By Halle Parker

Special to The Farmville Herald

After landing their first round postseason game at home, the crowd of Prince Edward County High School (PECHS) supporters witnessed the Eagles boys varsity soundly defeat the Goochland Bulldogs 58-43 on Thursday.

The team then traveled to Greensville on Saturday for a second-round matchup against a tough Eagles team. After trailing 20-15 at halftime, Prince Edward kicked its game into the next gear and sped past Greensville just enough to edge the Eagles 32-31.

A slow start to the second half from the Bulldogs allowed PECHS to go on a six-point run before Goochland’s first basket of the third quarter.

From that point, the gap continued to grow, remaining above 10 for the majority of the period.

The Eagles have gone 3-0 against Goochland this season. Thursday night’s game ended with a margin (15) over double the size of previous victories, despite PECHS sitting in a hole themselves until halfway through the second quarter.

“They had some very good shooters and we had to keep that ball out of their hands, get up on them a little bit,” said PECHS boys’ varsity head coach James Scott.

The Bulldogs showed their hand at the start of the game when freshman guard Deion Harwood hit a three from the corner during their first possession. He set the tone and pace for the Bulldogs early, making up eight of the team’s first 14 points.

As Goochland held the lead at first, their tight, compact presence in the paint held PECHS’ offense at bay. The Eagles were dry for over four minutes in the first half.

After adding higher pressure to the Bulldogs, PECHS minimized their treys and worked up an offense of their own.

“We had to put a little bit more pressure on them. They showed they had one shot,” said Scott.

A layup by junior guard Zarius Jones with less than three minutes until halftime coupled with a basket by junior center Kevon Braxton in back-to-back possessions handed the Eagles the lead and they never let go.

Jones and senior guard Marty Blount added most of PECHS’ second half points; Jones ended with 17 points, topped by Blount’s 18 overall.

Scott considered their baskets “team points,” the individual successes shared by the team.

“We play as a team, but they (Jones and Blount) hit some big baskets during the game and both of them played team defense. The shots they took, (they) were team shots, and I was happy with their performance and the team,” said Scott.

With their first win of postseason, the Eagles will leave their home to face the Nottoway Cougars on the road on Saturday, Feb. 13.  PECHS has lost both of their previous meetings with Nottoway by at least 10 points this season.

Scott expressed his happiness with the team continuing whether the team traveled or not.

“If we had lost the game, we would be here, but we won and I’m happy to be in it,” he said. “We’re going to play.”

The Eagles improve to 14-10 with their latest win and advance to the Quad Rivers Conference 34 championship game against the Bluestone Barons. The game was scheduled for Monday, however, due to inclement weather it was pushed to Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Bluestone. If both schools did not attend school on Tuesday, then the game will be played on Wednesday at Bluestone.