Friday marked a special evening for Thomasville head coach Tony Clark, who was coaching his first game against his alma mater, the Lexington Yellow Jackets. It was a thrill he will never forget, but one that would have been much more memorable with a storybook ending.

Thomasville pushed Lexington to the final seconds, but a win was not in the cards, as the Bulldogs dropped a 56-49 outcome to the league-leading Yellow Jackets. De Dow scored 15 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Codie Boger netted 15 as well for the Yellow Jackets.

The Bulldogs trailed by only two with two minutes remaining, but could not buy another basket down the stretch. Lexington faltered at the foul line, keeping a window of opportunity open, but turnovers and missed shots kept THS from making a final run.

“We just could not pull it out tonight,” said Thomasville coach Tony Clark. “But to play a ball club like that and hold them to 56 points, I could not be more proud. There is not ever a moral victory in losing, but we do know that we can play with the best in this league.”

Points were hard to come by in the first half with the game remaining tied, 21-21 at the break.

The lead would go back and forth for much of the final 16 minutes, with nine lead changes taking place. Isaiah Williams gave THS the edge to end the third with a driving basket in the lane, making it 40-39.

Boger and Quandarius Crump scored the first four points of the final period that sent Lexington up by three. Dow then went back to his favorite spot on the court for the night just inside the 3-point line on the wing, popping two jumpshots to give THS the lead right back.

The teams traded baskets leaving Thomasville up by one, but Wade Goff’s 3-pointer with 4:17 to go gave Lexington a lead that would not be given back.

It was a struggle for the Bulldogs to game’s end, as they could only get three more points despite having some good looks.

Dow again stood in his spot for a jumper to make it a 51-49 game in favor of Lexington, but the final seven trips produced nothing. The Jackets kept it interesting leaving points on the line, but it was just not meant to be for the Bulldogs.

“You know, we’ve hit road blocks all year long,” Clark said. “I challenged my guys to go to the hole a little bit more. Lexington closed off some of the lanes and the shots became tough sledding. You just have to take what happens.”

Thomasville dropped to 2-2 in the Central Carolina Conference, but the heartache loss to an arch-rival could easily turn into something good for them looking forward. A loss is a loss, but the Bulldogs can take a lot from this game.

“I am disappointed for our kids, but at the same time I am happy we were able to hang in there and play the heck out of them,” Clark said.

Sports Editor Zach Kepley can be reached at 888-3631, or at kepley@tvilletimes.com.