In the fourth, the Lady Blue Devils (14-4, 2-0 Region 5-AA) stepped up the defensive pressure and started knocking down shots, as they built upon their four-point lead.
And it was senior guard Kalia Johnson leading the charge.
"Kalia started putting on more pressure on the in-bounder defensively and with the defensive pressure, we were able to get a couple steals and frustrate them," Bremen coach Kathy Matthews said. "Then we were starting to get some shots falling in the fourth quarter, which was big for us."
It is that kind of defensive pressure the Red Devilettes (7-7, 0-2) are going to have to learn how to play against to turn things around in region play.
"The first half we kind of changed some things and we did it in the first half, but stopped in the second half. I think we've still got to figure out how to play through a zone. When people go into a zone on us, we struggle. That's going to be some coaching changes. We're going to work on it, we're going to fix these things," Bowdon coach Remonica Stephens said.
The game looked like it might be getting away from Bremen, as the Red Devilettes mounted a 15-point second quarter to take a 20-19 lead at halftime. Then it was all Lady Blue Devils, as they outscored Bowdon, 32-18, in the second half.
Jordan Hill led the Lady Blue Devils with a 17-point effort, while Kalia Johnson scored 16 and added eight boards in the win. Kayleigh Medlin and Jamia Johnson scored nine points each, with seven and six rebounds, respectively. When Hill gets help offensively, it is usually a winning recipe for Bremen.
"It helps tremendously. The last Bowdon game, it was Jamia. And Kalia stepped up, got some steals and made her free throws [Friday]. Then Kayleigh [Medlin], in the middle, made a very strong post move that was key in the second half. Unfortunately, she didn't make the free throw, but she got the rebound and made the next one of two," Matthews said. "It really takes a team to win ball games ... it's hard to stop a team. It's easy to stop one person."
For Bowdon, Jacole Stephen's 15-point, 16-rebound and six-assist night wasn't enough for the win, as Whitney McClure, Libbie Brock and Katlyn Buchanan scored six points each.
The Red Devilettes will have to go back to work today, as they host Chattahoochee County at 4 p.m. As for Bremen, it will remain at home for a 4 p.m. tip against Kendrick before facing the meat of the region schedule next week.
"It's going to get even tougher with Kendrick coming in. We've seen some film on them, but not knowing what we're getting our hands on [today], and then the games next week. We've got to take it game-by-game," Matthews said.
Bowdon boys 58, Bremen 45: One good quarter highlighted what Antonio Smith has wanted his team to do from Day 1, as the Red Devils (7-7, 2-0) remained undefeated in region play with a 13-point win at Bremen.
Bowdon scored 25 points in the second quarter, while holding the Blue Devils (7-10, 1-1) to just eight, going into halftime with a 33-16 lead. After not having a full summer with his group, Smith's team is starting to play his style of basketball.
"We were preparing for the region, and I don't want my guys to let up. I want my guys to set a statement for the rest of the year that we're Bowdon basketball," Smith said. "It feels good. Again, I didn't have these guys during the summer time. It feels good that we're right where we want to be. We started the season sluggish, but as the season progressed, we're starting to fit into the kind of basketball I want to play."
The game was tied 8-all after one quarter, but that's when things started falling apart for the Bremen offense. Blue Devil coach Billy Pollard was frustrated in his team's effort, as it was outscored by 20 points through three quarters before trying to pull a comeback in the fourth.
"That's disappointing. We had a good week of practice all week and we didn't show up. We got down early and just laid down. It's unacceptable," Pollard said. "I wasn't expecting that at all."
Juwan Maze's 3-point shooting led Bowdon, as the sophomore scored 16 points in the win. Marcus Thurman added nine points, C.J. Brewer scored eight, while Chris Keith and Jeremy Almon chipped in with seven points each. Kye Springer led the team with 10 rebounds.
The Red Devils have started playing the right kind of basketball at the perfect time, with a 2-0 start to Region 5-AA play going into today's 5:30 p.m. contest at home against Chattahoochee County.
As for the Blue Devils, they need to get things turned around today when they host Kendrick at 5:30 p.m.
"They're all important now, they're all region games. We're playing for a seed, trying to get in the top four. You beat them on the road and you should expect to play better at home, and we didn't show up at all. The effort wasn't there. We weren't boxing out. [Bowdon] just played harder than us," Pollard said.
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