Eagles edge Banks Co. in come-from-behind win

After a slow start, the Eagles were trailing 18-3 at the end of the first quarter; however, East Jackson battled back and continuously cut the lead down throughout the remainder of the game.

“Tyree Rakestraw and Tyler Shipp came off the bench and really gave us a spark in the second quarter to get us going,” said Eagle head coach Brian Turner. “Sidney Henderson came in and had his best night as an Eagle including hitting the game-winning free throw with nine seconds remaining.”

Casey Reed led the Eagles with 18 points, while Henderson had 15.

The win against the Leopards came after a crippling 80-43 loss to Morgan County on Friday.

The Bulldogs overpowered the Eagles, breaking their four-game win streak.

“Morgan is one of the top teams in the state and they showed why,” said Turner. “I thought we played very timid in the first quarter because of their size, and it showed on the scoreboard. I was very proud of the guys for how they battled after the first quarter as we stressed to never back down from an opponent. I felt we did this, but unfortunately we did not do it at the tip.”

East Jackson had a rematch with Commerce on Tuesday, but details were unavailable at press time.

The Eagles will host Elbert County on Wednesday, Dec. 19, then travel to Atlanta to play Hebron Christian in Philips Arena on Saturday, Dec. 22.