Wins have been hard to come by for the Santa Fe (Alachua) and Eastside boys basketball teams.

They’re both young and inexperienced.

Both teams were plagued by shooting slumps and turnovers on Thursday night, but Eastside got the Class 4A-District 5 win at home.

Visiting Santa Fe had a double-digit lead in the first half, but the Rams used an 18-0 run in the final period to rally past the Raiders, 53-42, to pick up their third win of the season.

“We did a lot of shooting yesterday and we came out really flat today,” said Eastside coach Herman “Pop” Williams. “I told them that if we can hang around then hopefully in the second half we’ll get it going.”

After struggling with just 18 total points in the first half, the Rams put it together in the fourth quarter, outscoring Santa Fe, 20-7, in the final period.

“We actually followed the game plan,” said Santa Fe coach Glen Banks. “They struggled against our zone, which we knew they would, but once the game got close you’ve got to go man and they just got calls, and with the new free throw rule once you get five, you’re dead if they’re making them.”

Eastside senior Quashawn Brittingham scored 10 of his game-high 15 points in the second half as the Rams began to chip away.

Brittingham hit a right corner 3-ball, after an Eastside offensive rebound, to give the Rams the lead for good at 43-40 with 3:40 remaining.

“Qua is real streaky,” Williams said. “He’ll miss 20 and then next thing he’ll come down and probably hit about seven in a row. He’s a real streaky shooter. He’s got a lot he can improve on, but being a senior, I’m putting a lot of pressure on him to just be consistent at what he does. I don’t care how he plays but be consistent.”

The Rams pulled away by converting 9-of-15 free throws in the fourth quarter.

Freshman Amari Ray (7 points, 7 steals) was 4-for-4 from the line and sophomore Lemarion Houston was 2-for-2.

Eastside (3-8) actually jumped out to an early 5-0 lead as junior Kelvin Baker (12 points) banked in a shot with 4:20 to play in the first quarter.

In fact, Santa Fe (4-10) didn’t score until senior De’vaughntae Welch came off the bench to knock down a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:54 to play in the opening period to make it a 2-point game at 5-3.

Raiders’ senior Braylon Guyden (9 points) made a layup with three seconds to play in the first quarter to bring Santa Fe within one point at 9-8.

The late score gave the Raiders some momentum as sophomore Antonio Hall (9 points) made a pair of free throws for a 10-9 lead a minute into the second quarter, followed by Guyden’s 3-ball from up top made it 13-9 for an 8-0 run.

The lead grew to 11 following a left corner 3-ball and then a top of the key 3-pointer by Camden Mcleod.

The junior, who made three of his four 3s in the second quarter, led Santa Fe with 12 points.

“Cam has the capability of being a good player,” Banks said. “Right now, he’s just a shooter. He needs to develop more of his game and become a leader.”

But the Rams climbed back in thanks to a 3-pointer from the top of the key by Ray and a right baseline 3-pointer by Brittingham to make it a one-point game at 31-30 late in the third quarter.

The Raiders struggled in the fourth quarter, making only two field goals in the final eight minutes.

“We couldn’t get into any flow, we’ve got a young team, we’ve got to have a leader,” Banks said. “There’s a bunch of followers, but no leaders.”

Santa Fe will seek its fifth win of the season at home on Friday when the Raiders host rival Fort White. The tip is at 7:30 p.m.

Eastside will host 4A No. 8 Raines (Jacksonville) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Dante Anderson Shootout

Williams said he hopes the win helps boost the confidence of his young and inexperienced team.

“I don’t have anybody that played JV last year playing for me now,” Williams said. “I hope this really helped them because Saturday we’re playing against Raines, and they’re probably one of the better teams in the state of Florida.”