SWEET WATER — The Bulldogs (1-1) picked up a 36-26 win over Leroy in its home opener Tuesday in a game that was played at 1 p.m. in front of the entire school.

While Sweet Water never trailed in the contest, the Bulldogs did have to hold off a late charge from Leroy as the Bears embarked on a 13-4 run in the fourth quarter to close the gap to eight points.

“We’ve go to learn how to win a basketball game,” Sweet Water head coach Jonathan Farr said. “You’re not born knowing how to win a basketball game. You’ve got to learn.”

Sweet Water led by as many as 17 in the game before coming unhinged in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs committed a series of costly turnovers and missed a number of seemingly easy lay-ups to allow Leroy back into the game.

It senior Ty Morgan who caught the ball on the baseline just a few feet off right side of the basket and banked in a shot with 41 seconds to go to stretch the lead back to 10 points and ice the win.

The turning point in the contest came in the third quarter when Sweet Water used its defense to fuel a 16-2 frame and open up a 28-13 lead.

“We played great defense,” Farr said of the third quarter. “We did some good things on offense.”

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 12-11 lead to the locker room after having held an 8-2 advantage early in the game.

Following the game, Farr looked past the win and pointed out that his team is young and has plenty of room for growth as the season moves forward.

“Part of it is chemistry,” he said of the offensive woes that plagued Sweet Water throughout the afternoon. “We just need to play basketball games.”

Trevor Blanks led the Bulldogs with nine points while Morgan and Jarvis Lewis each finished with eight. Daniel Sewell added four points.