West Middlesex took control in the first quarter and made it stand in a 51-44 District 10, Region 2-AA home win over Wilmington last night.

The game was a battle for first place in the region, with the teams sharing the top spot coming in.

West Middlesex (5-0, 8-4) forged a 17-8 buffer after the first period. The Greyhounds (4-1, 8-4) outscored the hosts from there, 36-34.

“We came out and they put up 17 on us in the first quarter,” Wilmington coach Mike Jeckavitch said. “We settled down after that.

“We had open looks, but we just didn’t convert all of them. They’re a big, physical team. We just didn’t make enough shots.”

Travis Brumbaugh netted a game-high 17 points for the Greyhounds and Rocco Fagan added 10. Jordan Smith supplied seven markers and seven rebounds. Josiah Bloise snared six boards.

“I’m extremely happy with the amount of open looks that we had,” Jeckavitch said. “We just didn’t convert them. Maybe at our house, we’ll be able to convert them.

“The effort that these guys put forth was amazing.”

Trey Staunch notched a team-best 16 points for the Big Reds.