Two number one region seeds went at it in Heidelberg Saturday night for the opportunity to advance to the MHSAA 2A state basketball tournament quarterfinals. North Forrest earned that right in what seemed like a championship game setting..

The Eagles defeated an all-season-long dominate Heidelberg Oilers squad in a nail-biter, 63-59. Despite going into halftime with 16 turnovers, North Forrest defended well, out-shot, out-rebounded, out-hustled, and simply out-played the Oilers which finished the season with a 24-7 record.

North Forrest head coach Quenton Loving knew about the high caliber team his Eagles were facing with the Oilers Saturday, and he went into the contest with a plan to control the game. His team did exactly what was designed, and the Eagles' defense went a long way in the victory..

“We came in with a game plan. We knew we couldn't run with them, and we wanted to get the pace a little slower. We knew we had to handle their famous 2-2-1half court trap, and at times we did. At times, it didn't look too well, but just the fight through adversity was great. To be tied with them at halftime, make some shots, and play really good defense was excellent,” he explained. “No question, this felt like a championship game, and we played championship defense tonight. We played well together, and the guys knew what was at stake. I challenged them yesterday during practice and asked them, 'How bad do you want to get to Pearl River?' They showed tonight they wanted to get there pretty bad.”

Heidelberg looked for shots outside all night; nothing was there. The Oilers tried to get the ball in the paint all night. That didn't happen either. The Eagles defense was a lock, and North Forrest held an Oilers team that has averaged just over 75 points a game in its last nine outings to 59.

“They played at an extremely high level, and I am just so proud of them,” Loving said of his team.

North Forrest faced a 12-8 deficit at the end of the first period, but Joe Holloway caught his groove in the second period pulling down boards, and he got his eye for the iron, too. The junior tied the game with a jumper, 18-18, with 3:06 left in the period.

“He's a junior and a fantastic player. He's our scoring leader, and in the clutch that's who we go to to get baskets. And, he did,” Loving said of Holloway. “He stepped his game up and played really well. I think he wanted the challenge. He was hearing all the news about Heidelberg's players and all the publicity they were getting, and he wanted to step up and meet that challenge.”

Junior Alex Posey later burned a three to give the Eagles its first lead of the game, 21-18, with two minutes to play in the half. Heidelberg's Quandarius Bender and Randarius Hughes then traded baskets with the Eagles, and the two teams went into halftime knotted 27-27.

Holloway continued his progress in the third period, and Tre Williams made his presence known for North Forrest with a 9-point third period effort that led the Eagles into the final period with a 47-39 cushion.

But, Heidelberg wasn't done. Bender pushed the Oilers through the fourth period with an 11 point showing, and Heidelberg eventually closed the gap, 58-56, on two Donovan Parker free throws. The Oilers went on to keep the game at one point, 59-60, until 9.9 seconds were left in game. Hughes had an opportunity at the charity stripe to give the Oilers the lead with 5.2 seconds left, but he fouled on his second missed free throw on a put-back layup. North Forrest's Jaren Sullivan an Jordan Wright later put the game away with free throws.

Holloway led all scorers in the game with 26 points. Williams produced 12 points for the Eagles, all in the second half. Bender had 18 points for Heidelberg.

“I'm so elated with this team and with the chance for us to move on,” Loving said.

The Eagles (19-8) will face Amite County (23-3) in the MHSAA 2A quarterfinals Friday at Pearl River Community College. Amite knocked off Collins Friday night, 56-54, to advance.

Loving said he will let his team enjoy the win against the Oilers over the weekend, but they will be quickly back to work.

“We are just going to get ready. I'll let them enjoy this weekend. Monday, we'll start preparing. We'll work hard and do what we've been doing,” he said.