The Pike Liberal Arts boys basketball team righted the ship on Tuesday night and defeated rival Fort Dale 57-38.

The win for the Patriots improves their record on the season to 3-5.

“It was a good win,” said Patriots head coach Allen Ponder. “It was better. Our enthusiasm and effort was a little low in the first half, but we went into halftime and had a much better second half.”

Even with the enthusiasm low, the Patriots were able to build a sizable lead in the first half, taking a 30-19 lead into halftime.

“We did a good job on the boards,” Ponder said. “We got a few offensive rebounds and we knocked down some big shots. We didn’t allow them any second chance points. Even though we did lack energy we were able to do some things right.”

The Patriots increased their lead in the second half thanks to some halftime adjustments.

“We made a couple adjustments at halftime,” Ponder said. “We put a little more emphasis on getting into the passing lanes and moving our feet. That really helped us in the second half.”

Reese Burbage led the team in scoring with 12 points, nine of which came from behind the arc.

“Reese shot the ball well,” Ponder said. “He has shot the ball well this year. It always helps when you have someone else up there with Hunter (jones) who also shoots well. Reese has been a big player for us and he is going to have to continue to be a big player for us.”

Reed Jinright also finished in double figures with 10 points. In all the Patriots had 11 players score in the win.

“That is huge,” Ponder said. “We have to play a lot of people and we had some big contributors off the bench tonight. Anytime you can not only play a lot of kids, but quality minutes, that is always a plus.”

The Patriots will take part in the Abbeville Tournament beginning on December 15.