Pleasant Home’s Emory Rabren and Kody Taylor put up 12 points apiece to help their team win 45-30 over Rocky Bayou (Fla.) Friday night in the first game of the Alabama-Florida Shootout.

The Eagles (8-5) started out slow in the first half, getting down by nine at the end of the second quarter, 19-10.

“We played like you would after a Christmas break,” Pleasant Home coach Jerry Davis said. “You can’t take anything away from (Rocky Bayou). I thought we played well in the first half. We didn’t shoot the ball very well at all and we got ourselves in a hole.

“We got down nine at halftime, but fortunately we put a third quarter together and were able to get up by two and salvage the game,” he said.

Late in the third quarter, the Eagles shot up on the scoreboard by four points with two minutes left. Pleasant Home managed to put up another two compared to Rocky Bayou’s four to put it at a two-point game going into the final quarter of the night.

Davis said he sympathizes with his team as they have been “struggling” lately.

“They’ve been struggling and are having a tough season, but I thought they played pretty decent at times,” Davis said. “Our kids responded when (Rocky Bayou) put us in a hole. That’s what you have to do. You can’t hang it up. We came back in the second half to play.

“I didn’t lose my cool or there wasn’t any super halftime talks,” he said. “It was just a matter of picking it up. Usually when you come back like this it’s slow and sloppy.”

On Rabren’s come back to the team after suffering a knee injury before the season began, Davis said he did what he needed to do on the court.

“I thought in the third and early part of the fourth quarter he got us some crucial baskets,” Davis said. “That’s what he does. He’s a very good inside player and that’s like a holiday blessing for us. Every kid we’ve got on the roster is capable of playing some.”

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles exploded with 15 points compared to Rocky Bayou’s two to get out with the win.

Pleasant Home will face Baker (Fla.) tonight in the second game of the shootout. Davis said Baker is a good team and that it will be a tough game.

Pleasant Home’s Stephen Davis also helped with the scoring on the night, putting up nine points.

Tip off tonight against Baker is at 8 p.m.