Thomasville’s Zoey Jackson drives the ball past a Pelham defender Saturday night.

THOMASVILLE — Thomasville basketball’s Holiday Hoopfest is just around the corner, and some Saturday matchups served as some tuneups before the after-Christmas tournament.

Despite a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter, the girls could not complete a late comeback, dropping to 1-5 on the year with a 56-48 loss to Pelham on Saturday. The boys rode a strong third quarter to their fourth straight victory, beating the Hornets 53-34.

Pelham’s boys team, who came into the night at 5-1, were a nice challenge for a young Bulldogs squad. Thomasville junior Reggie Perry came storming out of the gates, scoring seven points with a 3 and a dunk in the game’s first two minutes. After a lay-in from Jordan Powell, Thomasville led 12-9 headed into the second. Perry added another dunk in the period, and the Bulldogs held a seven point lead going into the locker room.

Then the floodgates opened.

The Bulldogs began the second half with a 13-0 run, with Quindarius Thomas contributing with two 3s. Thomasville rode its momentum to the end, taking a 40-28 lead into the fourth before closing it out to get back to .500 on the year.

Perry finished with 21 points, with Thomas following behind with 10.

“Pelham was undefeated until last night,” Thomasville boys coach Ben Tillman said. “We came out today and played a good game. The kids are growing up a little bit. If we can continue to do that one game at a time, one step at a time, I think we’re going to be fine.”

Down 51-38 in the fourth, Jayah McCoggle put the girls within striking distance, hitting two 3s to get her team to within seven with 1:24 left in the game. Zoey Jackson added two free throws and Naomi Toles added another bucket, and Thomasville had the gym rocking down only three with less than a minute left.

However, Pehlam’s Sharnell Byrd hit her two free throws, putting the hopes of a thrilling win out of reach with only 16 seconds left.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth struggle, with the Bulldogs taking their first lead out of the opening tip with a Toles score before the Hornets quickly bounced back for a 4-2 advantage. The teams traded lead changes throughout the period, with the Hornets taking a 12-11 lead into the second.

Thomasville briefly tied the game at 12 before Pelham put together a 7-1 run to take its first comfortable lead of the game at 19-13, before taking a 24-18 advantage headed into halftime.

Jackson and Toles scored back-to-back early in the third, and Jackson added a 3 to get a little closer at 34-27. The Bulldogs made up a little bit of ground, getting the game to within eight points, but the Hornets retook control with a 45-34 lead headed into the fourth, where Thomasville had to rally back in the final minutes.