GEORGE WEST — With a few players unavailable due to illness, the short-handed Pettus Eagle varsity had a tough time at the George West tournament over the weekend.

In reported action, the Eagles lost three of their contests as the host Longhorns got the better of them in the first round, 46-30.

The Pettus boys just could not get going as they dug themselves a deep hole, 16-3 after the first period, and could not recover. The rest of the game was played evenly, but it was too much to overcome. Clay Brown led the Eagle scoring with 14 points, while Kyle McJunkins added eight.

The Eagles also played right with the Falls City Beavers in a later contest, but were on the wrong side of a 42-39 score as time expired.

Matt Gonzales led the balanced Pettus scoring attack with nine points. Brown and McJunkins both contributed eight.

The Eagles then took on the talented Floresville JV, and the young Tigers growled the loudest by taking a easy 75-42 victory.

Gonzales popped in 17 points in the contest, while Brown added 11 for the Eagles.

Pettus gets back to the court on Friday night when the Eagles host the Nordheim Pirates. The team travels to meet the Austwell-Tivoli Fighting Redfish next Tuesday night and will begin district play on Jan. 11 when the boys go to Runge to battle the Yellowjackets.