Big first and third quarters were enough for Blue Eye to hold off Wheaton to win the Class 2 District 11 championship on Saturday.
Blue Eye opened up with an 11-2 advantage in the first quarter before Wheaton answered back to cut the deficit to four at 19-15 going into the half.
The Bulldogs came out of the break and built their lead back up with a 16-8 advantage in the third quarter to carry a 35-23 lead into the final quarter. Blue Eye weathered the Wheaton storm in the final eight minutes to come away with a 44-39 win.
The three-point shot was key for Blue Eye in the win as the Bulldogs scored more than half their points from beyond the arc with eight 3-point makes. Four of those came in the key third quarter.
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Braden Johnson led Blue Eye with 14 points accounting for three of the 3-pointers. Blake Morgan led Wheaton and all scorers with 17 points.
Blue Eye advances to play at College Heights in the sectional round on Tuesday. College Heights, a No. 3 seed, upset top-seeded Ash Grove to win the Class 2 District 12 championship.
Wheaton – 2-13-8-16 — 39
Blue Eye – 11-8-16-9 — 44
W: Blake Morgan 17, Zander Dutra 8, Houston Roller 6, Fernando Gonzales 6, Brody Bateman 2
B: Braden Johnson 14, Colton Spinning 13, Mason Phillips 8, Brady Isbell 6, Cam Fultz 3