The Goshen Eagles began area play with a 45-39 road win over the Elba Tigers.

The Lady Eagles were without one of their key starters in Shamiya Griffin, but her sister Bre Griffin helped the Eagles pick up the pieces.

“We looked pretty good,” said Eagles head coach Fred Lowery. “(Shamiya) has averaged 25 points for us, but we played pretty good.”

The Eagles, who haven’t played since Dec. 19, came out a little rusty in the opening quarter but were able to recover as the game went along.

“Regardless of how much you practice you can’t simulate a game,” Lowery said. “We got into a groove and we were able to get the win down the stretch.”

The Eagles were outscored in the opening quarter, but were able to win out in the second quarter to give them a lead going into halftime. The Eagles kept up that momentum in the second half and were able to walk away with the win.

In her sister’s absence, the young freshman Bre Griffin led the Eagles with 27 points on the night.

“That was extremely important,” Lowery said. “Someone needed to step in and fill the shoes. I was really proud of Bre, as I was for all of our girls.”

Along with Griffin’s 27 points, Amber Tillery finished with eight points and May Pettway, who Lowery called the player of the game, finished with seven points.

“It wasn’t her points that I was proud of,” Lowery said. “She played a complete game tonight. She did it all for us tonight. She rebounded and played defense.”

The Eagles appreciate the early area win.

“It was awesome because it was an area game,” Lowery said. “We are now 1-0 in the area. I told them they did it without one of our key players. They found a way to win and that is what good teams do.”

The Eagles will look to continue their momentum Thursday night when they travel to take on Carroll. Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m.