The Eastside Eagles boys varsity basketball team captured its fifth victory of the season Tuesday night on the road, defeating the Walnut Grove Warriors 61-51 in region play.

Treyvon Francis led the Eagles with 21 points and six assists, including seven in the fourth quarter, while senior Anthony Henderson added 14 points seven rebounds and seven steals.

The win was the first for the Eagles in region play this season.

Eastside head coach Gregory Freeman said that his team still has a lot to work on as region play heats up.

“Our defensive is good, we’re good in transition and we have depth, but the team as a whole has to work on the little things we do that make or break games,” Freeman said.

The Eagles’ free-throw shooting made a difference against the Warriors, as Eastside finished 10-of-14 from the foul line.

Freeman said that defense has been the key in the Eagles current four-game win streak.

Daniel Oduah also finished with nine points and nine rebounds in the win.

Lady Eagles win
Defense fueled an Eastside victory Tuesday night on the road, as the Lady Eagles trounced Walnut Grove 57-49 in region play.

Zaria Barton led the Lady Eagles with 21 points, while Eastside’s aggressive defense held the Lady Warriors to 20 points in the second half.

Eastside coach Matthew Jackson said Eastside’s effort made the difference in the eight-point win.

“It was a great win for us,” Jackson said. “We hung in and played good defense. Walnut Grove’s offense struggled against us and their shots weren’t falling."

The Lady Eagles were without leading scorer Jazzmine Cook, who was unable to play after suffering an injury against Alcovy last Saturday.

“We’d love to have Jazzmine, but it was great that they were able to pick up a win without her,” Jackson said. “That showed a lot of maturity. We have a large group of seniors and they were able to rally around one another. These girls have been together four years, so it was great to see them come together and for Jazzmine to be positive on the sideline as well.”

Eastside led by four after the first quarter, but Walnut Grove carried a 29-24 advantage into halftime
after outscoring the Lady Eagles 17-8 in the second quarter.