Eagle Point's Hayden Weaver, top, and Phoenix's Tobias Akpan fight for the ball during the fourth quarter Tuesday evening.

EAGLE POINT — Eleven points from Peyton Pierce in the fourth quarter boosted Eagle Point to a thrilling 70-67 victory over Phoenix after scoring seven unanswered points to close the game on Tuesday night.

Pierce finished the game with 34 points on 12-of-23 (52.1%) shooting and went 9-of-12 (75%) on free throw attempts. The senior also knocked down five free throws in crunch time as the Eagles outscored the Pirates 19-14 in the final frame.

“We just came together in the fourth quarter,” said Pierce. “We put everything together offensively and defensively to get the win at the end.”

Pierce controlled the second half for the Eagles (4-2) by scoring 19 points behind physical drives to the basket and finishes in traffic.

“I just saw that my team needed me to step up and I stepped up when they needed me to,” said Pierce.

The Eagles also had a clutch steal by guard Easton Raber in the final minute after a Phoenix inbound miscue and was sent to the line after he was fouled with the score at 67-66 in Phoenix’s favor.

Raber’s first free throw tied the game and his second make see-sawed his team ahead. Raber was a steady hand for the Eagles in the second half after being on the bench for most of the first half once he picked up his second foul just three minutes into the game.

The junior guard produced eight points and knocked down all four of his free throw attempts.

“Raber was able to pull through and he helped us out there to get to the end with one of the biggest plays of the game,” said Eagle Point boys basketball coach Ryan Marrs.

In what became a single-possession outcome, the Pirates (3-2) shortchanged themselves in the third quarter by missing six consecutive free throws and not converting on two layups. Overall, the Pirates shot 10-of-21 (47.6%) from the free-throw line.

“It is just hard to overcome as it changes the complexion of the game,” said Phoenix boys basketball coach Troy McNichols about the missed opportunities. “If we had made just even half of those (misses), it probably would have changed the outcome of the game.”

Phoenix forward Tobias Akpan recorded 24 points, eight rebounds and two blocks on 7-of-14 (50%) shooting from the floor, including a 3-pointer. However, the junior finished 9-of-15 (60%) from the charity stripe, with four misses coming in the third quarter.

“He’s still learning how to play with the guys that are around him,” McNichols said about the South Medford transfer. “But once we get this ironed out, it’s gonna be where he’s gonna be a force to be reckoned with.”

Akpan definitely showed good chemistry with Dylan Harper as the duo played a great two-man game with handoffs in off-ball action. That led to 21 points from the senior Harper on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, including going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.

With multiple Eagle Point defenders on Harper, it took great effort from junior Connor Neyt and senior Hayden Weaver to stay in front of the 6-foot-4 Akpan in the paint.

“All credit to Akpan because he is one heck of a basketball player,” Marrs said, “but we were able to clean some things up on defense and frustrate him a little bit to create some bad shots.”

Weaver had the best minutes guarding Akpan with his sturdy 230-pound frame. The senior was limited in his time as he is working his way back from a torn ACL and double meniscus tear in his right knee last year.

“This just gave me confidence defensively,” said Weaver, who finished with eight points. “Tonight helped me know that I can do my role as I have to guard bigger centers that not many others on our team can defend.”

With the close victory secured, Marrs was happy to see his players fight through a tight contest in the opening weeks of the season.

“I’m just very proud of how we finished and that we never gave up,” said Marrs. “We just pushed through and all credit to Phoenix for one heck of a basketball game.”

Girls BasketballEAGLE POINT 65, PHOENIX 37: At Eagle Point, sophomore Jill Garlitz and junior Thianna Deng-Gomez each scored 14 points to give Eagle Point a convincing nonconference victory.

Garlitz added five rebounds and five assists while Deng-Gomez finished with nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks for the Eagles (3-2).

Karris Johnson and Kadence Lindstrom added 12 points each and Kadrien Ledbetter pitched in 10 points for a balanced showing by Eagle Point.

Alissa Alvarez had a big double-double for the Pirates with 17 points and 17 rebounds to go with five assists and two blocks. Anabell Delgado also added eight points and seven steals for Phoenix (3-3).