There wasn’t a lot expected out of the Porters Chapel Eagles last season.

Win a few games, have some fun, pass the time between football and baseball seasons. Same as always.

Then, a strange thing happened — the Eagles started winning. Not every game, but just enough to take advantage of the MAIS’ playoff structure to keep advancing to the next round. They pulled a couple upsets and found themselves in the Class A semifinals before the run ended.

Now, heading into tonight’s 2011-12 season opener against Briarfield, another strange thing is happening — the Eagles expect to keep winning. The program that had never been more than an afterthought at a school where football and baseball were king suddenly has its eyes set on another deep run in the postseason and is laying the groundwork for future success.

“The expectations are high and we’re going to live up to them,” senior center Talbot Buys said. “We lost one starter from last year and got a few new guys in. We’ve got a bunch of kids who can ball.”

The core of last year’s Cinderella run is back, led by Buys and Kawayne Gaston (19 points, 8 rebounds per game). Joining them are Ted Brisco (15 points, 9 rebounds per game), Peter Harris and newcomer Alton Burden.

The Eagles went 11-6 after Gaston transferred from Vicksburg High at the holiday break last year, and coach E.J. Creel said having a full season to get to know each other will only make the team better.

“Last year I saw us doing everything we did. You just run into some things like figuring out who works best in what situation,” Creel said.

Creel added that the emergence of Brisco, a sophomore forward, will be a key element in the team’s success this season. Brisco was an athletic, but skinny forward who liked to crash the boards and struggled with his outside shot.

Creel said Brisco has bulked up and worked on his shooting and seems to have fixed the glaring holes in his game.

“He looks very good. He’s put on some weight. He looks manly. He’s dunking the basketball left and right,” Creel said. “You can tell he’s gotten in good shape this summer.”

Brisco will team with Buys and Gaston to form a formidable inside game for the Eagles, who often outrebounded teams last season. Brisco is also part of another movement at PCA — the building of a program. In past years, whatever success the Eagles had was fleeting. If a particular class of players was talented, the next might not be.

With three juniors in the regular rotation this season — Brisco, Harris and P.J. Lassiter — it appears PCA is poised to become a basketball force for several years to come.

“I’m just excited that there’s a thought that things can happen. More than just winning a few ballgames,” Creel said. “There’s an overall goal now.”

For the girls’ team, however, the goals are less lofty. The Lady Eagles have only won a handful of games the past few seasons.

Creel was encouraged, though, by a high turnout and a level of enthusiasm that’s been missing from past teams. Nine players are on this year’s team, a turnout improvement from last year.