BAINBRIDGE, GA -- For 17 years Seminole County and Bainbridge High Schools didn't play each other on the basketball court despite being 30 minutes away from each other. In these parts, that's as close of a regional game that you'll find in the season.

But the game didn't happen because of various reasons, various opinions and, at times, a lack of interest.

Then came class of 2016 guards Tyree Crump of Bainbridge and Jordan Harris of Seminole County. The two backcourt players are counted amongst the best in their respective class in the Peach State and the interest began to grow.

The game returned to the schedule last year and carried over into the 2014 calendar year. In the third meeting of the two South Georgia teams, Seminole County walked away with the 65-58 win on Friday night.

While all eyes were focused on the rivalry between Crump and Harris, it was Anfernee King of SCHS that was the catalyst. The sophomore point guard scored 28 points in the win and hit 19 points in the second half to help the Indians bring home their seventh win of the season.

"I was open for those shots and when I hit those shots, it got my teammates going," King, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, said.

From the start, though, the game was off to a slow tempo. Bainbridge won the first quarter 8-4 and the game just lacked the luster of a community rivalry game.

"We struggled the first quarter. They were giving us a match-up zone and that's something that we haven't seen a lot of. That really gave us some difficulties. We were having a hard time adjusting to it," Seminole County head coach Kevin Godwin said.

"I have to give a lot of credit to coach McCullough at Bainbridge. They had a good plan for us and took away a lot of things that we do well. It caused us to make some adjustments and I'll give our team credit. They made us adjust. We picked up and made some plays. When we hit some of those shots, that was the difference in the game. That was a big key right there."

King was a big part of that run. He hit three three-pointers in the third quarter and had big minutes from sophomore forward Jahmika Pearson. The 6-foot-4 wing also blocked five shots and provided some energy on the defensive end of the floor.

"Anfernee did a great job for us. There was that spurt in the third quarter where he knocked down two or three in a row for us and that turned the momentum of the game," Godwin said. "That was the deal-breaker right there."

Harris had his moments but four offensive fouls limited his aggressiveness. Nevertheless, the left-handed do-everything prospect pumped in 10 points, grabbed four rebounds, handed out four assists and blocked three shots.

Crump, one of the prettiest jump shooters in all of Georgia, finished with 24 points and hit four three-pointers in the defeat. He also grabbed six rebounds.

The two teams return to the court against each other on February 8 at Seminole County. The home team has yet to win a game in the revived series. Regardless, the game is back. And that's alright by everyone around these parts.

"It's a good thing, this game," Godwin said. "We need to keep it going."