The Greenville High varsity boys' team split close games with Carroll-Ozark and rival Brantley during back-to-back nights at the Greenville Middle School gym.

In the Jan. 31 game, the Tigers edged Carroll 52-50 in a nailbiter while GHS lost a 69-68 overtime thriller on Feb. 1 to the Bulldogs.

Against Carroll, the Tigers jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, outscoring their opponent 20-12.

Chris Toles had a hot hand in the first quarter by scoring 12 points. Varsity coach Karl Bledsoe was impressed.

"We got off to an early start against them and took the lead early," Bledsoe said.

Before the half, Carroll cut the lead to one.

In the third and fourth quarters, the two teams traded baskets until the final seconds.

However, Carroll was on the verge of winning at the end as they led by four in the final minute of play.

"We did a good job down the stretch to come back and take the lead in the end for the win," the coach said.

The Tigers cut the four point deficit with two key steals and a couple of converted clutch free throws.

"We put pressure on them and got a couple of steals for layups and hit two huge free throws for the win," Bledsoe said.

Toles, the leading scorer with 20 points, scored seven in the fourth quarter.

"Chris Toles did a great job offensively tonight," the coach

said. "Our defense in the end was what allowed us to win."

Jeremiah McConico added 13 points in the win.

In the overtime loss to Brantley the next night, the Tigers found themselves on the opposite side of a close game. GHS fell to 8-12 on the season. With three seconds left in regulation, the Tiger's Corey Bedgood nailed a three-pointer to send the game into overtime.

"We had another nail-biter for the second night in a row," Bledsoe said. "We just came up a little short."

The Bulldogs hit 10-11 free throws in the OT period for the one-point win. Beforehand, the Bulldogs and Tigers ran the courts and traded shots throughout the entire game. McConico led all scorers with 24 points and Bedgood scored 23 in the loss.

"We got away from our game plan in the second quarter and came out flat once again in the third," Bledsoe said. "However, we made a run to send the game to OT."

In OT, Bedgood hit two three-pointers but that wasn't enough at the end.

"He really shot the ball well," Bledsoe said.

The Tigers will end the regular season in back-to-back away games at Opp and Highland Home on Feb. 7 and 8.