For the first time this season, the Wallace basketball team wore blue jerseys at home.

After Thursday’s 98-74 loss to Enterprise-Ozark, it’s an idea the Patriots may want to send to the cutting room floor.

“We didn’t look like the same team we did the last five or six games,” said Wallace coach Ronald Lane. “They outplayed us, outhustled us. They showed up with more intensity.”

After a first half in which the momentum seemed to shift on every possession, the Weevils made the game’s outcome clear early in the second half. Leading 51-44, Wallace turnovers led to a 10-1 Weevil run capped by a Jonau Jerry steal and layup. Only two minutes and 41 seconds into the half, the Weevils managed to increase the lead to 59-45.

But they were just getting started.

A Rodney Kennedy 3-pointer sparked a 19-2 run to extend the lead to 86-59 with 8:43 left in the contest. As the Weevils increased their advantage, the Patriots couldn’t find the basket, going almost five minutes without a field goal.

“Those runs really helped,” said Enterprise-Ozark coach David James. “Our press wore them down in the first half. They ran out of steam.”

The first half could have served as an omen of things to come. Trailing 16-14, Wendell Maye hit a 3-pointer, then followed it with a steal and layup to trigger a 12-1 run and put the Weevils ahead 26-17.

Wallace (6-16) responded with a 13-4 run to tie the game at 30, but couldn’t get over the hump to reclaim the lead. The Patriots tied the game two more times before a 13-4 Weevil run put Enterprise-Ozark (12-8) up 47-38.

Not helping matters was the lack of production from Wallace’s leading scorer, Chris Walker. After getting into early foul trouble, Walker spent most of the half on the bench. As a result, he did not score in the first and finished with only 10 points for the game.

Rodney Kennedy led the Weevils with 20 points. Eddy Jean-Pierre added 17, Maye finished with 16 and Lanard Bryant and Roderick Moss added 10 apiece.

Michael Acoff led the Patriots with 16 points. Darrel Mayberry added 14, and Reggie Mann chipped in 10.