Eagles fly away from Lions

The Princeton High boys took flight from the start of their match-up against Providence on Friday, taking the lead in the first quarter and maintaining it until the end, beating the Lions 59-39 in Orland.

Eagles coach Travis Bennett said, "We pressured them early, pressured their point guard and it worked out. We respect Providence a lot and I'm happy with the way we played."

The Eagles jumped out to the lead in the first quarter, effectively shutting down the Lions offense. Gavino Mitchum and Oscar Espinoza took charge on offense, and Fernando Sotelo drained a three-pointer, sealing the first quarter lead at 19-8.

A fast-paced second quarter gave way to a tightly officiated matchup, with fouls being called on both sides but the Lions being most affected.

Providence's Matthew Reese put in an outstanding effort and managed to lead the Lions in scoring with 13 points, despite getting into foul trouble early.

Sotelo and company helped the Eagles retain the upper hand and a 34-18 lead at halftime.

Sotelo led Princeton with 14 points, while teammate Luis Angel finished the night with 10 points and six rebounds. Lucas Hubbard also finished with 10 points.

Beginning in the third quarter the Lions let their voice be heard, as Seth Danley and Jeffery Grant took over from where Reese left off, scoring baskets both from inside and outside the key.

Even with the surge of energy from the Lions, they were unable to slow the charge of the Eagles, who led 51-24 after three periods.

Tucker Hoffman was successful with his jump shot in the fourth quarter, but Princeton was too much to handle, with the visitors soaring off with the win.

After the loss, Providence coach Michael Nevens accentuated the positive, saying, "I'm proud of the team. They worked really hard, especially the second half. They left their guts out on the floor, and that always makes you proud."

The Eagles (5-7, 1-0 Pioneer-Valley League) play at Redding Christian on Thursday, while the Lions (2-9, 0-1 PVL) hosted Champion Christian on Tuesday.

CONTACT Emily Saint-Evens at 824-7990 or esaintevens@tcnpress.com.