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A unanimous sigh of relief was heard Tuesday night by those involved in the Busco Boys basketball program.

The relief came not from a come from behind win, a buzzer-beater, or a last second defensive stand … but because for the first time in 5 games the Eagles played the way many have expected them to play all season.

In a 66-49 win over Manchester, Busco earned its first win of the season and may have at least begun the process of getting a huge monkey off of its back. Following a Saturday night loss at the hands of conference foe West Noble, which is led by former Eagles’ coach Ross Hales, there were a lot of questions and concerns throughout the community about the direction of the basketball program.

Tuesday night, the Eagles answered some of those questions, at least for the time being. The defense was noticeably improved, and the offense seemed to be clicking a little better.

Tavin Herendeen, who drained 3-point basket after 3-point basket to thwart a Manchester rally, scored 14 points on the night.

Coming off a career-high 27 points on Saturday, Kyle Mathewson added 14 points from the paint in the Eagles’ victory Tuesday night.

Point Guard Dylan Herendeen scored 10 points. Also contributing to the Eagle’s scoring effort was sophomore Josh LeFever with 7 points; junior Jordan Turner with 5 points; and junior Hunter Nicodemus with 10 points.

The 17-point win was the Eagles’ largest margin of victory since 2006. Perhaps more than any statistical information, the most comforting thing about the victory was that it looked as if Busco was playing as a team for the first time this season.

With all of the negative talk outside of the program, they’ll need to stay together to face the challenges up ahead. The Eagles (1-4, 0-2) travel to Prairie Heights Friday, Dec. 18, to take on the Panthers (2-4, 0-1) in NECC action. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the junior varsity game.