The Eagles, who are 11-1 overall, took control early by grabbing a 14-0 lead after a quarter of play, but the Tigers switched to a pesky zone defense that slowed Excel’s well-oiled high school basketball machine.
Excel scored 11 points in the second period but allowed eight points by the Tigers and had a 25-8 lead at the break.
Both teams were sluggish offensively in the third period as Excel outscored their foe, 6-5. Both teams scored 19 points in the fourth quarter.
“We came out playing with a lot of energy,” coach Jon-Michael Nickerson said. “Our defense and our offense both were looking good. But then they went into a zone defense and we struggled. It was a adjustment their coach made that we never really found an answer to.”
To read the rest of this story, please purchase a copy of The Daily Tribune News at your nearby news rack or subscribe to the E-edition.