Faulkner watched a 26-point lead completely evaporate before holding on at the very end to knock off Blue Mountain 76-73.

"I didn't do a good job. We got up big and we kept playing fast. It all started the last five minutes of the first half. We were up by 26 and they outscored us by 10 to cut it to 16. The first five minutes of the second half they had momentum again and came back to cut it to two," Faulkner Head Coach Scott Sanderson said. "I just didn't do a good job That's on me. We've got to do a better job of playing 40 minutes."

A Da'Juonta Ross bucket with 4:11 to play tied the game at 66, marking the first time since the opening moments that the Toppers did not trail. Milan Skundric (JR/Negotin, Serbia) then cashed in an and-1 opportunity for the three-point lead

Blue Mountain cut the lead to a point when Lukas Durasas hit two free throws. Skundric and Jonah Simpson then traded buckets before Rene Scott (JR/Mobile, Ala.) sunk a free throw and then connected on a runner for the 74-70 advantage. Just when Faulkner thought it could breathe, Brandon Williams cashed in a Harrison Fancher pass for three points and left it at 74-73. Sean Edwards (SR/Madison, Ala.) stepped to the line with 20 seconds left and knocked down a pair of free throws to cap the scoring. The Eagles then forced a pair of stops to end the game.

"We got the right guys shooting free throws at the very end," Sanderson said. "I thought the last two or three possessions of the game we guarded the way we're supposed to guard and made them take tough shots."

Faulkner opened the game hot with five players making a three-pointer in the first 6:10 of the contest. When Garrett Sanderson (SO/Montgomery, Ala.) converted a Trace Hill (FR/Hartselle, Ala.) pass into a triple and a 17-6 lead, the Eagles were just getting started. Faulkner went on a 25-10 run over the next 8:52 to balloon the advantage all the way to 42-16, the largest lead of the day. After Adnan Halilovic (SR/Mali Zvornik, Serbia) hit a shot with 3:39 left in the half, Faulkner made only one more bucket before intermission.

"We've been up big in several games but good teams don't let teams come back. They made a bunch of big shots and played very, very well. They deserve a lot of credit for competing and playing the way they did," Sanderson said.

Skundric finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds to lead the way. Scott and C.J. Jones (JR/Port Richey, Fla.) each notched 14 points while Edwards had 10.

Faulkner (8-0, 2-0 SSAC) returns to action Saturday, Dec. 8 when it hosts Oakwood at 7 p.m.