The big men came up big.

Fortunately.

T.J. Keith and Andy Colegrove put up their best numbers of the season as the Ironton Fighting Tigers beat the Portsmouth Trojans 58-43 Tuesday in a Southeastern Ohio Athletic League game.

Colegrove had 11 points and 8 rebounds with Keith getting 10 points and 7 rebounds and a blocked shot.

“We said if Andy and T.J. can get 12 to 15 rebounds and 6 or 8 points, we’ll win. You see their numbers,” Ironton coach Mark LaFon said.

“That’s the best numbers they’ve had all season and it’s a good thing because we didn’t play well. Take those numbers away and you can see what kind of game this would have been.”

Ironton (7-2, 3-1) dominated the game in the first half and led by as many as 22 in the second half. But LaFon wasn’t happy with his team’s play, only the outcome.

“We weren’t very disciplined. We didn’t do the things we’re supposed to do. We can’t get by with that style all the time. We need to be more focused on what we do,” LaFon said.

Tyler Shoemaker also had 11 points and a couple of steals for Ironton. Marc Carter handed out 6 assists and got 3 steals.

Portsmouth (1-9, 0-4) was led by Nate Cadogan with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Colegrove had 6 points including a tip-in and a soft hook shot that gave Ironton a 10-5 lead. A steal and assist by Chad Miller led to a short jumper by Alstan Carter and it was 14-7 at the end of the quarter.

A 5-footer by Keith ignited a 10-0 run capped by Miller’s layup off a pass from Marc Carter as Ironton built a 28-13 halftime lead.

Two foul shots by Shoemaker gave Ironton its biggest lead at 45-23 with 1:51 left in the third quarter.

LaFon emptied his bench midway through the fourth quarter with Ironton leading by 19.