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TORONTO -- The Edison boys' basketball team battled, but Bridgeport was able to answer the challenge.
Edison led by one at the end of the first quarter before the Bulldogs rallied and built a double-digit advantage in the second half. The Wildcats closed to within seven in the fourth, however, the Bulldogs tallied eight-straight points to pull away for a 66-49 victory in the third game of the first day of the 5th Annual Todd Kalivoda Holiday Showcase Friday evening inside the George J. Kunzler Memorial Gymnasium.
"Our kids played hard," Edison (3-5) head coach Jeremy Matics said. "Hats off to Bridgeport. We battled. We executed our gameplan. We left it all out on the floor."
The boys in black led 17-16 at the end of the first quarter, however, the boys in white tallied 20 points in the second to rally for a 36-29 lead at halftime.
"We worked hard to prepare for this game," Matics said. "We had a good practice yesterday. We did a good job. They just made shots. It was a fun game. Now, we have to get ready for Indian Creek."
The boys from Belmont County outscored the Wildcats, 17-10, in the third to extend their advantage to 53-39 entering the fourth. The victors outscored the Jefferson Countians, 13-10, in the fourth to account for the final score.
Edison pulled to within 54-47, but that was as close as the Silver-and-Black was able to get as Bridgeport responded with an 8-0 spurt to increase its advantage up to 62-47.
"They made shots," Matics said. "They shot the ball well. Hats off to them. They knocked down some shots. We were able to knock down some."
A pair of Wildcats produced double digits in scoring to lead the way for Edison. Jackson McBane collected a team-high 20 points, while Kyle Long tallied 18.
Jaleel Vincent tallied a game-high 34 points to lead the way for the Bulldogs, while Jaki Threet collected 13.
McBane and Vincent were named the MVPs of their respective teams.
"He did an awesome job," Matcis said about McBane. "It is well deserved. I am very proud of him."
The Wildcats enjoy traveling to Toronto and taking part in the annual showcase.
"It is a great atmosphere," Matics said. "We love coming down here and playing in this. They do a great job. We look forward to coming here."
Edison is scheduled to play Jefferson County rival Indian Creek Monday night on the road on Coach D Court.
Bridgeport is slated to play Frontier Friday night at home.
Bridgeport 66, Edison 49
Edison 17 12 10 10 – 49
Bridgeport 16 20 17 13 – 66
EDISON (3-5): Kirkman 0 0-0 0, Rogers 1 0-0 2, Farnsworth 0 0-0 0, Long 6 3-4 18, Filburn 0 2-2 2, Wiley 1 0-0 2, McBane 9 4-5 20. TOTALS: 17 9-11 49.
BRIDGEPORT (4-5): Jackson 3 0-2 6, Threet 6 1-2 13, Brown 0 0-0 0, Clark 1 0-2, Vincent 13 4-8 34, Brinker 2 1-2 6, Drake 0 1-2 1, White 2 0-0 4. TOTALS: 27 7-16 66.
3-POINTERS: Edison 6 (Long 3, McBane 3); Bridgeport 5 (Vincent 4, Brinker)