By By Adam Robinson
sports editor
All three W.S. Neal basketball teams opened their 2009-2010 basketball seasons Tuesday night at home against Excel.
The B-team Eagles dropped a 47-35 loss to the visiting Panthers while the Lady Eagles earned a 47-33 win. The varsity Eagles dominated the Panthers the whole game with a 74-37 win.
W.S. Neal will be in action today in Flomaton for the Flomaton Thanksgiving tournament.
The Eagles will play Bayside at 4:30 p.m. If the Eagles win, they will play Monday at 5:30 p.m. and if they lose they will play Monday at 4 p.m.
Excel 47,
W.S. Neal B-team 35
Trailing 9-7 at the end of the first quarter, the B-team Eagles fell to a 10-0 run in the second quarter as Excel built a 21-9 lead en route to a 47-35, 12-point win over the Eagles.
The loss dropped the Eagles to 0-1 this season.
With the run in the second quarter, Excel held a 16-6 advantage in the quarter to lead 25-13 at the half.
W.S. Neal would get as close as 32-26 in the third quarter. They outscored Excel 13-9 in the third quarter to trail 34-26 at the end of three as they closed the quarter on a 11-2 run.
In the fourth, Excel turned the tables on the Eagles holding a 13-9 advantage to get the win.
Jaquan Tucker led W.S. Neal with eight points in the loss and Donovan Millican had seven along with Jaleel Elliott. Jalen Harrod added six points and Dalton Evans had five.
Damion Williams chipped in two points for the Eagles.
W.S. Neal Lady Eagles 47,
Excel 33
Keyvonnia Kyles led the Lady Eagles of W.S. Neal with 18 points and Freida Folmar had 17 as W.S. Neal defeated Excel 47-33 Tuesday in their first game of the year.
The Lady Eagles led 12-7 after the first quarter and 22-11 at halftime before outscoring Excel 16-13 in the third quarter and both teams scoring nine in the fourth to get the win.
Behind Kyles and Folmar, Angelique Askew had seven points, Megan Andrews had four, and Amber Brazile had one in the win.
Excel cut the Lady Eagle lead to 25-19 with 5:55 left in the third quarter, but would outscore Excel 13-5 to end the quarter with a 38-24 lead.
In the fourth quarter, W.S. Neal used a 6-0 run to take a 47-29 lead at the 1:37 mark in the quarter before Excel hit a free throw with 1:20 left then hit a 3-point near the 1:00 mark.
W.S. Neal varsity 74,
Excel 37
The Chuck Phillips era for the W.S. Neal boys basketball team started in a huge way as the Eagles pounded Excel by 37 points.
While the win was good for the Eagles, Phillips said his team still has some things to work on.
W.S. Neal started the game on a 9-0 run and lead 18-3 at the end of the first quarter and 34-12 at the half after a 16-9 advantage in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, W.S. Neal outscored Excel 24-15 to lead 58-27 . They outscored Excel again in the fourth, this time 16-10, to get the win 74-37.
W.S. Neal shot 10-for-15 from the free throw line and had four players in double figures.
Along with the four players in double figures for the Eagles, all 10 players scored in the game.
Rashad Crook led the Eagles with 13 points and Colby McCorvey, Sam Ewing, and Bob Elliott all had 12 each.
Ashton Elliott had six along with Monterrius Culliver. Jeremy Nicholson and Jeremy Alexander had four each. T.J. Davis had three in the win and Tra Dixon had two.