McCullough enjoys return to Chipley

CHIPLEY - Legendary Coach Rickey McCullough and his Bainbridge Bearcats had some hairy moments Tuesday night, but the visitors from Georgia came from behind and edged the host Chipley Tigers 75-70 in boys high school basketball.

McCullough has more than 600 career wins, with many of them at Chipley, where the Tigers were a regular contender for the state title and were 2A runner-up in 1988-89. The smaller Tigers gave their former coach a warm welcome, jumping out to a 15-3 first-quarter lead and holding a 28-20 lead well into the second quarter.

The Bearcats chipped away, finally taking the lead for the first time with 30 seconds left in the first half and going into the locker room up 38-37. The game was close throughout, but Bainbridge hit free throws down the stretch to hold off Chipley.

McCullough praised Chipley for a great start.

"They shot the ball really, really well," he said. "Chipley is always a tough place to play. I appreciate them having me back and their program is headed in the right direction."

Chipley Coach Joel Orlando was pleased with his team's grit and determination, especially since it is a young squad with only one senior.

"The fact that they played so hard was most impressive for a young team," he said.

Markeith Bell and Leon Broxton led Chipley (1-1) with 15 points each, and A.J. Roulhac had 14. James Lodman led Bainbridge with 20 points, including three layups to open the fourth quarter, and Davario Thomas had 12.

Bainbridge cruised in the JV opener with a 51-15 win. Devon Balkman led Bainbridge with12 points and David Morris led Chipley with 8.