By DREW GRANTHUM/Staff Writer

It was not the opening performance the Billingsley High School boys and girls basketball teams hoped for on Tuesday, as both squads fell in their first games of the season to visiting Marbury High School.

In the girls’ contest, the Bears could not get past the Bulldogs, falling 47-25 on their home court.

Brannon Zaner and Kaitlan Reed paced the way with three points apiece as the squad fell to 0-1 on the season in the loss.

In the boys’ contest, Billingsley fell behind early, as the Bulldogs opened up with a 24-4 run with three minutes left in the quarter to take an early lead.

Billingsley’s Jaytarius Steele drained a three-pointer to cut the lead to 24-7, with Terrance Nolen also adding a basket after a Marbury three-pointer.

A pair of Bulldog free throws followed, with Derrick Dunigan adding a pair as well to bring the score to 29-11.

An 8-0 Marbury run followed, with Billingsley’s Joseph Edwards snapping the scoring drought for Billingsley with a free throw.

The teams then swapped trips to the charity stripe, with Jarrett Acreman sinking one of two for the Bears.

Down 39-14, the Bears continued to battle.

Jeffery Lee and Tommy Williams each netted a free throw before Steele drained a two-point basket and Lee hit a two-pointer as well to end the second quarter on a 5-3 run.

The Bears went into halftime trailing 42-19.

After Marbury opened the third quarter with a single free throw, the Bears answered with a two-pointer by Nolen to make it 45-21.

A 6-0 Marbury run followed, with Billingsley’s Isaac Green stopping the run with a two-pointer. Acreman added a basket a few plays later to cut the lead to 59-29 before Marbury went on a 13-2 run to end the quarter up, 72-31.

In the fourth quarter, the Bears made use of the charity stripe, as Green and Matthew Snow each hit a free throw to start the quarter.

In the end, however, it was simply too little, too late, as Marbury took the 80-38 win.

Steele finished with nine points, while Nolen had six and Dunigan and Lee had five points each.