Basketball Recap: Pendleton Comes Up Short

Pendleton's tournament run continued when they took on Jasper County on Saturday. The Bulldogs took a 46-38 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hurricanes. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Bulldogs came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 188th in South Carolina, while the Hurricanes are ranked 382nd in Georgia).

Samuel Ross

Points

12/20/25 vs Jasper County	16
12/19/25 @ Madison County	18
12/17/25 vs Stephens County	19
12/15/25 @ Berea	28
12/12/25 @ Daniel	28
+ 4 more games

When it comes to explaining why Pendleton lost, don't look at Samuel Ross. Despite the final result, he shot 40% from the field on his way to 16 points in addition to seven boards and three steals. The matchup was Ross' ninth in a row with at least 15 points. Amari Watts also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.

This is the second loss in a row for Pendleton and nudges their season record down to 5-8. As for Jasper County, their victory bumped their record up to 3-5.

Pendleton will wrap up 2025 with a road trip to face off against Hart County at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Pendleton will need to watch out since Hart County has now posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season. As for Jasper County, they didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 54-53 win against Hancock Central on the 22nd.