An early defensive stalemate ended in a one-sided 3-point shootout for Fort Dale Academy Friday as the Eagles coasted to a 62-42 win on the back of a strong first half shooting performance.

But even more impressive was the Eagles’ defense, which held the opposing Rebels to just 13 first-half points.

But the opening minutes proved difficult for both offense, with an incredibly defensive start in which the first basket didn’t fall until nearly halfway through the first quarter.

A signature 3-pointer from Fort Dale’s Taylor Thomas shattered the silence for the Eagles with 3:19 remaining on the clock, and buckets from Cody Parker and Michael LeCoq gave the Eagles a 7-5 lead at the end of the slow-paced first quarter.

The second quarter was an entirely different story as the Eagles came alive offensively.  Thomas found an open lane on the Eagles’ first possession and drove through for an easy lay-in, and a Cody Parker steal and subsequent dish to Austin Vickery gave Fort Dale another easy bucket.

A second 3-pointer from Thomas brought the Fort Dale lead to double digits, and a 3-point play from Parker extended it further to 14 points.

A big-time basket from David Hussey snapped the Rebels’ lengthy dry spell, but his offensive production wasn’t enough to save a floundering Lowndes Academy offense at the close of the half.

The Rebels continued to dig themselves deeper into a hole with low-percentage shots at the top of the second half, while the Lowndes Academy deficit grew to it’s largest of the night (22 points).

Hussey struck out for a steal when the opportunity presented itself and went coast to coast for a layup, but the gap only widened throughout the third quarter.

The Fort Dale defense refused to let up in the fourth, with excellent rebounding from Stephen Hartley denying second-chance scoring opportunities for Lowndes Academy.

Despite some late-game heroics from Husssey, time proved the bigger enemy for the Rebels as the clock winded down on Lowndes’ potential comeback.

Fort Dale will host the visiting Monroe Academy Volunteers Friday.