OAKLAND CITY, Ind. - Elevated by a 17-2 run to close the first half, Midway cruised to a 70-55 win over Oakland City in each team's men's basketball River States Conference opener Wednesday night.

After a Drake Moore layup cut Midway's lead to 25-24 with 7:48 to play in the first half, the Eagles got an immediate response from Jalen Cincore, who hit a jump shot just nine seconds later to kick-start the run that put his team ahead 42-26 at the break.

Cincore made another jump shot after the Oaks opened the second half on a 7-0 run, kicking off an 8-0 answer by Midway, which stayed in control the rest of the way.

Entering the night averaging a team-best 18.3 points per game, Cincore improved on that average, finishing with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting. In Midway's three wins this season, Cincore is averaging 24 points while shooting just over 69 percent from the field.

Just as instrumental to the first-half run was a great effort by the Eagle defense. At one point Midway, which took the ball away 14 times for the game, forced turnovers on five consecutive Oakland City possessions, leading to seven points.

Donnie Miller also finished the night in double figures, netting 14 points and going 6-of-6 from the foul line.

Robbie Henry chipped in eight points off the bench, with Nick Keeton scoring seven points and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.

The Eagles have opened conference play 1-0 in each of the last three seasons, with all three of those wins coming against Oakland City. Midway also defeated the Mighty Oaks 80-77 in its first game against a River States opponent during the 2020-21 season, but conference records were not kept that season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now 3-4 overall, the Eagles will attempt to get back to .500 and stay perfect in the RSC Saturday when they host Brescia. The game will begin following the conclusion of a women's game between the Eagles and Bearcats, which will tip at 1 p.m.

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