Eastlake started strong and finished strong Tuesday night, beating Ballard 71-63 on the road.

The Wolves leapt out to a 18-11 lead in the first quarter. Their lead was trimmed to just one, 45-44, after three quarters, but they exploded for 26 fourth-quarter points to grab the victory.

Eastlake, which won its fifth straight game, was led by the season-high 26 points of senior guard Dillon Pericin. Senior Michael Russo, the KingCo’s leading scorer (19.8 ppg) added 23 points.

The Wolves moved into a three-way tie for first with Skyline and Garfield with an 8-3 and 11-4 overall record. They host rival Skyline at 8 p.m., this Friday.

Skyline drops second straight

Seventh-ranked Skyline couldn’t quite dig itself out of the large hole it dug Tuesday night, falling 49-45 to Inglemoor on the road.

The Spartans started slow, trailing 20-6 after the first quarter. Down 40-27 headed into the final quarter, Skyline mounted a frantic comeback, but came up just shy.

Cory Hutsen led Skyline with 18 points. Kasen Williams scored eight for the Spartans, who fell to 8-3 in league and 12-3 overall.

Skyline faces Plateau rival Eastlake (8-3, 11-4) at 8 p.m., Friday in a battle for first in the KingCo Crest.

Issaquah falls to Woodinville

Issaquah came up just shy of its second two-game win streak of the season Tuesday night, falling 59-50 to Woodinville on the road.

The Eagles were led by the 20 points of sophomore Nick Price. Joe Evans and Nik Landdeck scored seven apiece.

Issaquah dropped to 2-9 in league and 5-10 overall.

The Eagles travel to face Garfield at 8 p.m., Friday.