WALNUT - The Falkner Eagles had four players to score in double figures as they beat county rival, Walnut 82-55 Tuesday at the Walnut Gymnasium. Will Robertson scored a game-high 24 points, Kendrick Williams poured in 17, Corio Palmer added 18, and Clay McCoy 10 to lead the Eagles.

The Eagles (6-6) sprinted to a 14-4 lead early in the first quarter behind eight points from Robertson, who drove the lane for several lay-ups to start the game. The Eagles led the Wildcats 22-13 at the end of one.

The Wildcats (1-11) bounced back to make a game of it in the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 23-14. Dominic Steele and DeNerial Jones each scored seven second-quarter points as the Wildcats pulled to within three with under a minute to go in the first half.

The Wildcats completed the first-half comeback with Bret Clifton’s half-court heave that found nothing but net as the second-quarter buzzer sounded to tie the game at 36.

"That was a really good example of what we can do. We just got to get consistent at doing the right thing at the right time, especially defensively," said Walnut coach Mike Lewis. "That was a good example of what we are capable of doing and we made some shots during that time that we didn’t make in the first, third and fourth quarter, when we really needed them.

"We just have a lot of little things that we have to make habit to us. We have to think about things too much and we’re not reacting instinctually the right way. When we have to do something instinctively, we revert back to bad habits, but if they continue to work and bear with us, we’ll be OK. It just takes time to break old habits and start new ones."

In the third quarter, the Eagles regained control of the game behind 10 third-quarter points from Robertson. The Eagle defense held the Wildcats to just six points in the quarter, while the Eagle offense totaled 21. The Eagles took a 57-42 lead into the fourth quarter.

"They (Walnut) came out and matched our intensity in the second quarter. They hit us in the gut and got back in the game," said Falkner Head Coach Chip Johnson, who played for Lewis at Northeast. "At halftime, we talked about our defensive intensity because we gave up a lot of drives and a lot of lay-ups in the second quarter. We started the game well and started the second half well and I thought that was the difference.

"Walnut has some athletic ability and Coach Lewis is a wonderful coach and they’ll learn the way he wants to play and they’ll be fine."

For the Wildcats, Steele led with 17 points, Jones added 12, Shaquille Perry 11, and Kenneth Finger 10.

In girls’ action, the Lady Wildcats defeated the Lady Eagles 53-34 behind 20 points from Rebecca Robinson and 11 points from Jennalee Dollar. The Lady Wildcats improved to 8-4, while the Lady Eagles dropped to 2-9.