The Pleasant Home Eagles came away with a 46-39 win on homecoming night in a game that coach Jerry Davis said was “ugly.”

“I hate to say it, but we just played an ugly game,” he said. “There was nothing smooth about that basketball game out there. It’s frustrating because we were letting them back into it because we weren’t making our free throws.

“I don’t care who you are, but if you want to advance in the playoffs, then you’ve got to make free throws.”

Early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles held a 13-point lead but Samson started cutting into that lead right away. With 2:16 left, Samson’s Brandon Carter stole the ball and scored on a fast break layup that cut Pleasant Home’s lead to 41-34.

Over the last two minutes of the ball game, the Eagles made five of eight free throws. Samson was also snakebitten at the free-throw line, especially in the first half where the Tigers were just three of 11 from the line.

“The ball game should have never gotten back to being in doubt,” Davis said. “We were missing a lot of shots, and not just shots, but layups. (Samson) did a good job of taking the ball inside and we just didn’t have an answer for what they were doing.

“I lost one post player (to foul trouble) and the other was sitting there with four (fouls). Thank goodness they had to start shooting 3-pointers when they were making their comeback.”

Pleasant Home led 11-8 after the first quarter before turning up the defensive intensity. The Eagles held Samson scoreless for more than four minutes on the way to a 28-13 halftime lead.

Stephen Davis led Pleasant Home with 18 points, followed by Emory Rabren with eight. Dalton Seabright had 12 points to lead Samson.

In earlier action, the Samson Lady Tigers defeated Pleasant Home 70-60. Erin Byrd had 19 points to lead Pleasant Home, followed by Brittany Ward with 11 and Ariel Gunter with 10. Trianna Reeves led Samson with 23 points.

Byrd was also named homecoming queen at halftime of the boys game.