The Fort Dale Academy girls' and boys' basketball teams each went 2-1 during last week.

After dropping their first game after the holidays, the boys beat Lowndes Academy and Faith Academy to advance to .500 on the season at 7-7.

On the other side, after being ranked No. 2 in the AISA polls, the Lady Eagles (11-3) lost only their third game of the season to the Rebels after beating Morgan and Faith.

On Jan. 4, the girls defeated Morgan Academy 60-51

while

the boys fell

63-48 .

In the girls' game, FDA senior Melissa Gilbert led the Eagles with a double-double as she scored 17 points and snatched 11 rebounds.

She also stole the show with eight steals and six assists.

The girls led at the end of each quarter including a 36-27 advantage at halftime.

FDA finished the game with a 12-5 run in the fourth quarter to put away Morgan's hope of a comeback.

Senior Abbie Gardner went six of 12 from the field and scored 15 points in the win.

The FDA forward also

had six rebounds in the effort.

FDA head coach Reggie Mantooth said the girls struggled at times.

"Our girls played without the second leading scorer, Jami Barlow, who was out with a foot injury," Mantooth said.

The coach said the girls also missed a lot of easy shots.

Junior guard Meredith Moseley

scored in double digits with 12 points and had six rebounds.

Juniors Leslie Smith and Lacey Adams each had seven on the night.

After the Eagle fans who made the trip to Morgan celebrated the girls' win, they would watch the home team cheer thereafter as Morgan defeated the FDA boys' team.

The Eagles fell behind 16-7 in the first quarter and went into halftime losing by eight points.

Senior forward Charles Mitchell led the Eagles in scoring with 11 points.

He went four of six from the field and also hit three of five free throws.

Senior forward/guard Marshall Watts recorded another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The senior also had three blocks and five assists.

Mantooth was disappointed in the game's results.

"We did not play well and are not where we need to be," Mantooth said.

The coach lays some of the blame on himself.

"I have not done a very good job of getting our team ready to play and playing like I believe we can play," he said.

As a team, the Eagle hit 21 of 54 from the field.

On Jan. 6 , the boys rebounded with a

commanding 24 point win against the Rebels.

Mitchell led the way with 25 points while shooting a blistering 10 of 12 from the field.

This included 15 points from three point land.

"We really played with more intensity. Our press was able to get the game more up tempo and we were able to wear them down," Mantooth said.

Sophomore Josh Till scored eight and racked 12 rebounds in the win.

Junior Bill Cates had 14 points and senior Stephen Sorrells scored six in the win.

"Bill and Stephen hit some big shots in the first half to get us going," the coach said.

The Eagles finished the game with a 22-10 run in the fourth quarter.

The girls' outcome would be different.

The were handed a 49-45 loss.

Barlow came back from her injury and scored a team high 13 points. Gilbert also scored in double digits with 10 points.

"We didn't play well and our team struggled with Abbie in foul trouble," Mantooth said.

Against Faith, the girls played better and won 64-40.

"It was a very good defensive effort," Mantooth said. "We really controlled the game from the start."

In the game, Gilbert stole the show with 25 points while snatching nine rebounds.

Meredith Moseley also scored in double digits with 10 points.

"Our defense on their inside players was the difference," the coach said.

The boys also pulled out another win at home last Friday night.

The Eagles beat Faith 65-49.

Mantooth called it a big win.

"It was a big win for us.

Hopefully, it will give us some confidence the rest of the way," Mantooth said.

In the win, Watts recorded yet another double-double with 18 points and 19 rebounds.

He also had four steals and four blocks.

Crenshaw and Sumpter McGowin each had 10 points in the game.

Till also delightened the home crowd with 15 points with a 5 for 7 shooting performance.

In the first quarter, the Eagles took a 19-7 lead.

From that point, it would stay the same.

"We are starting to get some more production from other players. Again, I thought our defense and rebounding were the keys to victory," he said. "Marshall had a great game and Josh Till had his best game of his varsity career."

The FDA Eagles will host crosstown rival Greenville Academy this Friday at home.

Tip off is set for 4 p.m.