It was a blowout from the opening tip Friday night at Eastside, as the Eagles varsity basketball team defeated the Indians of Lumpkin County 69-25 in region play.

Treyvon Francis led the Eagles with 15 points, as Eastside cruised to a 44-point victory.

“We hang our hats on defense,” Eastside coach Gregory Freeman said. “We came out and defended. They were a 10-5 squad. I thought they thought that they could come in here and compete with us, but we have two premier guards in Anthony Henderson and Treyvon Francis, and we shot the ball well.”

The Eagles came out firing on all cylinders, going on a 13-0 run to begin the game. The Indians went on a quick 4-0 run, but the Eagles kept executing, and a 3-pointer from junior guard Marquise Sims gave Eastside a 12-point advantage.

The Eagles carried a 20-4 lead into the second quarter, when they continued to bring pressure defensively.

Eastside’s stout defense gave its offense an opportunity to shine, as the Eagles pushed their lead to 29-4 after Francis scored five consecutive points.

Lumpkin County ended the period on a 6-4 run, giving the Eagles a 33-10 lead heading into halftime.

The third quarter began with both teams trading baskets, but that was only for a short period, as the Eagles got back to business and went on a 7-0 run, extending their advantage to 42-14. The Indians scored two points on a pair of free throws by Matt Satterfield, but Francis scored a 3-pointer for the Eagles, and they carried a 45-18 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Eagles began the fourth quarter the same way the entire game had gone for them. They increased their lead to 30 after a 3-pointer by freshman guard Joshua Cammon. The rout continued to get bigger, as the Eagles went on to win 69-25.

The Eagles resume game Saturday when they travel to Newton for a rematch against their cross-town rival, the Rams.

“Tune in,” Francis said. “Big players in big games do big things.”

Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.