sixth win overall and second region victory of the season.

Reach Billy Byler at (706) 863-6165 or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com.