As the old saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together”, and that could be said for Thursday night’s game in Paris where the Eagles hosted the Cossatot River Eagles. Cossatot made the two-hour plus trip to Paris to play junior and senior boys make-up games that were postponed earlier in the month due to COVID reasons. Paris fans who came out to the game were treated to perhaps a glimpse into the future of how good the Paris boys basketball team can become next year. The Paris Eagles got a big 54-50 win over the Cossatot River Eagles at Paris Gymnasium.
The Paris junior high boys lost a heart breaker, 34-33, in overtime on a Cossatot free throw with no time left remaining in overtime. A foul was called on Paris deep inside the lane on the defensive end with zero seconds remaining in the clock. But the junior Eagles showed tonight along with several other games they played in January that there is good talent coming to the varsity next year, and Paris fans can be excited about those players who will move up next year.
Following the junior high game, the senior boys took the court, and early in the game, it did not look good for Paris. Cossatot is a very good team and the Eagles took off to an early 14 point lead at the end of the first quarter. Paris scrapped with everything they had in the first to keep the game within reach, otherwise, the game may have been over in the first half.
After trailing 18-4 at the end of the first, Paris played hard, tenacious defense coupled with maybe their highest field goal percentage from the field. Paris shooters came alive as the offense seemed to feed off of the defensive success the Eagles were having with Cossatot.
At the end of the first half, Paris had erased the Cossatot lead and trailed by just one point, 31-30. The momentum had taken a dramatic swing to the Paris end, and the Eagles came out in the third and continued their hard defense that eventually won the game for the Eagles.
After the game, Paris head coach Blain Brewington talked about his pride in the team for their effort and their determination to fight back against a very good Cossatot team. Coach Brewington said, “We got down big early; they (Cossatot) shot the lights out. Our kids never lost their focus or energy. They just chipped away and chipped away. So proud of their effort and no quit mentality. Once we got settled, I thought the defensive end of the floor is where we won the game. Proud of how we executed down the stretch.”
After a tough stretch in January, the Paris senior boys have now won two games this week. There will not be much time to enjoy tonight’s victory as the Eagles will travel tomorrow to Danville to play a Little Johns team that would like nothing more than to avenge an earlier loss at Paris. But, this is another game that Paris needs to continue its momentum going into the district tournament, as well as to end the season on a positive note to build on for next year.
For Paris fans, who knows? The Eagles may have turned the corner tonight. There will be more tough games before this year is over, but the team learned tonight that they can beat a good team, regardless of the early score, if they keep playing hard, stay together, and continue to improve. Tonight was a milestone in the new program under Coach Brewington, and may be a glimpse into what life could be for Paris the next two years.
Additional photos from tonight’s game will be available tomorrow afternoon on Facebook at Paris Eagles Sports. Additionally, photos of the Paris junior boys game with Cossatot will be available at Paris Eagles Sports on Sunday.
Resident Press will be in Danville tomorrow night to bring you complete coverage of the Eagles and Lady Eagles and their games with the Little Johns. Paris will play junior boys and girls games, as well as senior high boys and girls games Friday at Danville. First game tips-off at 5 p.m.
Congratulations to the Paris Eagles and their coach, Blain Brewington. This one was fun and was great to watch! As we have said many times, there are better days ahead for Paris basketball!
