[11/30/04]The young Porters Chapel team learned quickly from its mistakes.

A week ago, the Eagles collapsed in the fourth quarter and allowed Veritas to go on a 17-3 run to end the game. They committed costly turnovers and forced shots during the stretch for a 49-46 loss.

Fast forward to Monday, and the Eagles did just the opposite. They completed a 13-0 run to pull ahead and finish out a 51-40 win over Tensas.

Dan Ivey led the Eagles with a game-high 21 points. Allen Cassell came off the bench to chip in 12 points and nine rebounds, and Cole Smith added 10 points and 12 boards.

“That’s what happens when you play team basketball,” PCA coach Mike Grzanich said.

The Eagles (3-4) slowed down and set up their offense against Tensas’ 2-3 zone. PCA consistently worked the ball low in the post to Ivey, who made 9 of 12 shots.

“The guys slowed the ball down and played their game,” Grzanich said. “We can run the floor with anybody, but we’ve got to pick our times.”

Working inside also got the Eagles to the foul line, where they hit 17 of 27 free throws (63 percent). Tensas, which dressed only eight players, committed 13 fouls in the first half and finished with 23. Matt Vinson fouled out in the fourth quarter, and three other Chiefs had four fouls.

“When Vinson went out with fouls in the fourth quarter, that really hurt us as far as stopping them on the inside,” said Tensas coach Chris Jacobs, whose team took a 10-day break following the football season and has played only two games.

PCA was ahead 21-13 going into halftime before Tensas’ Mike McWilliams hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cut the lead to 21-15 at the break.

Tensas (0-2) pulled ahead in the third quarter with solid defensive play. Randal Borsch had a pair of key steals and scored nine of his 16 points in the quarter to give Tensas a 34-33 lead.

“He had some steals and some layups and that helped us a lot,” Jacobs said. “When him and his brother (Ryan Borsch) both run, we can use their quickness to our advantage.”

The Chiefs were still ahead 40-38 with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when PCA started its game-winning run. Ivey and Cassell each scored four points during the 13-0 stretch, and the Eagles closed out the win by running out the clock.

“They panicked for a trip or two up the floor, and then they settled right back down, got the ball inside and got the game tied up,” Grzanich said. “Once we tied it at 40, we just never looked back.”

(G) Tensas 40, PCA 34

Whitney Alford scored a game-high 18 points for Tensas, and Aubrey McEachern added 10 in the win.

Tensas held PCA’s Annie Beaugh to two points in the first half as the Lady Chiefs pulled ahead 17-10 at the break.

Beaugh scored 14 in the second half to rally the Lady Eagles (6-5), but they came up short.