In a game that more than likely will decide the No. 2 seed for the Region 6-A boys basketball tournament, the no-show from the Bowdon High School boys basketball team during the first half of Friday night’s showdown with Gordon Lee may prove to be the difference-maker when all is said and done.

For whatever reason, the Red Devils came out flat in their home contest with the Trojans, falling behind by as much as 16 points before finally showing signs of life early in the third quarter.

And while the Red Devils had enough to make a game of it, the slow start buried them in too deep of a hole, as they fell, 59-50.

“We decided to play finally in the third quarter, and we ran some offense,” Bowdon coach Vic Coggins said. “(Gordon Lee) did a pretty good job defensively and took us completely out of our offense in the first half. So finally in the third quarter we woke up and ran some (offense).”

Trailing 28-19 at the half, the Red Devils surrendered seven straight points to open the third quarter, giving Gordon Lee (18-5, 7-3 Region 6-A) its biggest lead of the night at 35-19, forcing Coggins to take a timeout before things got out of hand.

After the timeout, the Red Devils responded, going on a pair of mini-runs to keep the game competitive.

Still, every time Bowdon (12-9, 7-4 Region 6-A) looked like it was going to make a big run, the Trojans had an answer, staying ahead 46-33 going into the fourth.

That’s when Darious Moten got the Red Devils rolling offensively, scoring nine of Bowdon’s first 12 points of the quarter to pull within six at 51-45 by the 3:35 mark.

After Gordon Lee uncharacteristically missed five consecutive free throws during a short stretch, a J.J. Beasley free throw made it a five-point game with two minutes remaining. However, that would be as close as it would get. Bowdon had a few other opportunities during that stretch but couldn’t convert.

The Trojans knocked down 8-of-10 free throws in the final 1:33 to seal the win.

Coggins said playing behind against Gordon Lee is tough because it rarely turns the ball over and slows down the tempo quite a bit. The Trojans had only three turnovers on the night heading into the fourth quarter and finished with just eight overall.

“They get you behind, and then they take care of the ball,” Coggins said. “They’re smart with it, and they make free throws. They make it hard for you to come back.”

Moten led Bowdon offensively with 15 points and eight rebounds, followed by Beasley (10 points) and Terell Thornton (10 points), while Grayson Chambers (16 points) and Derek Roberts (13 points, 8 boards) paced the Trojans.

The loss essentially puts Bowdon two games behind Gordon Lee since the Trojans have now swept the season series. The Red Devils need Gordon Lee to lose to both state-ranked Darlington and Trion, while they need to beat Excel Christian in their regular-season finale to get the No. 2 seed.

“We’re in a bind now, as far as getting the second spot,” Coggins said. “We don’t control our own destiny anymore. If we win out with the other one, there’s a shot. But we don’t control it any more.”

Gordon Lee girls 58, Bowdon 37: A 25-1 Lady Trojan run that began in the middle of the first quarter and carried over into the second pinned the Red Devilettes (9-12, 3-8 Region 6-A) in a 32-10 hole, one they could never recover from against the No. 6 team in the state.

Bowdon was held without a field goal in the second half, as its offensive struggles resurfaced on Friday, something that has proven troublesome much of the season.

“We just haven’t figured out how to put it in the basket,” Bowdon coach Melissa Ring said. “That’s our struggle. We have a hard time scoring. The second quarter was a detriment for us. They got a huge lead, and then the second quarter it got bigger because we couldn’t score.”

And with Gordon Lee (20-3, 10-0 Region 6-A) being able to sub five at a time and Ring basically playing seven girls, the Lady Trojans’ full-court pressure eventually took its toll.

“We have subs on our bench who are on our JV team, and our JV team really folded. We had some kids quit. So I don’t want to throw them out in that,” Ring said. “That’s a hard way to learn, you know. So they’re a good team. They’ve been at the top of the region for a long time. Our goal is to try to get better and try to do some things well. That’s all I can ask.”

Ring was pleased with the continued effort of Sky Nicholson, Chelsea Reese and Camry Morris, who combined to score 23 of Bowdon’s 37 points.

Nicholson (9 points, 14 rebounds) led the way, followed by Reese (8 points, 9 boards), Jessica Buchanan (7 points, 5 rebounds) and Morris (6 points, 4 rebounds). Holli Brooks (12 points, 6 rebounds) led Gordon Lee.

Ring said despite her team’s recent struggles, this group isn’t ready to call it a season just yet with the region tournament still on the forefront.

“It’s not over,” Ring said. “That’s what I just told the girls. The tournament is a season in of itself, and anything can happen. So all we can do is keep putting them out there and hope that we improve and things start to click for us.”