What was a close game for a half turned into a blowout in favor of Horseshoe Bend on Friday, 61-33 over Isabella.

The visitors led 21-13 at halftime but outscored IHS 20-0 in the third quarter.

Isabella took the ball first and drove 57 yards, piling up four first downs with all the yardage coming on the ground. The only pass attempt on the drive fell incomplete.

Quarterback Tyler Smith found the end zone from two yards out, but the point-after was no good, leaving the score 6-0 with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter.

But Horseshoe Bend answered right back, with 64-yard drive that ended with Cory Battle scoring from 13 yards out. Mathan Colley added the point-after to give the visitors the lead.

Horseshoe Bend added another score in the second quarter, on a 1-yard keeper by quarterback Chase Cheaney.

A missed extra point allowed Isabella to tie the score about 3 minutes later on a 7-yard run by Mason Pate and point-after by Frankie Piper.

After tying the game, things went downhill for the Mustangs (2-2 overall, 1-2 region).

Battle returned the ensuing kickoff about 70 yards to give HBHS a lead it wouldn’t surrender.

On the first play of Horseshoe Bend’s second possession of the second half, Battle broke a tackle from what seemed like every IHS defender on his way to a 76-yard touchdown run.

Isabella fumbled the snap on a punt on its next possession, setting up the visitors for a 33-yard scoring pass from Cheaney to Cory Glenn on the very next play.

Then, Battle scored from two yards out after Tyler Meadows intercepted a pass and returned it deep into Mustangs territory. The 2-point conversion made the score 41-13.

Smith recorded his second rushing touchdown of the day with 8:51 remaining in the game, but the outcome had already been decided.

Smith scored a third touchdown minutes later, and then he threw for a score to Tazz Baron.

Horseshoe Bend got fourth-quarter scores from Luke Holt, Jackson Sexton and Jim Abernathay.