Sports
Fed Hock Buries Eastern
< < Back to fed-hock-buries-easternAn early Eastern scoring drought boosted Federal Hocking to a 27-13 lead in the first quarter, and they rode this advantage to a 71-42 victory in front of their home crowd.
Both teams opened Friday night’s game in a full-court press, but the Lancers were able to break Eastern’s and open a run where the Eagles went on a 2:10 scoreless skid.
During the slide, Federal Hocking went on a 12-0 run, where Cliff Bonner scored six of his 15 points for the game. The junior guard also was the catalyst to coach Howie Caldwell’s press, as he helped the Lancers force four turnovers in the run.
“Bonner has stepped up and done well,” assistant coach Jeremy Tolson said. “He has filled in nicely at the point position.”
Caldwell received a strong outing from his big man, Max Carney. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward finished with 15 points and nine rebounds on the night. The Eagles struggled to stop Carney down low, as he had five offensive rebounds.
Eastern began to threaten in the second quarter when Max Carnahan hit a three to bring the Eagles within 13, but Carney didn’t allow an Eastern comeback before halftime.
The senior had six points and an assist in the quarter, which accounted for eight of Federal Hocking’s 13 points in the second quarter. Carney was also a force on defense, controlling the paint with one block.
“Our pressure was good. It’s what we worked on was defense,” Tolson said. “Coach Caldwell preaches defense.”
Caldwell did not allow the Lancers to ease up on the Eagles, even with an 18-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. They came out immediately utilizing the full-court press.
In the first 3:12 of the fourth, Fed Hock went on a 15-4 run to build a 65-36 lead where the Lancers recorded four steals.
Federal Hocking finished the night with 19 total steals and didn’t allow more than 13 points in a quarter.
“We played Miller Tuesday, and we used to press there and it worked for us,” Tolson said. “We got after it and played really well.”
The Lancers will be back in action tomorrow night against Morgan in Stewart.