Courtland boys basketball coach Eric Davis knows his team needs new stars to emerge if it is to repeat its banner season of a year ago.

The Cougars, Battlefield District and Region 4B champions in 2020, lost four starters from that squad, including Class 4 all-state guard Khai Sargeant. They still managed to post wins in eight of their first 10 contests this season, but a loss to Eastern View on Jan. 11 created a tie for first place in the Battlefield between the two teams that's remained deadlocked for nearly three weeks.

Courtland emphatically broke that tie Friday night, and it may have found a new star guard in the process.

Aaron Brooks scored a game-high 21 points and dished out seven assists, and the visiting Cougars used a huge third-quarter run to swallow up the Cyclones for a 69-51 victory.

The win puts Courtland (9-2 overall, 8-1 district) alone atop the district standings, and could enable it to leapfrog Eastern View (9-2, 8-2) for first place in Region 4B North as well. The Cyclones began the day with a 33.80 power-point rating, while the Cougars stood at 32.73.

The top two squads in both the North and South divisions will advance to the four-team region tournament, which is scheduled to begin on Feb. 9. Whoever winds up as the North's No. 1 seed will be guaranteed at least one home game in its quest for a berth in the state tournament.

"I thought our intensity level was down in the [first half], so I challenged the guys at halftime to pick it up," Davis said. "Ever since we lost to [Eastern View], we've been putting pressure on people at both ends of the floor with aggressive play from our guards, which is what's enabled us to be successful. We got back to doing that in the second half."

Leading 29-27 to begin the third period, Courtland manufactured a 22-5 run that was fueled by its guard play. Senior Xander Alston tallied eight points during that stretch, while classmate Robert Harvey, the lone returning starter from a year ago, contributed seven.

Brooks, a sophomore who has gradually taken over point guard duties as the season has progressed, handed out three assists during the stanza.

"He's going to be a great point guard," Davis said of Brooks. "it's a treasure to have him, and he's a real floor general already."

The Cougars' floor general kept them in the contest early on, totaling 12 of his points before intermission and evoking memories of Sargeant with some clutch shooting.

With Eastern View up 12-5 late in the first quarter, Brooks knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to pull Courtland within a point. Then, he scored a pair of big baskets in the final minutes of the half—the second of which was a long jumper from the right wing that bounced in at the buzzer to give the Cougars the advantage for good.

"It's really important to me that we continue to play well and live up to the standard set by last year's team," Brooks said. "I felt good out there tonight, but a lot of what I was able to do was because of how well my teammates played. They set me up for success."

Alston and fellow senior Sean Wray both complemented Brooks' effort, each finishing with 11 points on the evening.

"All of those guys moved the ball great, which opened a lot of things up," Davis said of his guards. "The ball movement set up some isolations for each of them, and they all stepped up a made their plays."

The Cyclones were paced by Rickey Butler, who recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. They committed 10 second-half turnovers against Courtland's high-pressure man-to-man defense and also struggled at the free-throw line, converting just 15 of 27 attempts.

"The intensity wasn't there tonight," Eastern View coach Patrick Thornhill said. "We were flat for most of the night. Courtland played exceptionally well though, so you have to give credit where it's due."

Courtland (9-2, 8-1): Xander Alston 11, Aaron Brooks 21, Sean Wray 11, Micah Roberts 7, Raejon Harvey 0, Raul Gil 0, Christian Jones 0, Darren Green 6, Trey Burton 0, Robert Harvey 9, Michael Salvary 4, Charlie Welsh 0, Clayton Cassiday 0. Totals: 23 16-23 69.

Eastern View (9-2, 8-2): Amaree Robinson 6, Rickey Butler 15, Gio Maxie 4, D'Aze Hunter 8, Corey Long 6, Dom Sasso 0, Terry Jackson 0, D'Myo Hunter 6, Taharka Siaca Bey 6, Jamil Abed 0. Totals:17 15-27 51.

3-pointers: Courtland 7 (Brooks 3, Alston, Ray, Roberts, Ro. Harvey). Eastern View 2 (Robinson, D'Aze Hunter).