MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The No. 7 Faulkner Eagles rode an incredible first-half performance, including 11 threes, and a 55-32 halftime advantage, to a 96-75 win over the Brewton-Parker Barons at Tine Davis Gymnasium on Friday night. Faulkner tallied a 51.5 percent mark from the court, while Brewton-Parker, with a 58.8 percent mark on threes, was just 48.3 percent overall. The Eagles tallied 24 assists to the visitors' 15 and outrebounded them 38-31. The teams combined for 24 steals.

The home team wasted no time, as, just 12 seconds after Faulkner won the tipoff, Jordan Hamlette knocked down a three. Trace Hill followed with a layup on a fast-break after a C.J. Williamson steal. Austin Rogers responded to a Baron three with two long-range shots of his own, but Corey Thomas of Brewton-Parker responded with a slam that nearly brought down the hoop. 

Clinging to a 12-9 lead, Faulkner formed another run, with threes by Garrett Sanderson and Rogers, and another Hill layup. Williamson now had five assists in seven Eagle buckets, three of them after stealing the ball. When the Barons pulled Faulkner's lead down to 24-20, Hamlette got another three, followed by a Rogers long-range shot after Brewton-Parker's John Allen attempted a behind-the-back pass to set up a score that rolled out of bounds. 

The craziest play of the first half happened with 8:43 on the clock, when Allen got a steal after his own turnover, and then the offensive rebound and bucket. The rebound came after Thomas miscalculated his slam-dunk attempt and saw it bounce high off the rim. Faulkner refused to let the defensive breakdown get to it, however, as Sanderson answered with a three after a Williamson assist. 

Faulkner's next play had the same result, with the roles reversed: Sanderson had the assist after his steal to Williamson's slam-dunk. Williamson's followed his fourth steal by adjusting for a layup off Hamlette's fast-break assist. After Sanderson intercepted a down-court lob, great ball-handling and Hill's offensive rebound led to a Williamson long-range shot, pushing the lead to 40-22. 

With 3:28 until halftime, Derek Murphy got in on the fun with a steal and breakaway jumper. Two minutes later, two consecutive Derrick Donigan rebounds resulted in threes by Brandon Reeves and Hill. A Hill jumper with five seconds left ended Faulkner's wild half. Austin Rogers had his own slam on the second half's first field goal after Sanderson's third steal and Williamson's seventh assist. When the Barons threatened to make a game of it with a 25-10 run that narrowed the deficit to 12 points, eight straight C.J. Hines points started a 22-11 run that restored a 20-plus margin for good. 

The teams play again Saturday night at Tine Davis, when the 19-2 Eagles will attempt a four-game regular season sweep of the Barons.