A dramatic Vinemont Eagle comeback came up short against the Good Hope Raiders in a 74-70 decision Tuesday night.

In girls’ action, Good Hope (4-8, 3-2) got back on the winning track with a 44-38 win over the Lady Eagles. Natalie Corser paved the way with 13 points for the Lady Raiders and Brittany Speegle finished with a game-high of 24 points for Vinemont.

In JV and 9th-grade boys action, Vinemont totaled two wins over the Raiders. T.J. Pope and Kyle Johnson paced the Eagles for the double-overtime win 45-44. Pope had 15 points and Johnson had game-high of 17. Justin Wise had 15 points for Good Hope.

The Eagles 9th-grade squad won 48-40. Tyler Creel had 17 points for Vinemont and Trace Moody finished with 17 for the Raiders.

— Good Hope 74, Vinemont 70 (boys): Coming off a huge win over the West Point Warriors and a 41-point game performance by Bryan, the Vinemont Eagles could not do much to overcome a sluggish start that saw the Raiders on top at the half 32-24.

Bryan finished the game with 28 points and a blocked shot, but it was not enough to propel his team for victory. Hembree followed with 24 points, 21 of which came in the second half.

Good Hope was led by junior Alex Richter with 20 points and one blocked shot. Kyle Schuman had two points, two blocked shots and seven rebounds. Nick Walling finished with a double-double, racking up 12 points and 11 boards.

The Raiders finished the first quarter on top 13-10, with six points from Jaime Epperly leading the Raider charge in the first. Bryan outshot Epperly with eight points for the Eagles.

“Our defense was real solid tonight,” said Good Hope coach Brandon Talley. “Vinemont had the best trio of guards in the county, so you know you have to play hard until the final buzzer.”

Good Hope then went on 12-0 burst and jumped out to a 25-10 lead. The Raiders got eight points from Jared Ibrahim in the run. Ibrahim finished the game with 10 points, all in the second quarter off the bench.

Bryan ended a Vinemont-scoring drought that lasted for over five minutes into the second quarter. Bryan finished the half with 16 of his team’s 24-point output.

The Eagles were able to outscore Good Hope 30-21 in the third quarter and took the lead on a trey by Bryan just as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter. Bryan tied the game at 49-49 in the quarter with a trey that hit the front iron and rolled in for the points.

“We’re disappointed in how we played tonight,” said Meyer. “I am disappointed in how I had the team prepared. We have alot of work to do after Christmas.”

Good Hope also scored 21 points in the final frame to take the game from the Eagles. Hembree scored 12 points in the quarter, 75 percent of Vinemont’s fourth quarter points.

Walling had eight points in the final stanza, followed by six from Richter. Good Hope connected on 9-of-19 from the charity stripe, which was just enough to edge out Vinemont.

Other scorers for Good Hope were Epperly with 16 points, Walling finished with 12, Nathan Brown added six, and Brody Whitlock and Jerrod Fite had two.

Vinemont had Corey Whittle with nine points, Zach South added six, Steven Pollard added two and Kody Martin chipped in one.

Vinemont and Good Hope both play next Tuesday in the 2005 Oneonta Holiday Classic. Good Hope takes on the Ashville Bulldogs at 10 a.m. and Vinemont takes on the Susan Moore Bulldogs at 2:30 p.m.

Both Jay Hembree and Joe Bryan were presented game balls by coach Bobby Meyer before the game, for their accomplishment of 1,000 points in each of their illustrious careers.

— Good Hope 44, Vinemont 38 (girls): Despite an outstanding performance from Speegle in the game for Vinemont, it was not enough to over take the Good Hope Lady Raiders.

Macy Bailey added eight points, and Hannah Floyd, Abi Leigeber, and Michaelene Kneece with two each.

Also scoring for the Lady Raiders were Heather Buchanan with 10 points, Whitney Fowler added seven points, Jessica Raper and Whitney Neal each had six points, and Samantha Duke chipped in two.

Neither team could get much offense going in the first quarter, as the score stood at 9-4. Fowler had four points for the Lady Raiders and Bailey tallied four for Vinemont.

Good Hope led by as many as 15 points with 1:37 left in the third quarter, before the Lady Eagles made an attempt for the win. Vinemont made an 18-7 run and trailed 37-33 with just under two minutes remaining. Corser, Duke, and Raper nailed free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.