Bodies were flying and crashing to the floor in a physical battle of once-beaten teams Thursday night in Irving College.
Eastside jumped out to a halftime lead, but couldn’t prevent Irving College from storming back in the second half to pull away for a 44-31 victory.
The win keeps Irving College (6-1) atop the 7-8 grade boys standings with one loss, that coming to Morrison. Eastside (4-2) has lost both its games to Irving College
Asked to describe the game, Irving College coach Randy Bess used one word – “intense.”
Chance Hobbs and Freddie Trevino led the Tigers with 17 points apiece. Lucas Patrick was the top scorer for Eastside with 15.
The teams didn’t shy away from going toe-to-toe in what has become one of the county’s fiercest rivalries. Scoring was scarce through most of the first quarter as aggressive defense knocked both offenses out of their rhythm.
Eastside was up 6-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Patrick was the star of the opening half in scoring 12 of his 15 points. He scored six straight points to lift Eastside to a 12-3 lead early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs were up 19-14 at the break.
But it was a different story after intermission as Hobbs found his outside shooting touch and Trevino used his quickness to make steals and generate fast-break points.
“The first half was difficult for us,” said coach Bess. “But we made some adjustments and we played much better in the second half. I think one of the biggest differences was we outhustled them.”
Eastside entered the fourth quarter clinging to a one-point lead, 26-25, but that’s when the two Irving College stars took control of the game. Hobbs drained three 3-pointers, while Trevino couldn’t be stopped with his dribble penetration.
Irving College began the fourth quarter with a decisive 10-2 run. Foul shots from Patrick accounted for the only Eastside points during that span.
When it mattered most, the Tiger offense was clicking while the Bulldogs were struggling. Eastside failed to get quality looks down the stretch and only scored one field goal in the fourth, a Noah Bost layup.
Other Irving College scorers were Douglas Nelson and Jeffery McCormick with four points each and Tristen Gunter with two.
For Eastside, Jesse Jones and Bost each had seven points, while Tyler Pomales scored two.
Irving College thumps Eastside
Tigers prevail in physical contest

