Strong Defense, 3-point shooting carries Eastside to win over Santa Fe

Both teams came into this game with a 3-plus game win streak, and only one left with it intact. Eastside High School’s 62-48 win over Santa Fe took them to a record of 14-7, the best in the district. Santa Fe fell to 13-9, and their 5-game win streak was snapped.

Strong Defense

The Eastside Rams only allowed 20 points in the first half, which set the tone for a strong finish to the game as well.  Moreover, they held their opponent to under 50 for the 9th time this season. Without a doubt, this is one of the better marks in the district. Holding Santa Fe’s Ernest Ross to 8 points on 3-10 shooting was an impressive feat, considering he is a 4-star prospect and one of the best juniors in the state of Florida. Furthermore, there were very few instances where Raiders players got open looks throughout the game.

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3rd Quarter Explosion

The Raiders kept it close the entire first half, but what truly pushed the Rams ahead was their shooting in the third quarter. Both Aziel Gainey and Jarveil shot a perfect 3-3 from downtown in this quarter, which extended Eastside’s lead. Head Coach Herman “Pop” Williams stated that, “In the second half we did a better job at looking for the shot and looking to score,” which was definitely embodied by the Rams’ aggressive approach.

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Looking Ahead

The Rams have four games left this season, and will be looking to make a strong playoff push. Even though they are on a 4-game win streak, Coach Williams believes that there is still some work to be done. “We gotta come in and keep playing. Just get better on the things we didn’t do. We missed a couple of free throws, didn’t box out like we should,” said Williams. With their mixture of talent and great coaching, it will be intriguing to see how Eastside closes the season out.