Sports Writer

GOSHEN – After being off for over a week, the fourth ranked Goshen High School Eagles looked like a team that was a little bit rusty following an impressive string of wins on the heels

a January 2 area loss to Red Level.

Fortunately, the Eagles faced a Highland Home squad that had several players under the weather which proved to be a factor as Goshen earned a 71-22 business like area win over the Flying Squadron Tuesday night.

The game was moved to Goshen at the last minute due to Highland Home’s new basketball gymnasium still being under construction.

With the victory, the Eagles (12-2, 6-1) set up a potential area championship showdown on Tuesday night at Red Level. The Tigers, who play Highland Home Thursday night, defeated Opp 76-53 at home Tuesday night.

The contest was never in doubt from the start as the Eagles took charge early taking a 24-4 lead at the end of the first quarter as they never looked back. Goshen led by as many as 40 points at the end of third quarter as GHS head coach Major Lane substituted liberally in the final stanza against an outmanned Highland Home (0-6 in area) squad.

However, the victory over Highland Home was not the largest margin of victory for the Eagles this season. On Jan. 5, 2001, Goshen routed Highland Home by 62 points (95-33).

Averick Rogers, Jamar Tucker and Jeremy Berry led a balanced attack scoring 12 points apiece, while Wesley Wright had nine points. Kendaris Pelton had eight points while Damien Pelton finished with seven points in the winning effort.

Despite not being sharp at times, Lane said he thinks the Eagles will be just fine when Goshen returns to action Friday night.

"We didn’t play all that well," Lane said. "It was one of those nights though where we took a business like approach

by substituting and giving players a chance

to get ready for Friday night (against Luverne) and our (regular season) area title game against Red Level on Tuesday."

While there’s plenty of anticipation for the upcoming rematch against the Tigers from Covington County, Lane said he doesn’t want the Eagles to be thinking about it right now.

"We don’t want to look ahead because we’ve got to play our game and take care of what Goshen does best," Lane said. "We’re going to take things one game at a time and let the chips fall where they may. We’ve got to work on the little things we weren’t doing well (against HH)."

Among some of the things Lane hopes to work on before Tuesday’s showdown include shooting free throws, making the correct entry pass, recognizing defenses and limiting teams to just one shot.

Highland Home (girls) 66 Goshen 43

Robin Wynn scored 34 points including six three-pointers as the number five ranked Highland Home Lady Flying Squadron retained first place in the Class 2A Area 2 standings with a 66-43 win over the Goshen Lady Eagles.

With the victory, the Lady Squadron (16-1, 7-0) continue to mow down the competition in supposedly one of the toughest area in 2A girls basketball across the state of Alabama. The Lady Squadron can earn the right to host the girls area tournament tonight with a victory over Red Level (16-2, 5-1).

Despite the loss, the inexperienced Lady Eagles held their own against a veteran Highland Home team as they grabbed 36 rebounds after being blown off the boards in the first two meetings. Unfortunately, Wynn was in a zone as the Lady Eagles were unable to contain her throughout the evening as she bombed away beyond the arc against Goshen’s constantly changing defenses.

GHS head coach Charlie Winchester had high praise for Highland Home’s lethal long range shooter.

"Wynn is a college prospect and is also a great athlete," Winchester said. "Anybody who scores 34 points in four eight minute quarters is a heckuva player. Everything she threw up went in."

Winchester said the Lady Eagles played better than what the numbers indicated on the scoreboard.

"I thought our girls played their hardest and best game of the season," Winchester said. "Our girls feel like they getting more confidence every time we play them."

Tyeka Jackson led the Lady Eagles with 11 points, while Enique Williams scored nine points. LaKeshia Cope and Hope Wheeler finished with eight points apiece in a losing cause.

The Eagles (5-8, 3-4) return to action on Friday night when they travel to face arch rival Luverne. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.