Naylor's Matt Woolard drives past Hayti's William Cooper on his way to the basket Thursday during a MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 semifinal game at Holcomb. Woolard scored 17 points but the Eagles fell to the Indians 67-56 to finish the season at 16-10. (Brad Hurt/DAR) [Click to enlarge]

By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer

HOLCOMB -- Although they faced a superior physical team on Thursday night, the Naylor Eagles made Hayti earn a 67-56 win in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 semifinal.

With the win, the Indians continued a string of "firsts" that have marked this season. The team captured its first Bloomfield Christmas Tournament title, its first Bootheel Conference title in several years and with its record now at 20-6, its first 20-win season in a decade.

"It's a really big deal," said Hayti coach Philip Taylor.

The Eagles (16-10) led through much of the first half and had the ball down five with less than one minute remaining in the game before a Shawn Jones steal, layup and free throw put the game out of reach.

After Denzel Presberry stretched the Hayti lead to 58-49 with a layup at the 2:25 mark, Naylor's Travis Thomas scored his team's next five points, and the Eagles trailed by five with less than a minute left.

Trailing 59-54, Naylor got a gift when the Indians turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, but the Eagles gave it right back as Jones picked off a pass.

Jones laid the ball in the basket with 44.2 seconds left to push the lead to seven and finish off the Eagles.

"These kids have been playing hard all year long," Naylor coach Glen Eubanks said. "We held in there in the first half."

Naylor went on an 8-1 run that spanned into the second quarter to claim a 17-11 lead and led by as many as 10 after a 3-pointer by Thomas put them up 26-16 midway through the second quarter.

Thomas hit a total of five 3-pointers in the game, including three in the second quarter, and finished with a game-high 29 points.

"We tried to be aggressive and of course Travis just shot the lights out in the first half," Eubanks said of his team's offensive performance.

The Eagles held a 30-28 halftime edge despite turning the ball over nine times to the Indians' two.

"I guess the flow of the game wasn't in our favor in the first half," Taylor said. "We just didn't get the shot opportunities we normally get. Defensively, we were on our heels and we let (Thomas) drain them in the first half."

The Indians regained control in the second half by getting the ball into the paint and getting high-percentage shots. While post success is nothing new for the Indians, 6-foot-8 William Cooper got help from Presberry, who had a pair of layups in the fourth quarter to help widen Hayti's cushion.

"At halftime, we said, 'Guys, this is what you gotta do. Show that you want to be here. Get it down low, fight hard, and sometimes things just bounce your way,'" Taylor said.

After the loss, Eubanks had nothing but praise for his young team, specifically the freshmen.

"I thought our freshmen played exceptionally well out there against older and bigger kids " he said

The Eagles featured a pair of freshmen -- Cody Hanner and Matt Woolard -- in their starting lineup and both made key contributions. Hanner scored both of his baskets in the first quarter while Woolard had six of his 17 points in the first quarter and seven more in the fourth.

"Matt got some big buckets for us in the second half," Eubanks said.

The Eagles finished the season with their first winning record in eight years and loses only senior Caleb Johnson.