The Goshen Eagles faced off with the Pike Liberal Arts Patriots in the first round Pea River Christmas Classic in Elba on Tuesday.

Goshen came away with a thrilling 58-54 win over Pike Lib in the county matchup as JD Burney led the Eagles with 14 points and Slade Renfroe scored 15 points for PLAS.

Goshen jumped out to a big 17-7 lead in the first quarter and led 31-20 at halftime. The Patriots came storming back in the third quarter, however, outscoring Goshen 16-9 in the period to cut the lead to 40-36. Both sides managed to score 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Eagles held on for the win.

For Goshen, Makayel McBride added 12 points and Szemerick Andrews scored 10 points.

For PLAS, KC Bradford also added 10 points and Chase DeBoer had 14 points.

In other first round games, Brantley topped New Brockton 67-40, Elba bested Emmanuel Christian 75-33. Pike Lib will face Emmanuel Christian in the semifinals of the consolation bracket at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 29, while Goshen faces Elba in the semifinals of the winner’s bracket at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 29. Both games take place at the Elba High School Gym. The finals will take place on Dec. 30.