The Pinecrest girls scored the final 12 points of the game to pull out a 28-23 victory over Jack Britt in Monday’s season-opening basketball game at James Moore Gym. In the nightcap, the Patriot boys were defeated 69-60 by the Buccaneers.

The Patriot girls trailed 23-16 with 3:33 left in the game when freshman Jasmine Chalmers drained a long two for their first points of the second half. Keegan Lynch and Megan Thomas each fed Janea Williams inside for baskets that cut the margin to 23-22 with 2:20 remaining.

Chalmers then calmly made both halves of a one-and-one opportunity at the foul line to give the Pats a 24-23 lead. Lynch found Williams free inside again for two points and the two each split a pair at the line in the closing minute to complete the scoring.

The Bucs were held without a point in the fourth period and to only five field goals in the game. Williams finished with a game-high 10 points.

In the boys’ game, Jack Britt scored the first nine points of the game before the Patriots’ Justin Ray broke the ice with a free throw. The Pats took their first lead at 12-11 on a jumper from the side by Bryan Scales.

The visitors led 39-34 at the intermission as 20 first-half points by the Bucs’ Daniel Camps offset 14 points, including four treys by the Patriots’ Adam Cummings. Another three by Cummings to begin the third period sparked a 9-0 run that gave them a 43-39 lead.

The Bucs rallied and the Pats trailed 51-49 going into the final eight minutes. The visitors took command by sinking eight of the first 10 from the charity strip to help build a 10-point lead from which the home side could not recover. Camps finished with 30 points, while Cummings led the Pats with 19.

The Patriots boys and girls are back in action at Seventy-First on Tuesday.