Scrappy Eagles and Stevenson prove to be a hard act to follow

 
Aldine – That key three-point basket didn’t ignite the Eagles’ usual run that it’s used to enjoying down the stretch.
However, the hustle and grit was there, but offense was rare, as defense took center stage.  Still, it wasn’t too much to ask of power forward Robert Stephenson, who scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, to help Eisenhower defeat Alief Taylor 53-39 on Friday night at Eisenhower High School.
The Eagles claimed the 18-5A district title with the win; with three games left.  The last title came in 2008 when it won 30 games.
This was not the night where fans would see many easy baskets.  Nearly all shots were contested in a game where the final score didn’t indicate how grueling the game turned.
“They’re the second place team and I give them credit.  They did a good job of slowing us down,” says Eagles’ coach Mark Patton. “We just couldn’t finish offensively tonight. We shot a lot of balls, but we couldn’t make many shots.”
Stephenson powered his way inside, giving the Eagles timely baskets and rebounds at crucial moments.  Eisenhower also fed off two late Stephenson dunks, which brought  an uproar from the home fans.
“I kept my composure, playing strong, not giving up and going to the basket,”  Robert Stephenson explained. “They’re a physical team. I was expecting that. They play with contact. They were physical last year.”
Hard fouls were made, diving for loose balls and scrappy defense were all part of the action.
Eisenhower (25-5, 10-1) held a sizable lead and never trailed.
The third quarter was the turning point for the Eagles.  Leading 21-16 at the half, Eagles’ guard Steven Taylor sank two free throws, adding to the lead, 23-16 and soon increased it to eight with 4:30 left in the quarter.
Besides both teams trading baskets, Eisenhower took advantage of a couple of blocks.  Led by 6’6″ junior forward Jeremy Adams, the Eagles picked up a few transition baskets to open up the game.
That led to a 10-point lead, 34-24, with 14.72 seconds left in the third quarter.
The play that left Eagle fans abuzz happened as time ran out in the third quarter.  But not before guard Kavian Williams’ one-handed toss from well beyond the half court line, connecting on a bank shot, just as the buzzer sounded.
A low scoring first quarter watched Eisenhower lead 11-6 entering the second quarter.
Taylor (15-12, 7-4) kept within striking distance but had trouble finding offense and keeping the bigger Eagles off both the defensive and offensive boards.
“We didn’t make any shots.  We didn’t handle the ball pressure very well,” Taylor’s coach Jeff Durnford said.  “I have no regrets about that.  It was an intense, competitive basketball game.”
The Lions pulled within three points, 13-10, when guards Kaylim Doster and Deprey Lane scored back-to-back baskets. However, a steal by Eagles’ guard Christian Miller led to an Anthony Sanders’ layup, swelling the lead, 17-10.
Junior guard Joe Neal drained two free throws to give the Eagles its largest lead of the game at 39-26 with 7:08 to go in the fourth quarter.
Power forward Keenen Brown, who led Taylor with 13 points, put forth a valiant effort, scoring consecutive baskets to trim Eisenhower’s lead, 39-30.
But the Eagles had an answer for every Lion run, including Stevenson’s two-handed dunk that ended Taylor’s 4-0 run while igniting the Eagle crowd.
From that point Eisenhower held a double-digit lead until the final buzzer sounded.