COVINGTON, Ga. – In a battle between in-county rivals, Covington Academy defeated Peachtree Academy 60-55 in the first of two scheduled matchups this year.

Tuesday’s contest was the first for either team since late December, which could’ve led to rust. But the Bulldogs – who entered the contest 4-1 – showed no signs of that, as they got off to a 17-10 start.

The Panthers closed the gap in the second quarter, bringing trimming down the Bulldogs lead to just two to end the first half. 

With both teams scoring 13 in the third quarter, it was sure to go down to the wire as to who would take the victory. But in the end, the Bulldogs secured the win by a five-point margin.

Four Covington Academy players scored double-digits, including Braxton Smith (12), Brenton Smith (11), Payton Sweat (11) and Cayden Williams (10). Peachtree Academy’s Liam Abraham led all scorers with 20 points, Joshua Rodriguez had 15 points and Julian Balata tacked on 10 points. 

With the win, Covington Academy improved to 5-1, winning their fifth straight. Peachtree Academy fell to 2-5.

The cross-county rivals will play again on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at Covington Academy.