If you like highflying, fastpaced basketball games then you would have wanted to be at Eufaula Saturday afternoon. The No. 13 Rejoice Christian Eagles (6-4) was riding a five-game win streak entering the game to take on a feisty Eufaula (7-2) team setting at No. 8.

It was a game that both teams traded basket for basket. Eufaula had to overcome the Eagles’ huge size advantage as they had 6’ 8” Noah Mendez and University of Oklahoma recruit Zizi Okwufleze 6’ 5”.

Eufaula used their speed and quickness against the Eagles’ size and athleticism. It was a great game that featured three technicals. The Eagles led 17-15 at the end of the first period but it was still anyone’s game. Eufaula head coach Grant Callison received great effort from his team especially on defense as Ty Sparks, Keaton Parish, Jentry James and Doltyn Lane played with incredible energy. Mendez hit two three-pointers early and ZiZi was hard to cover as he finished with 23 points.

R’reon Morrow had the hot hand for the Ironheads as he led all scorers with 24 points. Morrow was effective inside the paint and on the perimeter. Kamieon Nero sliced and diced through the Ironheads’ defense and scored as the Eagles took a 35-31 lead into the halftime break.

The Eagles scored the third period’s first six points as they forced three Eufaula turnovers. With 5:45 on the clock, Eufaula received their second technical foul and ZiZi shot the foul shots giving Rejoice a 42-31 lead. Morrow and Sparks would score next to make a 44-37 game and the Ironheads was gaining mo-mentum when Logan Plant and Hunter Rowland got tangled up after Plant made a shot and another Technical was enforced.

Nero kept the pace up for the Eagles however, Spark made it a seven point game with a three-pointer 46-39. Both teams exchanged scores prior to Mendez’ visiting crowd-pleasing dunk. But Morrow would answer the call with a three-pointer to make it a 54-43 game to start the final period.

The fourth period was dominated by Rejoice’s big men of Zizi and Mendez. It didn’t stop the effort by Eufaula as Brayden O’Brien and Parish were extremely effective in the paint. Sparks and James would each hit a threepoint bucket to make the score 65-55.

However, the Eagles would then work the clock down to hold off Eufaula 74-58.