The year 2015 has been kind to the Keith Lady Bears, who cranked up their defensive pressure Monday to defeat Bibb County 50-35.

The Bears still haven’t lost since the calendar turned to 2015, but they were tested Monday.

Bibb County was within four in the final quarter, but the Bears broke free behind the Choctaws” defense repeatedly in the last five minutes for easy scores.

“That really came from turnovers and from playing a little bit aggressive on defense,” said Keith head coach Cecil Williams. “That’s how we got the breaking points.”

Williams said Bibb County doubled the inside, which made it tough for Zykia Pettway to find room. She scored 10 points and Harriet Winchester added 18 to lead the Bears.

With the middle clogged up and the Bears’ half court offense struggling to find consistency, the defense came through in the biggest moments.

“We started off sluggish, dragging, missing layups and free throws,” Williams said. “We dug in and played a little better defense. Defense is what really helped us because the offense wasn’t really clicking tonight.”

The Bears led 17-8 at the end of the first quarter and 26-18 at halftime. The Bears built a 33-21 lead in the final minutes of the third quarter, only to watch the Choctaws score the final three baskets of the period to pull within 33-27.

When Bibb County knocked in the first basket of the fourth, Keith’s lead was down to only four points.

The Bears responded by picking up it defensively, holding the Choctaws to only six points the rest of the way.