By NEAL EMBRY/For the Reporter

Central Tuscaloosa used a high-pressure defense to ground the Calera Eagles on senior night Friday night at Calera High School.

Calera led 11-8 early in the second quarter before the Falcons went on a 12-0 run to go 20-11. After taking a seven-point lead into the half, Central came out with more pressure on defense, forcing turnovers and holding Calera to only two made field goals in the third quarter, eventually winning the game 43-31.

Ladarious Barnes and Terrence Baskin led Calera with six points each.

While Calera played well on defense, the Eagles struggled to compete on the boards, leading to the Falcons controlling the clock and pace of the game.

The Falcons’ David Robinson scored all 13 of his points, which led all scorers, in the second half, along with three rebounds and two steals.

“We struggled rebounding the ball,” Calera coach George Drake said. “We played well in the first half, but came out flat in the second half.”

Calera’s next game is at Shelby County Tuesday, Jan. 27.