Eastside head coach Jamar Armstrong learned something about his team on Tuesday night against Greer.
When adversity hits, the Eagles know how to respond.
Eastside improved to 4-1 on the season with a 61-54 win over Greer on Tuesday. The game saw the Eagles build a double-digit lead in the second half that the Jackets whittled down to two with just over a minute to play.
The Eagles closed the game on a 7-2 run to seal the win.
“Tonight, I saw a team that knows how to overcome adversity,” said Armstrong. “I think that’s a good sign that we’re growing up. They cut our lead down, and we had some foul trouble, but we still found a way in the end to get it done. That says a lot about us as a group.”
Junior guard Brandon Ray led all scorers with 19. Thomas Rouse added a scrappy 15 for Eastside, while Roman Ruggiero put up 13 — eight of which were crucial fourth-quarter points.
Ruggiero’s corner three with less than a minute to play put Eastside up 57-52 and put the game out of reach for Greer.
“Guys like Roman, guys like Thomas Rouse and Brandon Ray, you’re watching them grow in front of your eyes,” said Armstrong. “We’re big on toughness and how we respond when things aren’t going our way. I think we did a good job in those areas tonight.”
“There were times tonight where we had to show some poise,” said Ray. “We responded to the pressure and calmed down at the end of the game, and that helped us pull through.”
Eastside has now won four straight games and is set to begin region play on Friday with a trip to Gaffney.
“It doesn’t get any easier from here,” said Armstrong. “But I like the way we’re playing right now. We’ve got some things to fix for sure. But we’re on the right track.”
