The Eastside Eagles boys varsity basketball team extended its win streak to 10 Tuesday night on the road, handling Stephens County 67-50 in region play.
Anthony Henderson led the Eagles with 17 points, while forward Daniel Oduah put together a solid night in the post with 14 points.
Eastside led by just nine after the first half, but held the Indians to just 26 points in the second half.
“We have to continue to remain focused,” Eastside coach Gregory Freeman said. “I really wasn’t happy with how we played in the first half. We came out lethargic and we can’t do that. We had a long bus ride up there, but now isn’t the time to make excuses.
“I feel like we played better in the second half,” he said. “We had 13 different players to score, so we got a lot of good, young players some time out on the court.”
Eastside led 15-11 after the opening quarter before outscoring the Indians 18-13 in the second period.
The Eagles outscored Stephens County by four in each of the third and fourth quarters, using a 16-12 advantage in the third and an 18-14 edge in the fourth for the 17-point win.
“A lot of guys had good games tonight,” Freeman said. “Anthony did what he does – he’s a scorer and that’s how he’s going to approach every game. Some of our younger guys like Isaiah Miller, Josh Cammon and Jaridquez Smith got some good minutes and they executed. Sometimes you just have to give the older guys a rest and see what you have with your younger guys. I think they played pretty well overall.”
Eastside returns to action Friday night at home against Johnson. Johnson edged the Eagles last year for the region championship.
“Johnson beat us last year for the region title, and we have been looking forward to this game all season,” Freeman said. “It’s always been our goal this season to win a championship. We won our Christmas tournament, and now we’re turning our eyes to the region tournament and state tournament.
“This game is to solidify our spot in the region standings,” he said. “Regardless of what people believe about our team, I believe we work harder than many of the teams we go up against. It’s going to be an exciting game and a great atmosphere. They’ve played some quality opponents and it’s going to be electric.”
Lady Eagles drop road contest
The Lady Eagles dropped their second consecutive game Tuesday night on the road, falling 43-23 to Stephens County in region play.
The loss dropped Eastside to 9-9 overall with a 1-3 mark in Region 8-AAAA.
Stephens County led 16-5 after the first quarter, but Eastside limited the Lady Indians to just a point in the second quarter, trailing 17-10 at halftime.
The Lady Indians got back on track in the third quarter, doubling up Eastside 18-9.
Stephens County closed the game with an 8-4 run in the final period of play for the 20-point victory.
